Budha Chakuli

                                                          Budha Chakuli

Raja festival  is a very famous festival of odisha.  Odia people wait for the whole year for this festival.  Basically it is a festival of cultivators.  This is a festival dedicated to woman and motherhood. That's why girls celebrate this in a more dedicated way.  It is celebrated for 3 days.  In these 3 days ladies normally don't do any work.  Cooking is done day before the raja starts.

But with the change of time these rituals fade away.  But one thing doesn't fade away is the food.  For these days ladies cook so many varieties of dishes like poda pitha,  budha chakuli,  kakara pitha,  dahi bara and the list is never ending.

I don't have girl in my house to celebrate this festival.  But I always wanted to teach my boys about it.  So every year I too make different dishes.  First day of the  raja is called a Pahili Raja.  For Pahili Raja I made budha chakuli.  It is a thick pan cake from urad dal and rice mix batter with jagerry in it.  It is Lord Jagannath's one of the favourite dish.

Here is my recipe of budha chakuli

Urad dal- 1/2cup

Raw rice- 1/2cup

Salt- 1/4tsp

Jaggery- 4 to 5 tbsp ( depends upon ones choice)

Coconut pieces- 4tbsp

Ripe banana- 3

Ginger- 1' inch long

Black pelper- 1 1/2tsp

Saunf- 1tsp

Ghee for frying.

Rinse and clean urad dal properly and soak for 3 to 4 hours.  Do the same with rice.

After 4 hours grind rice and urad dal separately.  Beat the urad dal with hands till fluffy.  Put a drop of the batter in water and whether the batter is floating then it is ready to add rice paste.  Mix rice paste and beat again.

Peel ginger,  crush it and keep aside.  Make black pepper powder and keep aside.  Mash the banana and keep aside   mix everything to the batter except ghee.  Mix  properly and let it rest for 15 mins.

Pre heat a tawa and pour a ladel full of batter on it. Speared but it has to be  thick. Spread ghee on and around the chakuli.  Turn the chakuli when down side is golden brown.  Cook both sides upto golden brown.

Generally It is served without any thing.  But one can pair allo curry or guguni with this.  Serve hot.