Everywhere you go in India, you will find a version of the pani puri. For Rassmita Das Pattanaik, it is one of her favourite parts of Odia cuisine. Growing up in Mumbai, Pattanaik’s connection to her home state was started with her grandparents who lived there, and the food from her mom’s kitchen. “Growing up, my brother and I did not have Odia friends. It was something we craved,” she admits. This weekend, she will bring the memory of those stories and dishes to the table of her Dahisar home as part of her Odia supper club experience, GupChup Table.
A closer view at the Gupchup
“There is a lot of diversity, even between Eastern and Western regions of Orissa. For instance, on the Eastern side, they use wild vegetables, leaves, flowers, and mushrooms. While places like Bhubaneswar will have an abundance of mutton and fish,” she shares.
A graduate of Institute of Hotel Management in Dadar, and having worked in the F&B industry, Pattanaik’s interest in Odia cuisine was revived upon her return to Odisha during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Chhena Poda
“In my home state, comfort always means vegetables. We have the Santula, a vegetable stew, stew as the go-to dish for mothers when they run out of ideas,” Pattanaik chuckles.
The club takes its title from the eponymous Gupchup, the Odia version of the Pani Puri. “The word also infers conversations, much like how we wish to conduct it. I call it ‘Ama Ghara Bhoji [a feast at home],” the host shares.
Summer thali with Jackfruit Curry
Thus, the menu includes a starter of vadas soaked in spiced curd, and layered with aloo dum. This is followed by the simple, but homely feel of bhato (rice) and Dalma, a vegetable dal with light seasoning — perfect for the monsoon, Pattanaik adds. The menu includes Potro Tarkari (a gourd vegetable), Sago (stir-fried leafy vegetables) among others. “Of course, there is also a mutton dish. You are looked down on if you don’t serve mutton at Odia feasts. I have witnessed fights at weddings over it,” she laughs.
Guests toast during a dinner. Pics Courtesy/GupChup
The Gupchup is among the highlights, she promises. “Unlike Mumbai, the Odia version has no sweet water. There is only tamarind and pudina in it. We occasionally use ambe halad, a little variation from my Mumbai years to add to it,” she says.
Rassmita Pattanaik and Mala Jonvar
For Mala Jonvar, founder of the platform Sonchi, it is the rarity of the experience that pushed her to collaborate on the club. “Not many people in Mumbai are aware of Odia cuisine, and its diversity. Personally, as a dessert lover, I am fond of the Chhena Poda,” she says. Over the last three years, Jonvar has hosted over 35 such experiences across the country on her platform bringing together such supper clubs.
For Pattanaik, it is the friendships and conversations that lift up the food. “It is something people enjoy, and love to be introduced to,” she says.
ON July 25 and 26; 6 pm onwards
AT Dahisar East (location revealed upon registration)
LOG ON TO sonchi.co.in
COST Rs 1500 onwards
Pakhala
Rassmita Pattanaik and Mala Jonvar
Among the many fascinating culinary facets of Odia cuisine is Pakhala or fermented rice. “It is quite similar to the Panta Bhat in Bengal, but we allow it to be fermented over a longer period. The water from the fermented rice is stored for over two days, before being served with a tadka,” shares Pattanaik.
