Celebrity Chef Sarash Goila has always been renowned for his butter chicken and now he’s in the process of making a new home for it in Bhubaneswar. While on his travels to launch the new Goila Butter Chicken outlet in Chandrasekharpur, he found some time to explore the rich offerings of Odia cuisine
He first stopped off at a stall outside the Odisha University of Agriculture and Technology to enjoy some Dahi Bara Aloo Dum, and quickly decided that he had to make this ‘delishaaas’ recipe himself. After a long day at work, he headed off to Bhubaneswar’s Old Town, on the banks of the Bindusagar Lake to visit Sree Gopal Sweets which is famed for their Malpua, Ghugni Vada and Singada – to enjoy a taste of the local snacks.
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While there he enjoyed some fresh Singada filled with skin-on peanuts, potato and peas, Piaji (onion pakoda) and vada while taking in the view of the lake at night before relishing a crispy Malpua with what he described as ‘just the right amount of chashni (sugar syrup)’.
Since Laxmi Puja is going on, Lingraj Temple was an obvious must-visit where he then tried some Kora Khai prashad made from puffed paddy rice, coconut, jaggery and cardamom before it was time for dinner.
He sat down for a meal of Dalma and Chenna Tarkari, and although he rued not being able to try the dish in a homemade setting he declared the deep-fried Chhena perfect. He also hinted at adding a ‘Goila Butter Chhena’ to his own menu. Along with these treats, he also tried some Aloo Potol and some Chhatu Besara – a local mustard-based mushroom curry.
As he said, ‘all good trips must come to an end’, but before leaving he made some last stops to enjoy the sweeter side of Odisha, starting with Pahala Rasagola and Chhena Poda. He had planned to try them in Pahala, the OG spot for this dish along the Bhubaneswar-Cuttack highway, but he couldn’t make it there with his busy schedule and instead made a stop at a small stall called Bulu Sweets to experience the taste in Bhubaneswar itself.
This famous dish of Odisha left the chef completely speechless and he described the soft, sugar-soaked Rasagola as ‘softer and lesser sweet than any Rasagola I’ve had’. The Chhena Poda (a cake made of baked chhena, a type of cheese) he tried had been baked overnight in sal leaves to give it a perfect caramelised finish.
He then finished off with some homemade Arisa – a deep-fried type of pitha that also goes by the name Anarsa in Bihar. Then some Rasabali, deep-fried chhena discs soaked in Rabri that recently got a GI tag, making it an official delicacy of Odisha.
With that, he wrapped up his Bhubaneswar food adventure, vowing to come back and travel the length and breadth of Odisha in the future to explore the rich food culture even further.