Pakhala in Orissa seasoned with Curry leaves, cumin and fried chillies |
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| Origin | |
|---|---|
| Place of origin | India |
| Region or state | Orissa |
| Dish details | |
| Course served | Garama (hot) pakhaḷa , Jira (cumin) pakhala, Basi (stale) pakhaḷa |
| Serving temperature | hot and cold |
| Main ingredient(s) | Cooked rice |
Pakhaḷa (Oriya: ପଖାଳ, Devnagari:पखाळ) is an Oriya term for an Indian food consisting of cooked rice washed or little fermented in water. The liquid part is known as Toraṇi. It is popular in Orissa, Bengal, Assam, Jharkhand and Chhattisgarh. The Bengali name for this dish is Panta Bhat. Eating pakhal has been recommended to prevent heat stroke in hot weather. A traditional Oriya dish, it is also prepared with rice, curd, cucumber, Cumin seeds, fried onions and mint leaves. It is popularly served with roasted vegetables as potato, brinjal, Badi & saga bhaja or fried fish.
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The term Pakhaḷa is derived from Pali word pakhaḷita (Oriya: ପଖାଳିବା) as well as Sanskrit word Prakshāḷaṇa (Sanskrit:प्रक्षाळन) which means washed/to wash and it is made by cooling the rice by adding water and keeping the cooked rice in water and curd.
It is unknown when "Pakhaḷa" was first included in the daily diet of Eastern India, but it was included in the recipe of Lord Jagannath Temple of Puri. The Jagannath Temple was built in the tenth Century AD, so "Pakhal" was in existence at that time.
Pakhaḷa is widely eaten in the eastern part of the Indian subcontinent (including Nepal, Bangladesh and some part of Myanmar) among common people. Later the Five Star Hotels of Bhubaneswar included it in their menu and commercialized it to attract the guests, who love to taste Oriental cuisine.
Traditional way of preparing Pakhaḷa: Pakhaḷa is slightly fermented rice. people cook rice and add water to it along with little bit of old pakhal (something like making curd using milk and old curd). Pakhaḷa tastes best when served after 8 to 12 hrs after preparation. Generally boiled potato and other fried vegetables or fried fish is served with pakhaḷa. Modern day variation is to add curd instead of fermenting it.