Bhubaneswar: Ask any Odia household and they will swear by the delicacy and efficacy of Pakhala Bhat, especially during the hot summer months.
And now famous chef Harpal Singh Sokhi, an alumnus of IHM Bhubaneswar, too has heaped praise on the “humble dish” for boosting the body’s immunity, which is more essential during the coronavirus pandemic at present.
“Pakhala bhat is the most humble probiotic dish in the country; it helps in improving your gut immunity and you need to start incorporating this in your daily meal habits or at least twice a week,” Sokhi said in a Facebook post.
“This is eaten mostly during summer as it keeps your body cool. It has various variants. People consume it straight with just crushed chillies and salt as well as with Bhaja, veggies or fish fry,” he added.
On a personal note, Sokhi mentioned that his first experience of a variant of Pakhala Bhat was during his childhood. “I remember my mother would give me the starch of drained rice with some salt and sugar during summer and she would also add some lemon juice,” he said.
Besides Odisha, Pakhala Bhat is also relished across many other regions in the country with their own names like Pantha Bhat (West Bengal), Poita Bhat (Assam), Bore Bhat (Chhattishgarh), Pazhaiya Sadam (Tamil Nadu) and many more.
“The ancient ways in India had lot of sense in meal habits and I am assuming that we will now look back and incorporate all those beautiful things back in our meal habits. I had cooked Dahi Pakhala and I must tell you that my family at first did not understand anything. But the next day when they tasted it, they really loved it,” he concluded.
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