Dhenkanal: The 11-day Laxmi Puja festival here is as famous for its grandeur as for the delicacies on offer during the occasion. And the famous ‘bara’ of Dhenkanal tops the list of savouries among both locals and visitors thronging the town to pay obeisance to the goddess of wealth.
‘Prasiddha Bara’, in going with its name, is one of the famous sweet shops in Dhenkanal for serving this crunchy delicacy. According to the shop owner, bara is prepared daily to maintain its luscious taste and aroma. This makes for good business with around 15 kg of bara being sold each day during Laxmi Puja.
‘Ananda Bara’, another famous outlet, came up with an array of special food items solely prepared for the Laxmi Puja festivities. Among these, Raj Kachori, Chocolate Dosa and Paneer Dosa were the most sought after dishes at the shop.
Besides local delicacies, the 9-day Sisir Saras Mela featured tasty cuisine from different parts of the country. One such was the ‘Bihari Vayanjan’ stall, serving piping hot Litti Chokkha for Rs 60 per plate. “The Specially prepared Mawa ka Chandrakala and Sattu Kachori were also much in demand,” informed Monu Kumar, the stall owner.
On its part, ‘Aapno Rajasthan’ drew the crowds with authentic Rajasthani cuisine, including Onion Kachori (Rs 60 per plate) and Dal Bati Churma (Rs 100 per plate).
The stall owner, Raghuveer Singh, said, “We have been coming here since 2013 and there has been a good demand for Rajasthani cuisine. We normally sell around 300 plates of Special Chole Bhature daily.”
