A recent visit to Sterling Puri was not just a spiritual sojourn with a visit to the revered Jagannath temple but also a way to explore local Odia food.
And this was at the award winning Amo Odisha at Sterling Puri where local food is served in a 5 Star ambience.
The special paneer dish here is made by grinding spices by hand, marinating cottage cheese in mustard oil for about two hours, and traditionally cooking it over charcoal (now often in a tandoor). Another preparation, Dahi Golo, is a buttermilk- or starch-based dish flavored with curry leaves and ginger juice.
They vegetarian thali inspired by simple village cooking. It includes fresh salad, Aloo Bhaja (thinly sliced potatoes sautéed in mustard oil, cumin, and onions), and Dalma, a well-known lentil dish cooked with vegetables such as drumstick, papaya, raw banana, cauliflower, and potatoes, finished with coconut. Other items include ridge gourd in mustard gravy, Chhena Tarkari (paneer dumplings in onion gravy), Vadi Chura (crushed lentil dumplings with garlic, onion, mustard, and chillies), Aloo Baigana Bharta (roasted potato and brinjal mash), and Tomato Khatta, a sweet-sour tomato chutney.
The cuisine also has Lal Mohan, similar to gulab jamun but made with chhena instead of mawa, and Chhena Poda, a dessert created historically by using leftover cottage cheese mixed with sugar, cardamom, and semolina, wrapped in banana leaves and baked slowly over charcoal, resulting in a cheesecake-like sweet. Overall, the dishes highlight traditional, rustic cuisine rooted in tribal and village food traditions
Read the full story that first appeared in the May 2026 edition of Hash#ag Magazine here:
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