Food is an incredible aspect of life. Not only is it required for survival, but also a lot of bonds are made through various cuisines. Seafood Dishes are one of the most incredible pieces of an invention one can take note of. Talking of India, Odisha boasts a plethora of insane Seafood Restaurants.
Being on the coastal part of India, Odisha has always been proactive as far as seafood cuisine is concerned. With a coastal belt comprising of 7 water sources, both rivers and distributaries, the plains give a great chance to grow rice in the water-rich lands.
Combined with that, the most common form of protein and essential non-plant nutrients in the particular region is derived from seafood only. Meat is also consumed in quite a number of parts of Odisha. However, seafood dishes are given the most priority.
Seafood cuisine has been the staple of human beings for quite a while now, especially when it comes to the coastal areas. The accessibility of a sea or an ocean reduces the trouble of finding enough fish to feed a family. So, the business options grew significantly based on this very fact.
Odisha Seafood Dishes in Detail
Odisha’s Seafood Restaurants provide you with remarkably mouth-watering seafood dishes. People from the locality and the ones who are here as tourists relish the opportunity that they get in order to taste all the possible options that they are able to.
As with every other state, Odisha’s seafood cuisine also consists of the common forms of species that everyone enjoys with their meals. The usually considered forms of species are as follows:
- Fishes
- Crabs
- Prawns etc.
Fishes are the almighty kings of the seafood section. Without the presence of fish dishes, it is almost impossible to finish a sumptuous meal of Odia Cuisine. However, vegetarians and vegans would love to have a different perspective, not gonna lie.
There are hundreds of varieties of fishes that are taken into account while preparing a savory curry or a fry of some sort. The prices of these fishes depend a lot on the season as well as the abundance in the given water source.
Secondly, prawns are the most sought-after form of seafood after fishes. Prawns are easily available in mildly deep waters. Hence, the little bit of hard work means that prawns are a tad bit expensive when compared to the fishes.
Finally, crabs take the last piece of the cake. The availability of crabs is a bit haphazard at times, thanks to the varying seasons. Otherwise, getting hold of crabs is possibly the easiest compared to the other two forms.
All of these have their own charm and delight. None of these overpowers each other as the taste, texture, and style are completely different from one another.
Top 3 Seafood Dishes from Odisha You Must Try
As expressed above, there are a plethora of seafood dishes that one must try in Odisha’s seafood restaurants. However, there are three particular ones that definitely top the charts.
Machha Ghanta:
A certain kind of fish, pulses and a whole lot of vegetables constitute the Machha Ghanta. It is one of the most whole foods you will find in Coastal Odisha. People who are vegetarians can skip the fishes and carry on with the rest of the ingredients.
The Ghanta is pretty close to the Dalma, however, there are certain specific ingredients that give it a different taste altogether. Consumed with Rice or Rotis, this dish is quite a crowd favorite in Odisha.
Chingudi Malai:
Prawns take the next position with a glorious curry dedicated on their name. Chingudi Malai literally translates Prawns with Cream. Now, the creamy part of the curry comes either from normal milk or coconut milk. Rest of the ingredients are just the part of a typical Indian Masala curry.
Kankada Jhola:
Crabs have the last mention, as always, when it comes to seafood dishes. Kankada Jhola is nothing but a gravy filled curry with boiled crabs in it. Again, a spicy curry that tastes like a regular Indian Masala Curry, the Kankada Jhola is quite a crowd-puller within the community.
Apart from this, there are so many of them which you can explore. However, out of the three glorious options mentioned, which one do you think you’d like the most? Let us know in the comments section below.
