A quintessential Odia delicacy, Sukhua Rai is a bold and pungent curry featuring sun-dried fish simmered in a sharp, freshly ground mustard and garlic gravy. This rustic dish, with its characteristic aroma from mustard oil and panch phoron, offers a true taste of coastal Odisha and is best enjoyed with a plate of hot steamed rice.
Prep15 min
Cook25 min
Soak15 min
Servings4
Serving size: 1 serving
328cal
27gprotein
14gcarbs
Ingredients
150 g Dried Fish (Small varieties like dried anchovies (Mourali) or Bombay duck (Bombil) work well.)
2 tbsp Black Mustard Seeds
1 tbsp Yellow Mustard Seeds
10 cloves Garlic
4 Green Chilies (Adjust to your preferred spice level.)
4 tbsp Mustard Oil (Essential for the authentic flavor.)
1 tsp Panch Phoron (A Bengali five-spice blend.)
2 Dried Red Chilies (Broken in half.)
1 medium Potato (Peeled and cut into 1-inch cubes.)
A traditional sweet rice pudding from Bihar, slow-cooked with fragrant rice, rich jaggery, and creamy milk. This comforting dessert, flavored with cardamom, is a festive favorite.
A crunchy, pungent side dish from Odisha made by crushing fried lentil dumplings with onion, garlic, and mustard oil. This rustic classic adds an incredible texture and flavor kick, perfect with Pakhala Bhat (fermented rice) or simple dal and rice.
Aromatic Sukhua Rai with fluffy Arna and Badi Chura – a unique, soul-satisfying homestyle meal!
This odia dish is perfect for dinner. With 1027.26 calories and 47.879999999999995g of protein per serving, it's a nutritious choice for your meal plan.
18gfat
1 medium Tomato (Finely chopped.)
0.5 tsp Turmeric Powder
0.5 tsp Kashmiri Red Chili Powder (Optional, mainly for color.)
1 tsp Salt (Adjust to taste, as dried fish is already salty.)
1.5 cup Water
2 tbsp Cilantro (Freshly chopped, for garnish.)
Instructions
1
Prepare the Dried Fish
Soak the dried fish in a bowl of warm water for 15 minutes. This helps to soften them and makes cleaning easier.
After soaking, drain the water and wash the fish thoroughly under cold running water 3-4 times to remove excess salt and any sand or impurities.
Heat 2 tbsp of mustard oil in a pan over medium heat. Add the cleaned dried fish and shallow-fry for 3-4 minutes until they turn light golden and become fragrant. Remove from the pan and set aside.
2
Grind the Mustard Paste
In a small grinder jar, combine the black mustard seeds, yellow mustard seeds, garlic cloves, and green chilies.
Add about 3-4 tablespoons of water and grind to a very smooth, fine paste. Scrape down the sides of the jar a couple of times to ensure everything is blended evenly.
3
Cook the Curry Base
In the same pan used for frying the fish, heat the remaining 2 tbsp of mustard oil over medium-high heat until it just begins to smoke lightly.
Reduce the heat to low. Add the panch phoron and dried red chilies. Allow them to splutter for about 30 seconds until fragrant.
Add the cubed potatoes and sauté for 4-5 minutes until they develop light golden-brown spots on the edges.
Add the chopped tomato and cook for another 3-4 minutes, stirring occasionally, until it becomes soft and pulpy.
Stir in the turmeric powder and Kashmiri red chili powder. Then, add the prepared mustard-garlic paste. Cook on low heat for 1-2 minutes, stirring constantly. Do not overcook, as this will make the paste bitter.
4
Simmer and Finish the Curry
Pour in 1.5 cups of water and add the salt. Mix everything well and bring the gravy to a rolling boil over medium-high heat.
Gently add the fried dried fish to the boiling gravy.
Reduce the heat to low, cover the pan with a lid, and let the curry simmer for 8-10 minutes, or until the potatoes are fork-tender and the gravy has thickened to your desired consistency.
Turn off the heat. Garnish with freshly chopped cilantro. Let the curry rest for 5-10 minutes before serving to allow the flavors to meld together.
Serve hot with steamed rice.
4
Serving size: 1 serving
515cal
11gprotein
82gcarbs
17gfat
Ingredients
0.5 cup Gobindobhog Rice (Or any short-grain aromatic rice)
1 cup Jaggery (Grated or powdered)
4 cup Full-Fat Milk
1.25 cup Water (Divided use: 1 cup for rice, 1/4 cup for jaggery)
2 tbsp Ghee
4 pods Green Cardamom Pods (Lightly crushed)
1 tbsp Almonds (Slivered, for garnish)
1 tbsp Cashews (Chopped, for garnish)
Instructions
1
Prepare the Rice
Rinse the Gobindobhog rice under cold water until the water runs clear.
Soak the rice in fresh water for 30 minutes. After soaking, drain all the water completely and set aside.
2
Cook the Rice
In a heavy-bottomed pot or pan, combine the drained rice and 1 cup of water.
Bring the water to a boil over medium heat. Once boiling, reduce the heat to low, cover the pot, and let it cook for 10-12 minutes, or until the rice is soft and has absorbed all the water.
Gently mash the cooked rice with the back of a spoon or a masher to break it down slightly. This helps create a creamier texture.
3
Make the Jaggery Syrup
While the rice is cooking, combine the grated jaggery and 1/4 cup of water in a small saucepan.
Heat over low-medium heat, stirring continuously until the jaggery has completely dissolved into a smooth syrup.
Turn off the heat and strain the syrup through a fine-mesh sieve to remove any impurities. Set aside to cool down to a lukewarm temperature.
4
Simmer with Milk
Pour the 4 cups of full-fat milk into the pot with the mashed rice.
Bring the mixture to a gentle simmer over medium-low heat, stirring frequently to prevent the milk from scorching at the bottom.
Continue to simmer for 15-20 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the milk has thickened and the mixture is creamy.
5
Combine Jaggery and Milk (Crucial Step)
Remove the thickened rice-milk mixture from the heat and let it cool for 5-7 minutes. It should be warm, not piping hot.
Ensure the jaggery syrup has also cooled to lukewarm. This temperature synchronization is key to preventing the milk from curdling.
Slowly pour the lukewarm jaggery syrup into the warm rice-milk mixture, stirring continuously until fully incorporated.
6
Finish and Thicken
Return the pot to very low heat. Add the ghee and the crushed green cardamom pods.
Stir well to combine and let it simmer gently for another 5 minutes, allowing the flavors to meld and the arna to reach its final, thick consistency.
Turn off the heat. The arna will continue to thicken as it cools.
7
Garnish and Serve
Transfer the Bihari Arna to serving bowls.
Garnish with slivered almonds and chopped cashews.
Serve warm or chilled according to your preference.
