Kakharu Phoola Bhaja (Pan Seared Pumpkin Flower)

Summers always bring sweet memories back to me from where I come from.. from where I grew up...Its the vacation, I think which always has a deep down effect..No school.. no home work.. and yes the best part...the whole big family will stay in the same house in my village.. and we will all have so much fun..

In all this, the moms of the family, would be also rejoiced because they get to spend time with their "jethanis" and "devraanis". In my family, they are more like sisters. They gossip and they laugh and they cry together. A scene which I did not see in many other joint families.

Any hoo..how can I ever forget the food aspect of the vacations. Since mom does not have to go to work, she spends a lot of time in the kitchen thinking what special to make for lunch...thats when we all get all greedy. We keep running in and out of the kitchen, just to get a glance of what is cooking. They will scold us, asking us to stay out of the area where fire has been lit to start the one fine summer lunch...

Summers usually are very very hot, so we stick to "pakhala" (rice cooked and water added to that)...we add yoghurt to add coolness...What goes with that? Well.. almost everything I'd say.. but my favorites are more on the pan seared pumpkin flowers... they are ample in summer.. and its so easy to make them.. that we'd have them almost every day..

I am sharing my mom's way to do "Kakharu Phoola Bhaja" (Pan Seared Pumpkin Flower)

What she uses for the batter:

1 cup polished rice (arua or basmati) soaked in water for at least 30 mins.

1 inch ginger

4-5 cloves of garlic

4-5 green chillies

1/4th cup water

1/2 spoon red chilli powder

salt to taste

To start with, she'd first cut the stems off the flowers..No.. she won't throw them away.. she'd store them for later.. you'll see how smart she is !!

Wash the individual flowers under slow running water.

Since the flowers are very very delicate, she'd stuff one flower into another. Just like a cup into a cup.

Then wet grind everything under the batter section.

Now.. here's her battering station..

Place 1: flowers

Place 2: batter

She'd heat the pan so much that you can see the warm smoke coming off.. and yes.. it is mustard oil.. I was a freak to use PAM.. but this one tastes the best with mustard oil..

1. Pick the flower...

2. Dunk it in the batter...

3. Shake off excess liquid...

4. cchhheeewwwwnnn.... add to the pan..

Fry until the flower is golden brown on both side..

You know the stems she stored, she'd chop them real fine and add to the left out batter and make one big fat pancake with the mix...See I told you.. she will use them all..

How simple yet delicious. We would just grab one or two while they are on the hot plate..and run along.. who cares if mom is scolding.. she'd understand.. I am sure.. she would have done the same to her mom as well..

Enjoy your odiya favorite.