Cuttack: Odia cuisine has the mystical taste which can even make mouth water of an ageusia patient. Any discussion of Odia food is incomplete without mentioning the traditional chakuli or pancakes in English.
Breakfast, lunch, evening snacks or dinner, chakuli with some curry or chutney as accompaniments, can be devoured at anytime of the day.
Enter Arnapurna Sahu of Choudhury Bazaar in Cuttack who even in her declining years is giving a stiff competition to the processed and packaged food industry through here delectable chakulis.
The octogenarian chef, who goes by the moniker Mausi meaning aunty, has her outlet operating out of her residence. Her house witnesses serpentine queues from 8 AM to 12.30 PM and rarely a day goes by when her chakulis are not sold out.
Interacting with Orissa POST, Arnapurna said, “It was in 1974, when I started my business selling fritters, vada and chakuli.” She mentioned that it was her late husband who bolstered her entrepreneurial ambitions. “I used to make various traditional sweets, many have said that they were finger licking good,” she chucked.
It was with the help of late former chief minister of the state Biren Mitra that had bought the land where she ventured into food business.
“Biren Mitra was a foodie and he loved my chakulis and vadas. Moreover, he was a regular there,” she said. Mitra’s love for Mausi’s chakulis is testified by the fact that it was he who had inaugurated her shop.
It was not a smooth sail for Annapurna, as in 1999 when she lost her husband in the super cyclone. All her employees quit their jobs and subsequently, after a few days her two sons decided to close the shop which was turning into a money-guzzler.
“Helplessly, I watched my dreams dying a slow death. My children aren’t very fond of pursuing this business, but the chef inside me denied capitulating to the circumstances. So, I have started this small shop in this narrow passage in front of my home where I make steamed chakuli and serve it with garlic chutney,” added.
It may be mentioned here that ’s recipe struck the right notes with the foodies of the state and was featured in a food blog site.
Orissa POST interacted with some of the gastronomes who had lined up at her joint to relish a nice breakfast.
Rohit Srivastav, Founder of Food findo, said, “I know whenever I mention of Mausi chakulis to anyone, they say that it’s nothing like out-of-the-box type recipe. But, as the adage goes, ‘The proof of the pudding lies in the eating’. You have to taste it.”
Heaping praises on the pancakes, he went on to add, “The soft chakulis readily melt inside the mouth and the chutney just amplifies the taste.”
Rita Goyal, another foodie from Cuttack, exclaimed, “It’s the finest place to have homemade chakulis!”
“The best thing is the fresh garlic chutney mixed with coriander paste,salt and red chillies,” she added.
Chaitali Shome, OP
