Melodious Odiya music

I don't listen often to Oriya music. However, there are certain songs that I used to listen as a kid. My dad and grandpa used to own numerous records - remember those black round discs! :). Today when I hear them, get very nostalgic. This is one of them. This song was very popular and is one of the all-time hits. This is from the 70's when some of the best Oriya songs were composed. Warning - The video is not all that impressive.


Oriyas/Odiyas revere Lord Jaganath. Trivia - The word "juggernaut" has its root in Lord Jaganath. Ask any Odiya staying outside of Orissa and they will tell you that a trip back home without a visit to Puri Jaganath Dham is incomplete. While generally browsing around YouTube, came across these two devotional songs.



One new song that touched my heart is linked below. It echoes the sentiment of any mother whose kids stay far away from them. This is dedicated to my Maa and my MIL.

What is Sorisha?

When I was thinking of a name for my cooking blog, I wanted something unique, relevant to cooking, very Oriya and yet also very Indian. Something that is used in international cuisine as well. Thought, thought and thought! Finally I narrowed down on the Oriya word "sorisha".

Sorisha is used in almost every Indian cuisine..be it Gujrati, South Indian, Bengali! Most of Indian dishes are incomplete without some sorisha. It is used heavily in Oriya and Bengali cuisine for sure. No tempering is complete without some sorisha. Jeera is its closest competitor. It is used as a condiment in salads, subs and dressings. No barbecue is complete without it!

Any guesses on what it stands for? It is the "mustard". :) I feel no other ingredient is so extensively used in almost every possible cuisine. I would like this blogging site of mine to exhibit the same essence. Amen!

More details about mustard can be found here.

Initiation to the world of foodie blogging!

A few years back, a newly married lady landed in US. Prior to this part of her life, she had never had to manage a kitchen and feed hungry mouths. She had indulged in baking goodies and luxury cooking in the past. But they don't really help when you are actually hungry, does it? Equipped with a few recipes from her mom, a few innocuous utensils used by her husband as a bachelor and the phone to call Maa (the 911 of cooking), she sets forth on a battle. To learn cooking and become self-sufficient in a year! Well, she has come a long way since then. Atleast she likes to think so ;) Now she treads into the world of foodie blogging! Yes, that's the cooking part of me!

As I start blogging, all those initial apprehension days of cooking come flooding back! It's a whole new world! Let me set the expectations. I plan to:

• To have fun.
• To cherish all the trying and memorable cooking moments.
• To capture the learning process.
• To thank everyone who has helped me in this process - from my ever-loving and always supportive mom to my MIL\SIL duo to the Diva Rachel Ray to senior fellow foodie bloggers! And of course, my cheerleaders and the guinea pigs without whom this learning process is incomplete and not as much glamorous - my dad and dear hubby! (More detail about my inspirations later of course.)
• To try food photography, photography being my second passion after software development.
• To make some friends for life.

Yes, that's the budding blogger part of me! Plan to reflect back on how much I accomplished from the above list in a year.

Happy blogging everyone!

Blogging inspirations

I am newbie in terms of blogging. A few days back, I was looking for some recipes and stumbled across the vast array of "desi and videshi" (translated Indian and international) cooking sites. I was really amazed at the level of detail and quality of the recipes. Till then, I only thought Rachel Ray inspires people to cook (Yep, I am a Rachel Ray fan). I was glad to be wrong!

Here are some of the sites that really inspire me to cook:

• Ashaji's Foodie's Hope
• Sandeepa's Bong Mom's cookbook
• Jai and Bee's Jugalbandi
• Shilpa's Aayi's Recipe
• Latha's Masala Magic

Will keep updating this list, as time permits. And when the list becomes huge, will move it to favourites section. Still getting the knack of blogging!