Odisha Pakhala Fermented Rice Water

Method

1. 1

   Cook the rice: Cook 2 cups rice until fully done. Drain if using the boiling-draining method or let it rest after absorption cooking. Let cool to room temperature.

2. 2

   Soak the rice in water: Place the cooled cooked rice in a deep bowl. Pour 4 cups of clean cold water over it. The rice should be fully submerged with a generous amount of water above. Add a pinch of salt.

3. 3

   Soak overnight: Cover the bowl loosely. Leave at room temperature for 8 to 12 hours or overnight. In Odisha the soaking is done in earthen pots (matkas) which enhance the fermentation process. In summer, 8 hours is enough fermentation; in cooler weather leave for 12 hours.

4. 4

   Check the fermentation: The next morning, the water will smell mildly sour and slightly yeasty from natural fermentation of the rice starch. In Odisha, this slightly fermented preparation is called saja pakhala (fresh pakhala). When fermented for 24 hours or more it is called basi pakhala (stale/matured pakhala) which is more sour.

5. 5

   Do not drain the water: The soaking water is part of the meal — it is drunk alongside. This water contains probiotics from the natural fermentation.

6. 6

   Prepare the accompaniments: Boil 2 potatoes until soft. Peel and mash with a few drops of mustard oil, salt and chopped green chilli — this is aloo poda (smoked/mashed potato). Alternatively roast potatoes directly over a flame. Prepare a small bowl of yogurt.

7. 7

   Serve cold: Serve the pakhala (rice with soaking water) cold in a wide bowl. Do not warm it — pakhala is specifically a cold preparation.

8. 8

   Add a few drops of mustard oil: Drizzle a very small amount of raw mustard oil over the rice in the bowl. This is the Odia signature.

9. 9

   Arrange accompaniments: Place small servings of the mashed potato, yogurt, slit green chilli, sliced onion and any other accompaniments around the pakhala bowl.

10. 10

    Eat: Mix the rice and water together before eating. Take a spoonful of rice-water and eat with a small amount of the accompaniments alongside.

11. 11

    Note: Pakhala is the definitive summer food of Odisha and is eaten across the state from March to June. It is the primary cooling food of the region. World Pakhala Day is observed on March 20 each year in Odisha — restaurants and street stalls set up special pakhala menus. The Odia word pakhala literally means water-rice. The fermentation process is natural — no starter is added.