Nuakhai Juhaar and Sambalpuri Aamil

Nuakhai is celebrated with festive fervour in western Odisha and by migrants therefrom in several towns and cities of India and the world. Ma Samlei, a manifestation of Devi and the presiding deity of Sambalpur, is worshipped after which the entire extended family meets at the family patriarch’s home to partake the prasad and the lavish vegetarian meal- arua rice, moong dal, aamil, tarkari, bhaja, manda pitha, mugabara, and khiri.

After the hearty meal, it is time for Nuakhai Bhetghat. Younger ones offer their salutations to elders who shower their blessings; past rivalries and animosities are forgiven and forgotten as warm greetings are exchanged by one and all. It is a day of rejoicing for the family and the community. 

In the afternoon, when dhols boom on the village streets or in an open ground, young people break into joyous dance and song.

Nuakhai is now celebrated the day after Ganesh Chaturthi, on Bhadrapada Shukla Panchami. It is a kind of advance thanksgiving to Mahalakshmi to bless the farmers with an abundant crop, and all homes with enough food during the coming year.

Kharif paddy is the primary crop in western Odisha, and rice the staple food. However, paddy is ripe for harvest only by November; and in September when Nuakhai usually occurs, paddy may have begun flowering with a few ears with a little milk, but it would take time for grains to form. To have a little new rice for the puja, panchamrit, and a few grains for khiri; a few plots with assured irrigation are planted earlier than usual.

Nuakhai in Sambalpuri- Nabanna bhakshana in heavily Sanskritised chaste Odia, Nawakhai in Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, and Maharashtra- literally means partaking the new produce after offering it as prasad to Mahalakshmi or Annapurna, the Mother Goddess of plenty and prosperity. 

We, too, celebrated Nuakhai at Bhopal. Our children are too busy at work in distant towns, so the two of us held the puja at home and partook the prasad and lunch.

Before that, Sanjukta had cooked all the dishes- rice, vegetable curry, tawa-fried green banana, suji manda, and khiri; and had arranged the prasad on a platter for the goddess.

Yesterday, I had told her that I’d cook aamil, the signature Sambalpuri sour and soupy vegetable curry which is a perfect pairing for rice. I had bought saru (arvi in Hindi, and taro root in English), brinjal, bhindi, beans, pumpkin, and tomatoes which I carefully cut to appropriate size- bigger than curry-size cut.

No pressure cooker. You can't dump all the vegetables at one go since each has a different cooking time. I used a kadhai. Poured about five cups of water, added turmeric. After the water came near boiling, added rice paste to thicken the gravy. Spouse looked askance, and commented, ‘I use besan.’

Added saru, cooked it for 15 minutes; thereafter added in staggered sequence pumpkin, brinjal, beans, tomatoes. Missed radish, not available in market.

When will you add curd, asked spouse? I don’t use curd for souring. Instead, added a few pieces of dried mango,  diced bamboo shoot lightly roasted. Added salt. The whole process took nearly an hour. Whoever thought cooking aamil was easy? It needs great skill and much patience. Once done, seasoned it with garlic, panch phutan, a big dried red chili, and a bunch of curry leaves.

My aamil was excluded from Devi’s prasad platter since I had seasoned it with garlic!

Before serving, tasted the soup, added a little more salt; checked a piece of saru and found it hard and inedible. Lunch had already been served, and spouse was waiting. No time to make amends, segregated the saru pieces, and ladled the rest into serving bowls.

How is it? I asked.

Need more salt, she said, without even a smile, and added.

Don’t see any saru, what happened? Still no smile, stern as the tough judge of Best Chef of India contest. No grace marks for the chef who made the dish after decades. Is that a frown? I now focussed on the aamil bowl and not on her face.

Saru quality is bad here, not as tender as back at home, I said. Why does a spouse fail to notice the partner's amazing talents shining bright like a 30 Watt LED Hammer bulb so close to her face, and is rather miserly when she reluctantly takes note once in a blue moon, I wondered.

Next time, I will do better, I muttered under my breath; just give me easy-to-cook saru, fresh aamul (pickled tender green mango slices) and kardi (diced bamboo shoots), and a radish or two; but still won’t use besan or curd, I insist.

Nuakhai Juhaar and Best wishes.

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Postscript

Nani, my elder sister called me from Odisha this morning, and asked: Do you realise where you goofed up in making aamil?

Tell me, I said.

'Chaul pithau (the rice paste) is added at the final stage. It takes only about five minutes to cook. If you add it at the beginning, the water gets thick and hampers cooking the vegetables.'

When did you add salt?

Rather early, I think.

No, salt is also added towards the end. To better cook saru and bhendi, sautee for a few minutes with a little oil. A few pods of garlic, a red chili, and a bunch of coriander leaves can be ground along with the rice paste. The soup will taste a lot better.

Thanks, Nani. Next time, I'll do better.