Kora Khai

Kora khai is a sweet from the state of Odisha that combines puffed rice with a sweetener, coconut and cardamom. The sweetener coats the light grains of rice, giving it a toasty, grain-like aroma that sets it apart from the milk-based sweets of the same state.

Wrapped kora khai (2011, Subhashish Panigrahi / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 3.0). Reduced-size version from the source used; no changes to the content after retrieval.

Coating Grains of Rice with Sweetness

“Khai” refers to puffed rice. An introduction from Bhubaneswar lists khai, sugar, coconut and cardamom as the basic ingredients. Another description uses jaggery instead of sugar and coats the rice with the sweetener. There is also a method in which khai and coconut, toasted in ghee, are mixed into melted jaggery, with black pepper added. The sugar or jaggery holds the grains of rice together, and the spice adds a sharp kick to the sweetness.

The Temple and the Shops of the Old Town

At the Lingaraj Temple in Bhubaneswar, kora khai is known as a morning offering to the deity. Several shops in the Old Town make kora khai, and according to local accounts, the portion offered at the temple is made by families of confectioners such as the Bisoi family. According to Trinath Badu, who serves at the temple, the role of making the offerings has been passed down within certain families. Food that is offered to a deity and then shared out as a blessing is called prasad. One person recalls opening a package of kora khai sent from Bhubaneswar and having childhood memories of visiting the city come flooding back.

Offerings are not the only reason people visit the sweet shops of the Old Town. Shop owner Subash Sahu says that, in addition to people who buy it to offer, more and more customers are buying it to eat themselves. Mansi Singh, who lives in Bhubaneswar, also sent packages she bought in the Old Town to her sister-in-law outside the state. It is a sweet that serves not only as an offering at the temple but also as a gift for family members living far away.

The same state also has chhena gaja, made by frying solids taken from milk. Kora khai, by contrast, is a sweet that makes the most of the light texture of puffed rice.

Glossary