Gainthaa – The food I loved as a child
The pic has been taken by the Author from her kitchen
I belong to Odisha, a state that lies in the Eastern
part of India.
I grew up eating and appreciating the simplicity of
Odia cuisine, which is simple in terms of the availability of ingredients, easy
to cook, and delicious.
I try to recreate Odia cuisines that my mother and
grandmother prepared while living abroad, which was an instant cure to my
homesickness.
As a child, I was too fond of Gainthaa. My
mom would prepare Gaintha as afternoon snacks, and we, my sister and I, would
enjoy every morsel of it, leaving the plate empty in a few minutes.
Gaintha {pronounced
as ga(as ‘g’ in gospel)-in-thaa} are prepared from rice flour.
Rice flour is mixed in boiling water in a pan with
some grated coconut and sugar(it’s optional), until it forms a soft dough. You
have to keep the ladle moving in the pan.
Grease a plate, knead the dough a bit and prepare
cylinder-shaped-Gainthaa (this is the most popular shape for
Gainthaa).
Then steam these Gainthaa for about
15–20 minutes, untill your toothpick comes out clean when you put them in Gainthaa to
check, if they’re fully cooked.
You can either eat them like that or prepare a liquid
base from milk. You can add some aromatics in the milk like cardamom, saffron
for colour, or dry fruits for the extra crunch.
I prefer eating hot Gainthaa dipped
in aromatized milk.
I liked it as a child and an adult, too, even though I
don’t prepare it so often.
When I visited my home a few weeks ago, my mom
prepared Gainthaa for me, even without me asking her to make
it.
Not realizing how much I was craving them and
connecting with all my carefree childhood days.
Some foods are not just for your taste buds but act as
concoctions for your weary soul.
What did you love to eat in your
childhood? Share it in the comment section. I would love to read about them.
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Swati Sarangi
17.06.2025
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