Oh! The Things We’ve Seen

The Sisterhood of the Patrapoda

LFC Bhubaneswar| JANUARY 2026

Freshly roasted Chhatu Patrapoda Pitha for Makar Sankranti. Photo by Rini.
Siblings try their hand at Odia and Santhali dishes, adapting tradition to their own tastes for Makar Sankranti.

Rini: Tried making Chhatu Patrapoda Pitha for the first time yesterday for Makar Sankranti, guided and supported by my sister, Jinnie.

Chhatu Patrapoda Pitha is a traditional Odia dish made by marinating mushrooms in spices and mustard paste, wrapping them in banana or sal leaves, and roasting them over fire. Photo by Rini.

Jinnie: In addition to this, I tried making Leto, a traditional Santhali tribal dish, for Makar Sankranti. We have just started learning and we have a long way to go. It is traditionally made with meat and rice flour, but since I’m a vegetarian/vegan, I made the same with mushrooms. I took help from my bhabhi who guided me through the process, and special thanks to my sister Rini for being my constant support and sous chef.

P.S.We (Rini and I) also learnt to make the sal leaf plates and bowls.

Rajalaxmi: Superb! 

Leto (or Lato) is a traditional Santali savoury rice soup or thick stew, usually made with chicken (Sim Jil Leto) or fish (Haku Leto) and rice flour. Pictured here is a vegetarian version comprising mushrooms. Photo by Jinnie.

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