Oh! The Things We’ve Seen

A Guide to Mansa and Machha in Odisha

LFC Bhubaneswar | September 2026

Sam’s lunch plate of kankada kassa; the kankada is sourced from Gopalpur. Photo by Sam K.
Sam’s lunch plate of kankada kassa; the kankada is sourced from Gopalpur. Photo by Sam K.
Following the monthly theme, “Fish, Meat and More”, members of LFC Bhubaneswar recommend their go-to fish (machha) and meat (mansa) dishes unique to their region.

Rishi: What would be one fish or meat dish you would recommend to someone who is visiting Bhubaneswar or Odisha for the first time?

Isha: Patrapoda chingudi or fish—definitely something new for north Indians. Dahi macha too! ‎

D: Paatua macha pathuri basa.

Manisha: Khoinga maacha—hot and fried—which is not easily available in other states.

Shreyansh: Pohala, jalha macha, and jhawdaa besara.

Sayani: I recently realised that each state has declared its own ‘state fish.’ For Odisha, it is mahanadi mahseer.

Sam: Crab in Odisha is very unique as opposed to what is available in other coastal states. Any non-coastal folks coming here should definitely try kankada jhola.

Here is another unique yet simple crab curry recipe featuring blue swimming crabs, prepared by the fishing communities from Chinnapalam, a village in Rameshwaram, Tamil Nadu.

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