Khira sagara ( or, କ୍ଷୀର ସାଗର) is an
Odia
Odia, also spelled Oriya or Odiya, may refer to:
* Odia people in Odisha, India
* Odia language, an Indian language, belonging to the Indo-Aryan branch of the Indo-European language family
* Odia alphabet, a writing system used for the Odia languag ...
sweet dish that literally translates to ''
ocean of milk
In Hindu cosmology, the Ocean of Milk (',', ''Malayalam: Pālāḻi'') is the fifth from the centre of the seven oceans. It surrounds the continent known as Krauncha. According to Hindu scriptures, the devas and asuras worked together for a mil ...
'' in the
Odia language
Odia (, ISO: , ; formerly rendered Oriya ) is an Indo-Aryan language spoken in the Indian state of Odisha. It is the official language in Odisha (formerly rendered Orissa), where native speakers make up 82% of the population, and it is also ...
.
The sweet has depiction in the
Hindu
Hindus (; ) are people who religiously adhere to Hinduism.Jeffery D. Long (2007), A Vision for Hinduism, IB Tauris, , pages 35–37 Historically, the term has also been used as a geographical, cultural, and later religious identifier for ...
mythological scripture about
Lakshmi
Lakshmi (; , sometimes spelled Laxmi, ), also known as Shri (, ), is one of the principal goddesses in Hinduism. She is the goddess of wealth, fortune, power, beauty, fertility and prosperity, and associated with ''Maya'' ("Illusion"). Alo ...
serving
Vishnu
Vishnu ( ; , ), also known as Narayana and Hari, is one of the principal deities of Hinduism. He is the supreme being within Vaishnavism, one of the major traditions within contemporary Hinduism.
Vishnu is known as "The Preserver" within t ...
and Madhusudana with it.
Khira sagara consists of marble-sized balls of
chhena cheese soaked in sweetened, condensed milk. Saffron and cardamoms are the typical seasonings that are added to this dish. Khira sagara is typically served either at room temperature or slightly chilled.
This dish is probably
ras malai
Ras malai, rasamalai, or rossomalai is a dessert originating from the eastern regions of the Indian subcontinent. The dessert is called ''rossomalai'' in Bengali, ''ras malai'' in Hindi, and ''rasa malei'' in Odia. It is popular in India, Bangla ...
's predecessor. However, the milk base in khira sagara is thicker, acquiring the consistency of
rabri.
See also
*
Chhena gaja
Chhena gaja () is a sweet dish from Odisha, India. Unlike some other popular chhena-based Odia desserts, such as rasagola, which have spread throughout India, the chhena gaja remains largely popular within the state itself.
Although the ingredi ...
*
Chhena jalebi
Chhena jalebi, Chhena jilapi, Chhanar jilipi is a sweet dish originally from coastal Odisha in eastern India, a state known for desserts made of chhena. Its popularity has spread beyond coastal Odisha, West Bengal and other Eastern regions of t ...
*
Chhena kheeri
*
Chhena poda
*
Kheer
Kheer, also known as payasam, is a sweet dish and a type of wet pudding popular in the Indian subcontinent, usually made by boiling milk, sugar or jaggery, and rice, although rice may be substituted with one of the following: daals, bulgur whe ...
*
Rasabali
Rasabali (, IAST: rasābaḷi) is a sweet dish from Odisha, India. Rasabali is offered to Baladevjew, and originated in the Baladevjew Temple of Kendrapara. It is one of the Chapana bhoga of Jagannath temple.
It consists of deep fried flattene ...
*
Rasagolla
Rasgulla, also known as rasagola, rosogola or rosogolla, is a syrupy dessert popular in the Bengal region of the Indian subcontinent. It is made from ball-shaped dumplings of chhena and semolina dough, cooked in light sugar syrup made of su ...
References
{{Indian Dishes
Indian desserts
Odia cuisine
Indian cheeses
Indian dairy products