Delhi, known as ‘Dil waalon ki Dilli,’ has long been a melting pot of cultures, showcasing a variety of regional cuisines from across India. However, Anubhuti Mishra and Aditi Mohapatra believe that Odia flavors are underrepresented and are on a mission to change that.
Both lawyers by profession, Anubhuti and Aditi founded ‘Rosei Ghara,’ a cloud kitchen offering authentic homemade Odia dishes. Their journey began when they relocated to Delhi—Anubhuti from Cuttack in 2013 and Aditi from Bhubaneswar in 2015. Over time, the nostalgia for the distinct flavors of their home state grew stronger, prompting them to start this venture out of homesickness.
Their partnership blossomed in 2021 through a mutual friend, leading to conversations about the lack of Odia food in the capital. “And then we just decided to do it ourselves,” Aditi recalls.
They initially offered home-delivered meals starting in October 2024, transitioning to a cloud kitchen setup by March 2025. Now, they conduct ‘supper clubs,’ intimate dining experiences for small groups ranging from 12 to 20, either at their homes or in collaboration with other venues.
Among their offerings is the dahi bara aloo dum, a classic street snack from Cuttack, featuring urad dal vadas soaked in buttermilk, accompanied by ghugni, a white pea curry, and a spicy aloo dum topped with raw onions, green chilies, and sev. Other highlights include badia piaji and nadia aloo bara—crispy onion fritters and coconut-potato cutlets—served with ambula rai, a dish made from sun-dried raw mangoes and mustard-coconut paste, and amba khatta, a sweet and tangy raw mango chutney.
A standout dish is mudhi mangsho, which pairs puffed rice with a savory mutton curry, a surprising yet delightful combination. The duo faced challenges in perfecting their recipes, as neither had formal culinary training; instead, they honed their skills through family traditions, learning from their mothers and grandmothers.
“The first thing I ever cooked in my life was mutton,” Aditi shares. Establishing the cloud kitchen involved significant effort, from standardizing recipes for their chefs to determining which dishes could be frozen and portioned.
They have encountered some bumps along the way. In one early experiment, they paired chhena poda with maple syrup and pistachio. “It tasted very nice to us,” Anubhuti acknowledges, “but it may have alienated the audience… as that is not how [it’s traditionally eaten].” This experience taught them to balance authenticity with accessibility.
Aditi fondly remembers her grandmother, who passed away two years ago and played a significant role in building their family’s culinary reputation. “She fed people amazing food. Anyone who knew us would know us because of that.” Many of the recipes featured at ‘Rosei Ghara’ are inspired by her grandmother’s cooking.
Anubhuti’s culinary memories are more rooted in street food, recalling her enjoyment of dahi bara aloo dum during tuition breaks. Looking ahead, both women prefer to grow their business gradually, with Aditi stating they would rather “do it at a smaller scale and do it well” than risk quality by franchising too quickly.
Their current plans include expanding their supper clubs, collaborating with chefs specializing in other regional cuisines, and ultimately realizing their dream of opening an Odia restaurant in Delhi. They are not alone in this endeavor, as Delhi already boasts a few establishments offering Odia cuisine, such as ‘Dish of Odisha’ in Lodhi Colony, ‘OriBonng’ in Sushant Lok, ‘Odisha Hotel’ in Sainik Farm, and ‘Odisha Bhawan’ in Chanakyapuri.
