Bhubaneswar, March 19: A platter of ethnic dishes such as kangu rice, kandula dali and kukuda tarkari are sure to make one's weekend lunch relishing.

The food court, set up on the premises of the Tribal Museum in the city, emerges as an ideal hub for gastronomes eager to take pleasure in ethnic cuisine of the state.

The eatery, opened by Tribal Development Co-operative Corporation of Odisha Limited, was inaugurated on the New Year day to promote lesser-known tribal dishes of the state by letting visitors have a taste of the same. Food began to be served at the eatery a month ago after the chefs had received training to cook the cuisines.

The food court is gradually gathering crowd from the city, along with foreign tourists. "Around 50 foreign tourists have had lunch here. They ask about the recipe of the chicken dishes and also inquire about the ethnic communities of our state," said restaurant manager Prashant Majhi.

Among the 20 items on the menu, machha patra poda (fish cooked in banana leaves) and baunsa poda mansa (chicken roasted inside bamboo shoots) are the preferred ones, said the manager.

"These items originated in the ethnic communities of the state. These are easy to cook and employ minimum ingredients ideal for making in the forest areas where those people live. They are worth relishing," said food court chef Subash Kandia.

Visitors can look forward to the mandia jau (ragi gruel), baunsa kadi sabji (bamboo shoots curry), saga paggae (leafy-vegetables cooked with rice water) and chhatu patra poda (mushroom roasted in banana leaves) among others. Other items such as the traditional Odia snack mudhi mansa and mandia cake or ragi cake are also served here.

The outlet has arrangements for 16 customers, but plans are on to increase the number of seats and add more items on the menu.

"As the inflow increases, we would include other rare items exclusive to the tribal people. We will also come up with a meal where around five or six tribal food items will be served on a single platter," said Majhi.

Items such as leta of Mayurbhanj (chicken cooked with rice powder) and barada saga of Rayagada district (a leaf-based dish) will be added shortly.

At present, a group of five is managing the restaurant, but around 10 women from a Khurda-based self-help group are also undergoing training on cooking techniques at a city-based hotel management institute.