Balangir: Local residents are preferring to have pakhala bhata, which is prepared by adding water to rice, instead of plain rice to beat the heat.

With the scorching summer making life difficult and the mercury rising alarmingly, the hoteliers here are doing their best to serve pakhala bhata to their customers which is now in great demand.

Pakhala bhata, which is generally referred as the poor man's food, is now a "must" on the menus of the town hotels.

The town has several hotels which serves quality pakhala bhata. The temperature has touched 44 degrees Celsius in Balangir and the residents are taking every step to beat the heat.

Local resident Sampad Tripathy said there were several hotels in the town where pakhala bhata was available at a nominal rate. "The prices vary from Rs 30 to Rs 100," he said. A source said a meal of plain pakhala bhata costs about Rs 30 only. "If you order curd, fish or any other extra dishes the cost will go up," he said. Local resident Binod Pradhan said: "People prefer pakhala bhata during summer as it serves as a coolant."

Prafulla Sahu, proprietor of a restaurant famous for the dish, said there was a great demand for pakhala bhata. "The demand is increasing everyday.We have also taken steps to meet the demand. We have engaged cooks who specially come here during summer to make the dish," Sahu said.