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Coorgi cuisine from down south of India, happens to be one of the much less talked about cuisine in the country. Not just famous for Pandi Curry and Koli Curry, the cuisine is loaded with taste, texture an flavour. Coorg or the Kodagu district is not just known for it’s coffee, but also eating habits that are mostly decided by season. Though their main cultivation is paddy long before coffee, spices and fruits, hence rice takes a major space in the cuisine. People from the region also loved hunting for sport and food and foraged for wild produce. Coorgi cuisine is known to focus on seasonal produce and meat and also sees some great use of spices but still manages to retain its natural flavours.
The breakfast in a Kodava homes mostly sees akki otti (flatbread made with rice) that is accompanied by koot curry (mixed vegetables in a coconut paste) or the palya (vegetable stir fry). At time akki roti is replaced by puttus (steamed rice dumplings). Homemade chutneys are a must on the plate. Even today in most homes traditional methods are used in cooking. They believe in celebrating local ingredients like Kachampuli, the local version of balsamic vinegar, local homemade wine and more.
So if you are planning to try some Coorgi flavours for dinner, make these dishes.
Kadambattu or kadambuttu
These steamed rice dumplings called kadambuttu are almost melt in your mouth kinda dish. Made with broken rice called kadumbuttu thari this one also sees cardamom and coconut. The dough is then cooked in boiling water with a small dollop of ghee and then it’s kneaded and made into small balls. Kadumbuttu is paired best with pandi curry or vegetable curry along with some shunti pajji (ginger and coconut chutney).
Pandi Curry
A delight from the cuisine
This dish happens to be identity of the cuisine. The Kodava pork curry also known as Pandi Curry is spicy and sour. The dish gets its taste from locally grown pepper and kachampuli. The kachampuli gives the curry its dark colur. This one is dark, rich and spicy and is paired best with akki roti and Kadambattu.
Noolputtu
Similar to string hoppers or iddiyapams, this fine rice noodles made from a fine-grained broken rice and water. The dough is passed through noolputtu vara (tubular press that makes the string hoppers). This one is made from steamed dough and not steamed later. Hot noolputtu goes best with keema curry and also some bellath neer (jaggery syrup with coconut paste).
Koli Curry
This spicy flavoursome curry is made with Chicken, cumin, red chilli powder, cloves and cinnamon goes best with simple akki roti.
Kakkada Nyend Curry
Kakkada nyend which are soft-shelled mud crabs found in the paddy fields during monsoon season are enjoyed best as a curry. The catching of crabs is an exciting event in itself. The smallest of the catch is roasted in a chatti (mud pot) with some spices and is then made into a chutney. The bigger ones are made into a spicy curry that is paired best with akki otti.
Thambuttu
The sweet, heavy pudding made of mashed bananas, with some hint of cardamom toasted rice powder, sesame seeds and coconut is one of the favourite dessert from the cuisine. This dessert is a must in the Kodava festival, Puthari. Thambuttu sees a unique textures and flavours.
So do let us know what you making for dinner tonight.
