A secret rendezvous to rekindle a passion of Pandi Curry and memories of Coorg Cuisine

Pandi Curry!

“Get to Hill road and call me,” he had messaged. “And I will come and get you, you’ll never find this place alone.” 

It was a dark and stormy night...

Ummm.. perhaps that’s an exaggeration. It was merely ominously cloudy when I left home. But it seemed like the very gods were unhappy with my decision that day and every setback possible was being thrown my way. And yet, I had to go, no matter what! Ignoring the pangs of guilt squeezing my heart at the thought of leaving my children and husband I flagged down a rikshaw and sped off to my secret rendezvous at an unknown location in Bandra. The clouds let lose as I turned onto Hill rd. The winds rattling my rikshaw and, rain lashing me from the sides, every drop stinging me, the elements urging me to turn back. But there was no stopping now. I had crossed the final line and there was no turning back. I was... a... I almost shuddered at the mere thought...

...a “foodie” now! In every sense!

Just two words and I had gone from a controlled, academically passionate gastronome to a foodie. 

And the words were – Pandi Curry. I was headed to a secret rendezvous with a plateful of the addictive stuff organised by Megha of i2cook and her husband Pavan at an undisclosed location in Bandra! Pandi Curry is a dish belonging to the cuisine of Coorg. I had had a taste of it once and nothing was going to stop me from getting another taste of it this time!

And until the heavens let loose, I had been pleasantly lost in my memories of my trip to Coorg and that first taste of Pandi Carry.

Coorg was one of the first travel food junkets I was invited on as a food writer back in the November of 2006, hosted by Club Mahindra at their Kodagu Valley Resort. On the menu was a 3 day gourmet festival showcasing the prowess of their impressive team of chefs. I learnt many things on that trip; that red, black and green peppercorns all come from the same plant, that cardamom is the queen of spices, that South Indian food is a vast unexplored territory, but what I remember the most was the taste of Pandi Curry.

Just the thought of Coorg brings to mind unspoilt vistas of green paddy fields punctuated with banana and coconut palms, sprawling coffee and rubber plantations populated by aristocratic, smiling, beautiful people and a delicious cuisine that I can only describe as soul food! I remember acute disappointment on finding out that there was no Coorg cuisine on our menu at the resort! More so because being confined to the resort, there was little chance to get out to find authentic Coorg cuisine locally. Although finding a restaurant to try it at, would also have been a challenge too. 

Like all regional cuisines Coorg cuisine is not conveniently accessible at restaurants in the state. One has to work harder, travel further into the hidden kitchens of the area to find it. Thankfully much petitioning of the chefs and organizers later the local Chef organized Dakshin on a leaf, a meal that served up south Indian classics on a leaf and featured Pandhi Curry with Kadumbuttu.

Coorg is a small state situated in the mountainous Western region of Southern India inhabited by the 2500-year-old civilization of Coorgs (or Kodavas as as they are locally known) that have evolved from the intermarriage of the decendants of a peoples that originated from around the region of today's Oman & Yemen, Scythian Greeks that existed in the fifth century BC in and the local women whom they married. The Coorg community today comprise of Orthodox Hindus that are a proud martial race and belong to the Kshatriya community. But they are also non conformist choosing to follow their own traditions, they are the only community that never practices the Dowry system and the marriage ceremonies of the community are performed by their own elders as opposed to Brahmin priests. They also celebrate their own festivals such as; Puthri, "Thanksgiving Day" and Keil Poldu, the "Festival of Fire Arms".

The river Kaveri, that springs to life in the Brahmagiri hills of Kodagu, is worshiped as the reigning deity of Kodagu and is very important to the Kodavas. Considered the source of all life she is revered and annually feted on the ceremonial occasion of Kaveri Sankramana, in mid-October. This is the only day in the year when Kodavas forego meat, savouring instead a menu of red pumpkin and coconut curry, dosas, elle pajji (a coconut,  roasted sesame, tamarind, and green chilli chutney) and payasams made with khus-khus or kadale bele (bengal gram).

And Kodava or Coorg cuisine is truly a gastronome’s delight. An amalgamation of several cuisines that in essence holds true to its roots even today the cuisine of Coorg is built on fish from upland rivers, meats obtained from hunting and trapping wild animals such as deer, wild fowl and wild boar and supplemented by rarer vegetarian delights such as tender bamboo shoots, wild mushrooms, colocasia leaves and raw jackfruit. Flavoured with the juices of wild fruit that is boiled down into a tar like vinegar called Kachumpulli and seasoned with local spices and spice blends, Coorg cuisine is made up of simple dishes that leave you wanting more! 

Coorg cuisine is seasonal, the annual cycle of agriculture has been seamlessly integrated into the warrior traditions of the community. Six months of the year are dedicated to growing paddy and other crops of vegetable and fruit. During these months all weapons of the community are deposited in the prayer areas of the home.

Come early September, however and the Kodavas are done with transplanting paddy and the men ready themselves to guard their fields from wild boars and other foraging animals. This switch from agriculture to hunting is marked by celebrating the first festival of the year, Kael podu when weapons are pulled out of storage, cleaned, decorated and worshipped. Karana, the Kodava ancestor, is worshiped families come together to feast which centres around the Kodava classic, Pandhi curry or pork curry paired with Kadambuttu or steamed rice balls. With the advent of monsoon new shoots of bamboo that make an appearance are cooked into a fiery side dish eaten with the everyday staple, akki otti or rice roti. With the streams overflowing it is soon black crab season and these are roasted and cooked in pandhi curry masala and coconut. 

Select pics courtesy Sanat Tanna 

Megha of the blog l2cook. - our lovely hostess and cook!

Charring the Akki Roti for a smoky flavour.

The piece de resistance of the evening that had brought people over from around Mumbai!

Finally we got to EAT!

Freshly uprooted ginger

Cardamom - queen of spices.

Green peppercorns!

Traditional snacks in out room!

Here are some recipes I collected from my trip to Coorg that time.

Kembu Curry

An everyday meal of the Kodavas would be fairly simple. Breakfasts would consist of akki rotis or ottis, puttus or dosai served accompaniments and lunch and dinner would be palin boiled rice with a curry and a side dish depending on the season, maybe a Kembu or Colocasia curry or a spicy, raw jackfruit palya, shredded and fried.

1 bunch collacassia leaves/arbi ka patta/ patra leaves

1/2 c chopped onion

1 tsp chopped ginger

1 tsp red chilly powder

Salt to taste

1 tsp cumin powder

1 tbsp kachampuli or 2 ½ tsp thick tamarind extract

Heat oil in a pan and saute the collacassia leaves, onions and ginger. Add chilli powder, cumin powder and kachampuli or tamarind extract fry for another 5 mins. Serve hot. (optionally you can add fresh coconut and red chilli paste as well)

Pandhi Curry (Coorg Pork Curry) (Time 1 hour Serves 4)

½ kg pork (preferably with bones) cut into medium size pieces

½ tsp Kachampuli or 1 ½ tbsp thick tamarind pulp

1-2 tsp salt

1 tsp red chilli powder.

For Dry spice mix

1 tsp jeera

¼ tsp fenugreek

2 tbsp black pepper

1 tbsp coriander

Roast all the spices on a medium flame until they are a very dark almost black in colour but not burnt. Cool and and grind together.

For wet spice mix

2 onions, sliced

1 tsp ginger paste

1 tsp garlic paste

6-8 Green chillies

1 Small bunch coriander leaves (keep a little for garnishing)

Grind everything together into a paste.

To make pork.

Place pork in a pressure cooker, adding both the masalas.and mixing well and set aside for ½ hour. Add turmeric, salt and chilli powder half cup water, cover and pressure cook till done. Uncover lid, add the Kachampuli or Tamarind syrup and cook for 2-3 minutes, until gravy thickens. Garnish with coriander leaves. And serve with Paputtu.

Coorg Koli Kari (Coorg Chicken Curry) (Time 1 hour Serves 4 )

1 kg chicken, cleaned washed and cut

2 onions sliced

½ coconut ground

1 tsp ground garlic

1 tsp jeera powder

1 tsp coriander powder

2 green chillies (to be ground with the coconut)

4-5 red chillies

2 tbsp lemon juice or 2 tbsp tamarind pulp

2 tbsp cooking oil

700 ml water

Place Chicken in a bowl, mix with salt and turmeric and set aside. Heat oil in a deep pan and add ground garlic and onions, ground coconut, jeera powder and coriander powder.

Add chicken and fry till the chicken is browned on all sides add water mix well, cover and cook till chicken is done. Uncover and cook till the gravy is slightly thickened.

Erachi Chops (MUTTON PEPPER FRY) (Serves 3 persons)

½ kg mutton chops washed and cleaned

3 onions sliced

1 tomato chopped

1 tbsp pepper powder

5 green chillies

1 tsp ground garlic

1 tsp ground ginger

½ tsp chilli powder (opitonal)

1 tsp turmeric powder

1 ½ tsp salt

½ tsp coriander powder

2 tbsp cooking oil

250 ml water

1 tbsp juice of lemon

2 tbsp chopped coriander Leaves

Wash, clean and mix the mutton with salt and turmeric. Cook the mutton and keep aside. Add ginger-garlic paste, sliced  onion, green chillies and tomatoes one after the other, stirring all the time. Fry Masala till golden brown. Add rest of the ingredients (except the lemon juice) and fry for 1-2 minutes then add mutton and stir fry for another 2 minutes.

Uncover and cook to dry out masala, which is done when the oil separates. Add lime juice, garnish with coriander leaves and serve.

             

Paputtu

Cooking for the Bajajses! Citrussy Sichuan pork, garlic and green peppercorn lamb chops, charrred portabellas, sweetcorn with finger lime chilli butter and figs with pepper chesse and caramel

The fabulous meal!

Mohit, Neha’s adorable husband and my darling brother in law planned to take us to dinner at one of his favourite steak restaurants that night but after my shopping trip on Chapel street, I just had to get in the kitchen and cook. So I wheedled him out of going out to dinner and eating in instead. It worked! And we made our way home via a trip to Coles, the local supermarket. 

One of my favourite things to do when I visit Melbourne is to shop for everyday things at the local markets and supermarkets and then cook fabulous meals with them. This trip also turned out to be an eye opener for Neha and Mohit, as I pointed out tons of products and ideas for what they could do with them, thereby widening their daily meal options! I must say, that I was extremely well behaved with my shopping that day though! 

Once we got home I made a beeline for the kitchen, with Neha playing my sous chef while Mohit settled in front of his computer, exclaiming at the aromas coming out of the kitchen and occasionally bestirring himself to come and take pictures of the food. 

Here is what I cooked! We ate it all with crusty bread and washed it down with a robust local Australian wine called Mr Frog!


Zingy Citrusy Pork Chops – featuring Sichuan Peppercorns
Because of its pleasant, mild flavor, pork is versatile enough to go with everything from sweet to stronger flavors like vinegar, chiles, garlic, soy and ginger and pairs well with tons of flavours but Nehas had grapefruit lying around that she wanted me to use up and since  I am partial to pork with sweet citrusy accents AND since I had picked up Sichuan peppercorns from Neha’s favourite Asian grocer on Chapel street, I decided to do this recipe.

Also a quick note on Sichuan Peppercorns (although i will do an elaborate post later) Sichuan Peppercorns, also spelled Szechwan and Szechuan, are native to northern China. They are completely unrelated to black pepper or any other pepper. They were the source of heat in Chinese cuisine before Asian cultures were introduced to chillies. Intensely aromatic with citrusy notes they create a riot of numbing, tingling sensations in the mouth and were ideal to add zing to the Pork and cut through its sweet notes. If you cannot get Sichuan peppercorns, use Indian Triphala the spice (not the medicine) that is available in Goa and along the Konkan coast. It is very different from Sichuan peppercorns in appearance but it lends the same flavour.

Ingredients

4 pork loin boneless chops, about 1 1/2 in. thick1/2 cup zest of orange or more of milder citrus.

1/2 c fresh citrus juice (I used grapefruit but orange will also work

4-6 red chillies chopped coarsely

1 1/2 tbsp sichuan peppercorns

Coarse salt

Method

Toast the Sichuan peppercorns in a pan briefly and leave to cool. Pound coarsely in mortar and pestle. Combine crushed sichuan peppercorns, citrus zest, juice, chillies and salt and coat both sides of the chops. Place the chops in a resealable freezer bag and refrigerate up to 4 hours. Heat gas grill or grill pan, to medium hot and place chops on grill ensuring lots of the chunky marinade gets under them. Cook the chops until nicely browned, about 2-3 minutes on one side, then turn ensuring bits of the marinade get on other side as well and grill 2-3 minutes more. Ensure you baste chops regularly with leftover marinade on both sides. Grill, until the chops are just cooked through, about 10-15 minutes more, depending on desired doneness basting regularly. Serve hot.  

Lamb Chops with Green Peppercorn and Garlic


This one I did because I spotted green peppercorns at the Asian store and i wanted to show Neha how to use them.

Ingredients:

4 lean lamb chops

5 tsp green peppercorns in brine

1 head of garlic chopped coarsely

1/2 tsp coarse salt

1 tablespoon oil

Juice of 1 lime

Method

Trim away any excess fat from the lamb chops. Crush the green peppercorns and mix them with the salt and garlic and lime. Pour over lamb chops and press well onto both sides of the lamb chops. Brush the lamb with oil and then place on the grill for about 10 minutes on each side or until the meat is cooked to your liking.

Sweet Corn in Finger lime and green chilli butter featuring Australian Finger Limes
About Finger Limes. I had never heard of Finger Limes before and only stopped to look at them out of my passion for all things citrus. You can’t blame me really, these Australian native citrus are unlike any other citrus  I had ever seen. They have none of the voluptuousness of other limes, and actually look more like gherkins or parvals elongated with a thin skin that can range light shiny green to the most typical purplish or greenish black to rusty red. Basically they can be quite ugly! BUT it was lust at first sight once I saw their insides! Finger limes are also called citrus caviar, and appropriately so. On being cut open one finds what can only be described "citrus pop rocks"! Unlike tear-drop shaped juice sacs in other citrus Finger Lime pulp is made of hundreds of tiny bead like balls of juice. I could not resist cutting one in half and tasting the psychedelic caviar. The beads are round and firm and pop between the teeth just like caviar and they are pucker inducing sour at first but their flavour is a combination of lemon and lime with distinctly green. I wanted to keep the beads intact so I decided to stick to a simple recipe that would not do too much damage.

Ingredients

 4 ears fresh corn, husked

100g butter, room temperature

1-2 tsp spicy green chillies, minced

2 garlic cloves minced

Pulp of 1 finger lime

Salt to taste

Method

Cut corn cobs into 2-3 chunks each and boil in salt water or roast. While the corn is cooking, combine butter with the chilli, garlic, finger lime pulp and salt. Mix gently so the lime 'caviar' does not burst. When corn is done, toss gently with butter. Serve hot!

Grilled Portabella Mushrooms

Is there anything better than a big, fat, juicy cooked mushroom? And you CANNNOT get bigger than those sexy portabellas we bought from Damian Pikes stall at Prahran market.Mushroom s being so full of flavour r and meatiness, I rarely mess with them too much, preferring to grill them with EVOO, rock salt and pepper. 

Ingredients

8 portabella mushrooms

6-8 cloves garlic, minced

1 tbsp black pepper freshly ground

Olive oil to drizzle

Method

Rinse mushrooms and pat dry, then cut off and chop the stems. Mix chopped stems garlic and pepper. Reserve. Place mushrooms on grill and cook till done. Deglaze pan with some wine and transfer to a small saucepan. Add mushrooms stems and simmer till reduced to half. Drizzle over mushrooms and serve.

Figs with Pepper Cheddar and Caramel sauce

Fresh Figs were in season and this spicy-sweet-salty combination of flavours seemed the perfect marriage of flavours.Sweet juicy figs, salty cheese and caramel flavours left a lingering aftertaste with a pleasant back of the throat warmth!


6 fresh plump figs, halved
2 tbsp pepper cheddar shavings
4 tbsp Caramel sauce

To make spicy Caramel sauce, heat premade carmel sauce in a pan. Stir in green chilli paste and mix well. Spoon 1 tbsp each onto two indiidual dessrt plates. Arrange three figs each on the plates. Srinkls with chdder flakes. Drizzle with remaining sauce and serve.

Sichuan peppercorns!

The Pork

The marinade - grapfruit juice and zest, redchillies and toasted crushed peppercorns

Love the colors!

The marinade for the lamb - green peppercorns adn garlic in olive oil and lime juice!

Green peppercorns in brine

On the pan!

Australian Finger Lime

Finger lime butter!

the Portabellas go on the grill!

chopped stems for sauce!

deglazing the pan

Beer Flavoured Spicy Pork Slices

Mad About Meat
As you know I can’t stand beer. But I have more than a few friends who would grow gills and live in a sea of beer given the chance. So whenever I make a meat snack, it is not unusual for them to take a bite and comment that a chilled bottle of beer would be the best accompaniment. Sometimes when I’m cooking for my friends and they’re already drinking beer, I steal some to marinate meat or pour some into the pan as I fry the meat. The beer infuses the meat with a subtly nutty flavor. Here’s an easy tried and tested recipe.
For Marinade
1 Cup of Beer
1 tbsp freshly squeezed lime juice
1 tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
2tbsp Sweet and Spicy Tobasco Sauce
1 tsp Salt
Mix ingredients and pour marinade over pork slice. Leave for two hours.
For Pork Slices
1 kg Pork, thin slices (If you’re making it super spicy like I do, choose loin cuts nearer the shoulder, it has more fat and balances well with the chilli. If you want it bland, choose leaner cuts from the center)
4 clove of Garlic, minced
1 tbsp of freshly ground ginger
3 tbsp Dried Red Chilli Flakes
1tbsp Refined oil
2 cups of Beer
1 cup of Bell peppers, cut into squares
Directions
Heat oil in deep non stick pan, add garlic, ginger and chilli flakes and fry on low flame. Add Pork along with marinade sauce. Close lid and cook on high flame for 30 mins or until dry. Add 1 cup of Beer, close lid and cook for another 30 mins on medium flame.
Check to see if pork is cooked, add bell peppers and 1 cup of beer and stir fry on hight heat until peppers are cooked.
Serve hot with beer.

Senti-Lentil

Dear Rushina,

As a young girl, my mother loved Kerhü, lentils which are grown predominantly by the Angami tribe and almost entirely alien to the Sema tribe to which she belonged. Thanks to relatives and well wishers returning from Kohima in the Angami area who brought ample supplies of Kerhü, my mother could indulge herself. But not without regular reproach from her parents and relatives. The story still told to me goes something like this. My mom would pilfer handfuls of Kerhü and pockets stuffed, eating these raw lentils everywhere she went. My uncle claims that soon there were Kerhü plants growing everywhere, in the garden, the hillside, the flowerbeds, the compound, under the house, in the playground. They would just have to find a Kerhü plant to know my mom had been there. And my mom often recounts how her father would jokingly threaten her saying if she didn’t stop, she would have to marry an Angami man. She never stopped and sure enough, she married an Angami man.
To this day, every time newly harvested Kehrü arrives at our house, my mom promptly puts a handful into her pocket and munches on them as if they were the most delectable snack in the world. In this case, the lentil didn’t fall too far from the tree (or shrub is it?). I love kerhü too. Raw, it has a wonderful nutty taste.

The Angamis make a fabulous tathu (which is like a chutney but not quite) with Kerhü. First the lentils are roasted lightly, chillies are baked in hot ash and ground with wild ginger and Dzacie (a much more pungent version of Axone or fermented soyabean). Then the Kerhü is mixed with the paste. The result is a mouthwatering extremely hot, crunchy tathu (chutney) which can be eaten with red tea, rice beer or with food.
Kerhü when cooked becomes viscous pale maroon gravy. Add a little ginger and dried bamboo shoot and you have a fragrant, mildly tangy gravy, much like a rich dal makhani. But there is no better way to have Kerhü than with meat.

A particularly cherished example that comes to mind (and mouth) is a thick broth of wild boar and kerhü I ate at my aunt’s place one winter. Kerhü tastes fabulous with wild bird meat as well. With a modest supply of Kerhü at hand and a lucky visit to the butchers where I found a gorgeous cut of pork thigh (or it found me), I decided it was time to treat myself to another pork and kerhü curry.

Now I hear the Parsi Dhansak is also a rich broth of meat and lentils. If only I could try sample some soon...