Chances are that many are not very acquainted with Kodava cuisine or have misconceptions about its offerings. Originating in the Coorg region of Karnataka, the food offers a spread that may not be as vast as other cuisines, but has enough to entice foodies.
The Westin Pune Koregaon Park recently celebrated a 10-day Kodava Food at The Market. It was curated by Chef Priya Aiyappa, who is a proud Coorg native.
Chef Priya speaks to The Free Press Journal about Kodava cuisine, its offerings, and more.
Excerpts from the interview:
What is Kodava food all about?
Pandi Curry is the signature dish that many people associate with Kodavas, along with alcohol. What makes Pandi Curry unique is the special vinegar we use called Kachampuli. Besides this, there are many other Kodava traditional dishes. People think Kodavas can’t serve vegetarian dishes. We do. If you look way back, we eat what we grow, like jackfruit in season and bamboo shoots during the monsoons. We have all kinds of vegetables, which have been grown here forever. But unlike the North, we don’t have many varieties of vegetables. We don’t fry or use too much masalas. Our food is very simple. Even if you eat the jackfruit fry, we try to retain the texture. We’re not big fish eaters. But we eat sardines or mackerel. We love our meat. In those days, that's how it worked out. We are hunters and farmers. We had wild boar. We see a lot of people saying, ‘If you eat pork, it’s wrong’. It's the processed meat that’s wrong. Pork meat cooks more effectively in its own fat than in any of your oils. I read that pork meat is better than any other red meat.
Kadambuttu |
Can you tell us more about the vegetarian aspect.
We ate as agriculturists and as tribes, what was healthy for us for that season. In Coorg, even if you visit today, you’ll find families growing vegetables. Like during monsoon, you get pumpkin leaves and stems. The stem will have a lot of water during the monsoon. It’s so yummy and crunchy. You use no masala. It’s just sautéed. Bamboo shoots, of course, are now becoming a problem because of the elephants. For us, the bamboo shoot is a gold mine now. So, when we get a little, we’ll eat it. We are big mushroom eaters, but they grow during the rains. We’ve about two to three varieties that are just out of this world.
What are the special Kodava ingredients, apart from what you have mentioned?
Everything is fresh. A lot of our curries have coriander, mint, a bit of coconut, and spices. We have pepper and cinnamon in a lot of our dishes. The most outstanding thing is Kachampuli, which is used only for the non-veg dishes.
Nuputu or String Hoppers |
Baimbella Barthada (Tender bamboo) |
What methods or techniques are special to your cuisine?
I never serve pork on the same day I cook it. I let it marinate overnight so it absorbs all the flavors. The pork is cooked in its own oil, and all the spices are freshly ground. Kachampuli also acts as a preservative. During the monsoon, you can leave it out, and it stays fresh. In Coorg, people often don’t even refrigerate it. And pepper is used in a lot of our food. You’ll have a Chicken Pepper Fry and a Mutton Pepper Fry. You’ll have your Pepper Rasam for the monsoons. If we make a dish, it has to be eaten only with a combination. So, String Hoppers are eaten only with the Chicken Curry. We won’t have it with a Fish or Mutton Curry. If we make Kadambuttu, the rice balls, we’ll eat them only with the Pandi Curry. If we make Paputtu, a rice cake, we’ll have it with a Mutton Curry. Akki Rotti goes well with a Pandi Curry because it’s cooked out of rice. We are more rice eaters and have it in different forms. When it comes to vegetarian food, we’ll say that you eat a bamboo shoot curry with this thing. So, we’re very stuck with our combination because it suits the palate.
And has the cuisine changed over the years?
I don’t think Coorg cuisine has changed as much as other cuisines. Pandi Curry, for example, has stayed the same because no one wants to change it and risk losing its authenticity. Some people add it to pavs, but the recipe itself remains untouched. There isn’t much you can do with bamboo shoots either. If we keep changing traditional foods, we might lose our original recipes.
Jackfruit Fritters |
What about the nutritional aspect of Kodava food?
The way we cook our vegetarian food, we try not to lose the nutrition. I remember my mother-in-law would always steam everything and then just do a light sauté. So, it retains all its nutrients. I won’t say Pork is bad for your health because you have your Kachampuli, a cholesterol cutter. It helps you lose weight. So, I don’t think we’ve gone wrong with the way we cook. You eat five Akki Roti for breakfast. By lunch, you’ll be hungry because the thing digests. So, if we eat what was traditionally cooked, we are in a much better space.
Pandi Curry |
Coconut Souffle |
How do you see the popularity of cuisine in India or outside?
It’s just rising. With Coorg becoming a tourist spot in the last 15-18 years. Lot of home chefs like me are going out and promoting the cuisine. People see the cuisine in a certain way due to certain aspects. I think we’ll be okay because our cuisine is so simple. People are just going to die for home-cooked food after some time. When somebody gives you truly home-cooked food, you will go there at some point in time.
