Bambooshoots,mushrooms. Pork, chicken. Bananas, coconuts. Rice and more rice. And a subtle use of freshly-ground spices, curry leaves, cardamom, ginger, chilli. Which place comes to mind when you think of these ingredients in a dish?! 

Apart from its unspoilt scenic beauty, distinctive clothing, customs and festivals, Coorg is known for its distinctively flavoured cuisine. If you happen to converse with food connoisseurs about Coorgi cuisine, you are bound to hear opinions such as “special”, “good food” and “wonderful”.

In this festive season, A. Padmanabhan, sous chef at Club Mahindra Kodagu Valley resort presents a bouquet of mouthwatering Coorgi dishes prepared especially for you.

Akki Roti (Rice Cake)

Ingredients:
Cooked rice                                ½ kg
Rice flour                                    ¼ kg
Milk                                            As required
Salt                                            To taste

Method:
Mix boiled rice and rice flour together. Add salt and mix well. Knead with milk and make equal-sized balls. Roll the dough out and make rotis. Cook on a tawa and then on the fire, as you would for phulkas.

Pandi Curry (Pork Curry)

Ingredients:

Pork                                            1 kg
Green chilli                                  50gm
Ginger                                         50gm
Garlic                                          50gm
Onion                                          250gm
Turmeric                                     ½ tbsp
Cumin seeds                               15 gm
Fenugreek (methi) seeds              10 gm
Chilli powder                               50 gm
Coriander powder                        50 gm
Pepper powder                            30 gm
Kachumpulee or Vinegar              25 gm
Salt to taste

Method:
Cut the pork into large cubes and marinate with chilli powder and turmeric. Boil the marinated meat. Grind garlic, green chilli, ginger to make a paste. Add it to the boiled meat and cook further. Separately toast the powders of cumin, coriander, pepper and methi seeds and add to the boiling mixture. Add kachumpulee (Coorg tamarind) or vinegar and cook. Season and serve hot.

Kadala Kannala Curry (Bamboo Shoots Curry)

Ingredients:

Bamboo shoots                              ½ kg
Black chickpea (Kala Channa)         1 kg
Onion                                            2
Tomato                                         150 gm
Curry leaves                                 2 sprigs
Garlic                                           5-6 cloves
Cumin seeds                                10 gm
Chilli powder                                25 gm
Coriander powder                         25 gm
Salt                                             To taste

Method:
Boil the tender part of the peeled bamboo shoots. Boil black channa, which has been soaked over night. Sauté cumin powder and onion. When onions turn slightly golden, add tomato. Cook till done. Add curry leaves, chilli powder and coriander powder; cook for a few minutes. Add boiled black channa and bamboo shoots. Cook until the bamboo shoots have absorbed the flavour from the spices. Season and serve hot.

Coorg Pacha Curry (Fresh Vegetable Curry)

Ingredients:

Carrot                         ½ kg            
Beans                         ½ kg            
Peas                          200 gm
Onion                         2        
Drumstick                   4
Ginger and Garlic       15 gm (crushed)
Coconut                     1½ (finely grated)
Chili powder               25 gm
Coriander powder       20 gm
Cumin                       10 gm

Method:
Cut the vegetables into cubes. Add turmeric and boil. Temper with mustard seeds, cumin seeds, curry leaves, green chilli, onion and tomatoes. Add the powder masalas, ginger-garlic paste, grated coconut and the boiled vegetables. Cook till the sauce turns thick. Garnish with coriander leaves and fried curry leaves.

To sauté:

Onion                       1
(finely chopped)
Tomato                     4
(chopped)
Green chili                4
Curry leaves             1 sprig            
Mustard seeds           Few
Cumin seeds            Few

Ingredients:

Chicken                    1 (medium sized)
Chilli powder             2 tsp
Turmeric power         1 tsp
Onions                      3 (sliced)
Tomatoes                 3 (chopped)
Lemon                      1
Ghee or oil               3 tsp
Salt                         To taste

Method:
Clean and cut the chicken into small pieces. Smear the chicken with salt, turmeric and chilli powder and keep aside. Fry onions till they are slightly brown and then add tomatoes and chicken pieces. Grind masala. When meat is almost cooked, add the ground masala and cook till done; then squeeze in the lemon juice and remove from fire.

For grinding masala:

Garlic                    1 pod
Cinnamon              1-inch piece
Cumin seeds          2 tsp
Cloves                   4
Poppy seeds          1 tsp
Pepper corns         8-10
Coriander leaves    a small bunch
Coriander seeds     2

Bella Payasam (Rice Pudding)

Ingredients:

Rice                                  1 kg
Jaggery                            1 kg
Ghee                                100 gm
Dry fruits                          as required

Method:
Boil rice. Make a syrup of jaggery and refine it. Add rice and mix well. Cook the rice in syrup till it gets starchy. Sauté dry fruits in the ghee and mix with rice-jaggery mixture. Serve hot, topped with melted ghee.