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500 Years Old Indian Traditional Food Recipe-Pandi Curry

October 17, 2022 No Comments

Pandi curry is a traditionally famous Coorg food dish all over India. This is a 500-year-old Indian traditional dish. This food has been around since the beginning of the Kodava culture. The preparation and recipe of this food have been going on since that time. Pandi curry, a spicy semi-dark pork dish. And it’s a perfect combination of pork and local spices and vinegar. This dish is found in many places in India. But if anyone wants to test the authentic Pandi curry, he/she will definitely have to go to Coorg.

Kachampuli -The Main Ingredient In Pandi Curry

Coorg or Kodava people have some unique dishes, which have evolved. One of the most famous dishes is Pandi curry. This unique dish is not found anywhere else. Because it has a few unique ingredients. The most important ingredient is kachampuli. It’s Fruit vinegar. In India, Kachampuli is grown only in regions around Karnataka. It has grown in Indonesia, thousands of years ago. It is used both as a souring and preserving food. The liquid that is formed after the fermentation of this fruit is used in this pork curry. This liquid is very typical. With the seeping of the liquid, the fruit loses its bitterness. This bitterness gives this dish its correct taste. Vinegar used in Indian cuisine for over 2500 years. It is first mentioned in Buddhist literature.

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About The Traditional Food- Pandi Curry

Pork is a common dish in Coorg and any celebration is not complete without it. Reference to pork eating in South India is found in the 2400-year-old Sangam literature. Historically, the curry made using pork is said that to be 500 years old. When Kodava culture was prospering in Croog. The animal known as the wild boar is not found easily. So the local people of Croog would go into the forest to hunt them. But in Coorg, it becomes a delicacy for now. The style of preparing this pork was perfected slowly over time. Thus the pandi Curry dish was developed over the centuries. Nowadays, Pandi curry is quite renowned among the people. This curry is always served in a classic combination. Pandi curry is served with Kurumbattus. These are steamed rice balls. These are amazing combinations that cannot be broken. These combinations have been created over time.

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The Food Recipe

Ingredients
1 kg pork with fat and skin cut into cubes
10 fat cloves of garlic finely chopped
1 Inch ginger finely chopped
3-4 green chilies deseeded if required finely chopped
10-15 curry leaves
1 big onion finely sliced
1 tsp red chili powder
1/4 tsp turmeric power
1 cup of water
little oil
Salt to taste
1/2-3/4 th tablespoon Kachampuli adjust to taste
For the spice mix (to be dry roasted one by one and powdered)
2 tablespoon coriander seeds
1 inch cinnamon/cassia bark
5-6 cloves
10-15 peppercorns
1-1/2 tablespoon cumin seeds
1 teaspoon mustard seeds
10-12 methi/fenugreek seeds don’t add too much or it will lend a bitter flavour
10-15 curry leaves optional but recommended

Instructions
Cook the meat with garlic, green chilies, curry leaves, onions, red chili powder, turmeric powder, little oil, water and salt till it is tender. And needed slow cooked

My Story About The Traditional Dish

I waited about three and a half years for the 500-year-old traditional and original pandi curry recipe. The first time I tried this dish in Mumbai but I didn’t understand what the test smelled like. I have received so many good reviews about the dish that my demand for the food keeps increasing. But I had to wait to get the original pork dish I try to make this pork curry by watching Youtube videos but it never worked. Because I don’t have the real ingredients. When I finally reached Coorg about three and a half years later. I can feel the test of the original traditional Pandi curry. And believe me, I can’t express my feelings about the dish. it is really delicious.

Unique Places

Guns Without license- Coorg

January 31, 2021 No Comments

Coorg people or Kodavas are a well-known martial community in Karnataka. And they are the only community in India that can keep a gun without a license. Kodavas are a martial race and have been bearing arms for 300 years. They still worship weapons and consider them sacred. They obtained licenses for firearms such as pistols, revolvers, and double-barrelled shotguns.

Cover picture source by Google Image

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Why Guns Without License

So why do the Kodavas have special rights? Actually not just the Kodavas even original residents of Coorg who have jamma land (land granted by the king). So the people of Coorg (Kodavas, Coorg Gowdas, and other communities as well who have been granted land by the maharajas) have an exemption from certain sections of the arms act. So it was a simple system – take land for free and don’t pay property tax on it, but when the king needs you, come with your army to assist the king. They always had to be ready with weapons if ever there was a call from the king. For this, you were allowed to keep weapons and practice during peacetime. If you decided you don’t want to fight a war, you had to pay taxes on the land you Owned.

British Era Rule

The Kodavas have been exempted from the Indian Arms Act right from the time it was introduced by the British in 1834. The British made an exception for this tribe in appreciation of their valiant support to them in their fight against Tipu Sultan. Of the 3.8 lakh people living in Kodagu, almost every family possesses a gun, some even ten. The only regulation is that the Kodavas should obtain an exemption certificate from the Government, which gives them the right to possess any gun without a license.

Another story is that Kodavas allied themselves with the British against the mighty Muslim warrior Tippu Sultan. So they were allowed to own and carry arms. Which was strictly prohibited at that time in other parts of India. Indian Government has decided to continue a British-era rule of exempting the Kodavas of Coorg.

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Use Of Guns

There has been a very close relationship between the Kodavas and his gun. When there is a boy born into the family a single shot is fired in the air. During the funeral, gunshots are used as a mark of respect. During a housewarming ceremony, the tradition is to carry a baby in a cradle, a lamp and the man of the house carries a gun. On completion of all the rituals, a gun is fired to mark the completion of the ceremony. Kodava mainly lives in a hilly area and their house is far away from each other’s house. They make gunshots in the sky when there is an emergency. And hearing that sound, other people ran towards the house for help.

Kalipodh Festival coorg — Kalipodh Festival (Google Image)

Kailpodh Festival

The word Kailpodh means a festival of armor or weapons. “Kail” means armory/weapon and “Podh” means festivals.

They place their traditional weapons like guns, swords, knives, spears, bows, and arrows in the prayer room. They decorate the weapons with flowers and they pray to their God, asking for the well-being of their crops and to give them the strength to protect them from wild animals. This is the significance of Kailpodh. Getting everyone together is one of the main objectives of this festival.

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Travel

Coorg -The Land Of The Kodavas

January 14, 2021 No Comments

Coorg is a small district tucked away in, southwest corner of Karnataka state. It is famous for its beautiful coffee estates. The Western Ghat mountain range carve up the region into series of hills. The capital of Madikeri has nestled in a valley at an elevation of over 4000 feet. Kaveri river is the most important river in southern India. And it originates in the mountain of Coorg and worshipped by the local people.

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The Kodavas Of Coorg

The Kodavas, as the Coorgs call themselves, are fascinating people. They are different from other South Indians in their way of dress and tradition. Yet no one can say for sure from where they came actually. Their origin remains a mystery to this day. Their ancestors were worshippers and maintained an ancestral home. They also had warrior traditions going back to the days. They allied themselves with the British against, mighty ruler Tippu Sultan who, determined to conquer all of South India. Even today Kodavas, known for their exemplary role in the armed forces.

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Kodavas Connection With Alexander The Great

History says Kodavas are descendants of soldiers of Alexander the Great, who invaded India in 327 B.C. When his soldiers refused to continue fighting, many of them settled down in India. Some of them instead of returning to Greece married into the local population. Gradually these groups migrated to South India. They settled along with the west coast, going as far as Coorg. There they maintained a separate identity from the others. Later they merged with the local people very quickly.

Kodava Culture

Kodavas have a distinct culture. They never followed any particular religion but adopted some Hindu traditions. But more significantly, the Kodavas ancestors were worshippers, with family members maintaining an ancestral home called an Ainmane house. An Ainmane house is where Kodava people live their lives which stands apart in architecture. This house is a place of unique bonding. Ainmane has always stood as a mirror reflecting the Kodava culture, life, family practices, worship, and festivals according to seasons.

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Martial Tradition

The Kodavas are the only community in the country that is being exempted from obtaining arm licenses. Which is strictly prohibited in another part of India. So why do the Kodavas have special rights? Actually not just the Kodavas even original residents of Coorg who have Jamma land (land granted by the king), Coorg Gowdas have an exemption from certain sections of the arms act. So it was a simple system – take land for free and don’t pay property tax on it, but when the king needs you, come with your army to assist the king.

Those people who had grant land had to provide service to the king when they were summoned. For this, you were allowed to keep weapons and practice during peacetime. If you decided you don’t want to fight a war, you had to pay taxes on the land you owned. So weapons are worshiped and kept sacred even today.

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