Just as it has colour and scent, the monsoon has taste.
The cashew orchards would be strewn with leftover nuts from the summer; most of which would have sprouted. They are gathered and used whole in the koratta curry, a traditional gravy made with dry roasted coconut and black pepper. Some of the sprouted nuts have to be carefully coaxed out of their skin and this is quite a task — it could stain and peel off the skin of the fingers.
Searching for sprouted cashew nuts | Photo Credit: Thulasi Kakkat
Sprouted cashew nuts | Photo Credit: Thulasi Kakkat
Even if one succeeds in accurately describing the taste of this dish, how can one experience its true essence without the brooding rain that pours over the arecanut and cashew orchards of Kasaragod?
Koratta curry | Photo Credit: Thulasi Kakkat
Think corm, not corn
From the start of the Southwest monsoon till the 18th of the month of Karkidakam (mid-July), leafy dishes are not made or consumed. The leaves, they say, turn toxic and “impure”. But taro is cooked, in the form of a pulinkari. This thin, tangy curry is made with the corm (stem of the taro) and garnished with the monsoon!
Thal or taro corm | Photo Credit: Thulasi Kakkat
Not all corms can be cooked; the most favoured is the colocasia. The corms are plucked, cleaned, cut and cooked with a dash of turmeric and salt, before being added to a potent concoction of ground coconut, buttermilk and bird’s eye chillies. It is a delight to pick out the corms from the white enamel dish filled with pulinkari and generous serving of brown rice, and to bite into their spongy middles that melt in the mouth.
Uluva and kaduku being prepared to temper the pulinkari | Photo Credit: Thulasi Kakkat
Pulinkari | Photo Credit: Thulasi Kakkat
Thunder heralds their arrival
If there is a thunderstorm, there is bound to be kumal (mushrooms). The morning after the rains, the hills would be covered in a rash of mushrooms, called ‘pakumal’. The ones that sprout in singles are the ‘nilampolappan’. Both edible varieties are picked, skinned and soaked in water. The mushrooms are cooked the same way as a naadan chicken curry, with dry-roasted grated coconut. No readymade powder mixes are used.
Arappu (ground mix) being made | Photo Credit: Thulasi Kakkat
Chena ila thoran | Photo Credit: Thulasi Kakkat
In a large uruli (traditional heavy-bottomed vessel), coriander, parangi (as red chillies are often referred to in Kasaragod), grated coconut, cumin, shallots, and a few pods of garlic are sautéed. This is ground to a fine paste on an ammikkallu (grinding stone). The mushrooms may appear tender, but they need to be cooked for a while before they turn soft.
Then comes the leaves of the thakara (cassia tora) herb, which grows widely in the backyard with plentiful yellow flowers. A stir fry is made with these leaves. It is simple; just don’t forget to add a sprinkle of roasted rice grains.
