CUISINE OF
KARNATAKA
INTRODUCTION
Karnataka is a state which has
a variety of cuisines grounded on traditional and special dishes of every
community, The taste, flavour and the ingredient of the cuisine of Karnataka
are very versatile and unique. It is a distinctive combination of different
non-vegetarian and vegetarian dishes. One can find extensive diversity as
Karnataka has a heavy influence of its neighbouring South Indian States and
Maharashtra.
REGIONAL
COOKERY
Mangalore
The Mangalorian cuisine is generally
spicy and rice based. Fruits are an integral part of the Mangalorean menu.
Fresh coconut and chillies are important ingredients used in this cuisine. Rice
is eaten in many forms like red grain rice, sannas (idli fluffed with toddy or
yeast), pancakes, rice rottis, kori rotti (a dry, crisp, almost wafer-thin rice
rotti which is served with chicken curry as a delicacy), and neer dosa. One of
popular Mangalorian dishes is the spicy kane fry (ladyfish). Another popular
dish of Mangalore is Patrode. It is steamed stuffed colocasia leaves, a
specialty, worth tasting. The Akki rotti, or rice rotti of Mangalorian cuisine
is also popular in Malnad and Kodagu.
Malenadu
and Malnad
The word "Malenaadu"
means "land of mountain ranges". The Malenadu of Karnataka can be
culturally (on basis food culture) can be clearly divided as South Malnad comprising
Northern Somawarpete in North Kodagu, Sakaleshapura, Mudigere, southern part of
chickamagaluru taluk and western part of Belur and Alur taluks in Hassan.
Central malnad consisting of chickamagalur, Koppa, malnad region of Shivmoga,
and western ghat regions of Uttara Kannada. Even though Western ghat regions of
Uttara knnada and Belagavi can be considered as Northern malnad the food
culture of these regions is unaware to the rest of Malnad, may be due to
inadequate communication with the other parts of malnad and Karnataka. This
cuisine is a blend of Coorgi and Mangalorean cuisine.
The cuisine is heavily
influenced by the variety of fruits and vegetables available in the rich forests
of western ghats. The ingredients like tender bamboo shoots, colocassia leaves,
turmeric leaves, raw jackfruit are easily found in the Sahyadri ranges.
Steaming is the favoured method of cooking in Malenaadu. More often than not,
there is minimal use of oils in malenaadu cuisine. Some of the major dishes of
this cuisine are the midigayi pickle (small raw mango), sandige, avalakki
(beaten rice), and talipittu (akki rotti made of rice flour).
Udupi
Udupi cuisine takes its name
from Udupi, a city on west coast of Karnataka. Udupi cuisine has its origin in
Ashta mathas of Udupi founded by Shri Madhvacharya. Its core is a vast range of
creative dishes emphasizing local vegetables and fruits. The popular Masala
Dosa is said to be originated from Udupi. Many other south Indian dishes are
named after this town. The cuisine of Udupi is strictly vegetarian, deprived of
onions and garlic. Sambar, Rasam, Adyes (dumplings), ajadinas (dry curries),
and chutneys are the specialty of Udupi's cuisine. Some of the major
ingredients used here are gourds, coconut, jackfruit, colocasia leaves, raw
green bananas, mango pickle and red chillies.
Kodagu
The Hilly district of Kodagu
(Coorg) also has its own unique cuisine which includes spicy meat (Pandi (Pork)
Curry, Chicken, Mutton), Kadumbutt(Round balls made up of rice), Paputt,
Thaliyaputt. The spicy meat curries derives a tangy taste from Kokum
Kachampuli. The cuisine of Kodava is quite different from the other cuisines of
Karnataka. Apart from these, the koli curry (chicken curry), nool puttu (rice
noodles), votti (rice rotti), and bembla curry (bamboo shoot curry) are also
worth tasting.
North
Karnataka
The North Karnataka cuisine can
be primarily found in the northern districts of Karnataka, including Bidar, Kalburgi,
Yadgir, Vijapura, Bagalakote, Belagaavi, Raayachooru, Dharwad, Davangere,
Gadag, Haveri, Koppala and western and northern areas of Ballari. The cuisine
is also considered a specialty in the cities of Southern Karnataka like
Bengaluru and Mysuru. The wheat and jowar rottis (unleavened bread made of
millet) are the popular delicacies of North Karnataka. Here, one can find a
wide range of rottis like Jolada rotti, thali peet, khadak rotti and sajja
rotti (bajra rotti). They are mainly served with a variety of chutneys or spicy
curries. Other dishes with which these rottis are served are the yenne
badanekayi, kaalu palya, soppu palya, usli (made from spicy sprouted gram) and
jholka (made from channa dal flour).
South Karnataka cuisine
The South Karnataka or old
Mysore region also known as Bayaluseeme or the plains including the present-day
Kolara, Bengalooru, Mysooru, Tumakooru, Mandya, Haasana, Chamarajanagara. Ragi
and Rice are the most important staple grains, Jowar and bajra are also
cultivated and consumed in the drier parts of the region. The first meal of the
day is the breakfast which is quite substantial. Regular meals consists of Ragi
mudde or steamed dumpling made from ragi flour, a curry to roll bits of the
dumpling often called Saaru, Rice and Yogurt. Optional accompaniments include a
salad called Kosambari, various Palyas (fried, boiled or sauteed spicy
vegetables) and assorted pickles.
KANNADIGA OOTA (KANNADIGA MEAL)
Although the ingredients differ
from one region to another, a typical Kannadiga Oota (Kannadiga meal) includes
the following dishes in the order specified and is served on a banana leaf (Patravali)
or 'muttuga' leaves stitched together: Uppu(salt), Kosambari, Pickle, Palya,
Gojju, Raita, Dessert (Yes, it is a tradition to start the meal with a dessert
- Paaysa), Thovve, Chitranna, Rice and Ghee.
After serving ghee to everyone,
one may start the meal. This is done to ensure that everyone seated has been
servedall the dishes completely. What follows next is a series of soup like
dishes such as Saaru, Muddipalya, Majjige Huli or Kootu which is eaten with hot
rice. Gojju or raita is served next; two or three desserts are served; fried dishes
such as Aambode or Bonda are served next. The meal ends with a serving of curd
rice.
It is believed that every meal
is a wholesome meal containing essential components of a healthy meal such as proteins,
carbohydrates and vitamins.
Formal
vegetarian meals
are usually served in a particular order and required to be consumed in a particular
order as well. These meals are served on Plantain leaves or Mutuka leaves, dry
Tendu-like leaves staples together into big circular discs. First
accompaniments are served which includes variety of Palya, Kosambari,
sweet-savory gojju, hot spicy chutney Pickles, bajji, bonda, vade, Papads. The
first course alternated between sweets and rice preparation.
The second course is a set of
curries to be consumed with rice. It generally starts with Tovve, a mild lentil
dish laced with ghee, Majjige Huli, vegetables simmered in a mild yogurt sauce,
followed by Huli, lentils and vegetables spiced and tempered with ghee,
mustard, asafoetida and curry leaves. This is followed by Tili Saaru which is a
thin lentil stock spiced and laced with ghee and curry leaves. The final course
of the meal is rice and curd with pickles.
Buttermilk is also served to be
consumed at the end of the meal.
A
typical simple household meal consists of pickle, salad (kosambri), vegetable
dish (palle) or lentil dish (kaal), chutneys, curd, bread (chapati, rotti etc),
dessert (this does not have to be eaten at the end), rice and different
curries/soups (saar) and finally curd rice.
CULINARY FEATURES
· The
staple items of Karnataka's culinary culture are rice, raggi and jowar (millet),
wheat.
· Rice
is cooked in a variety of ways. There are red grain rice, sannas, rice rotis
and pancakes made of rice.
· Regional
cuisines include simple flavour of Northern Karnataka, fiery flavor of the
Coastal Karnataka, unparallel flavour of Kodava and the seasonal flavour of
southern Karnataka.
· A
typical Karnataka or Mysore meal is pure vegetarian cooked in sesame and ground
nut oil. Coconut oil also finds popular use in coastal Karnataka.
· This
cuisine tends to use a lot of fresh coconut which is ground with other spices
like chillies, coriander, cumin and tamarind, and sometimes curry leaves to
make the basic curry paste, which forms the base for most of the curries.
· The
curries are tempered with hot oil, mustard seeds and curry leaves.
· Vegetables
are either steamed or stir-fried before adding to the curry paste, and boiled
together.
· Different
meats such as chicken, mutton and pork is used in different parts of the state.Sea fish also feature
prominently in the culinary fairs of coastal Karnataka.
· Fruits,
in their fresh as well as pickled forms, feature prominently in the food of
Karnataka
· Karnataka
is famous for its desserts. Milk, vermicelli, sugar, coconuts, jaggery and
various dry fruits are most commonly used in creating the desserts of Karnataka
food.
· The
traditional meal constitutes of rice served with huli made from(spices, chili, different
vegetables, lentils, and paste of coconut), kootu, saaru (pepper broth),puri, papad,
curd, pickles, kosmabari (vegetable and lentil salad).Meals are specially
served on the muttuga leaves or leaves of banana. Flavoured rice or Chitranna
is also served up with lunch.
· Breakfasts
consist of food items like dosas, uppittu, (prepared from semolina), thatte
idlis also known as flat idlis, kesari bhaath (sweet dish prepared from ghee,
cardamom, semolina and sugar), Khara bhaath etc. Set Dosa is also one of the
popular food eaten in the breakfast, it is basically a set of 4 dosas, the
combination specially includes rava dosa and masala dosa. These dosas are
served with sambar and coconut chutney. All these food items are relished over
a cup of coffee, as it is one of the most loved beverages in Karnataka.
VARIOUS
FOOD ITEMS FROM KARNATAKA CUISINE:
Rice dishes
· Bisi
bele bath - rice cooked with dal, vegetables and spices; like Huli with rice,
but often richer
· Vaangi
baath - cooked rice mixed with vegetables cooked in oil and spices; the
vegetables are usually made into a playa beforehand and the vaangi baath mixed
before serving
· Chitranna
- cooked rice flavoured with spices, particularly oil-popped mustard seeds and
turmeric.
· Mosaranna
- curd rice sometimes given a fried spicy touch with fried lentils and
oil-popped mustard seeds.
· Puliyogare
- cooked rice flavoured with spicy tamarind paste
· Maavinkaayi
chitranna - cooked rice flavoured with raw green mango and spices
· Nimbekaayi
chitranna - cooked rice flavoured with lemon and spices.
· Avalakki
- Akki (means rice), avalakki is baked flat rice that is soaked briefly and
stir fried with cumin seeds, turmeric powder, peanuts, onions, green chillies,
garnished with shredded coconuts and cilantro leaves.
· Mandakki
- Puffed rice that is soaked briefly and stirfried with cumin seeds, turmeric
powder, peanuts, roasted ground grams, onions, green chillies, garnished with
shredded coconuts and cilantro leaves.
Breads
· Ragi
rotti - A flat thick pancake made with ragi dough and flavoured with chillies
and onions; the dough is shaped and flattened by hand.
· Akki
rotti - A thick, flat pancake-like dish made with a dough of rice flour,
chillies, onions and salt; the dough is shaped and flattened by hand.
· Jolada
rotti - A flat pancake dish made with a dough of Sorghum flour and salt; the
dough is shaped and flattened by hand. Jowar may be sometimes replaced with
bajra.
· Ragi
mudde - Steamed dumplings made by adding ragi flour to boiling water.
· Gunpongalu
- Also known as Gundupongla, Mane Kaavali (skillet with houses), or Poddu. It
is made with a rice rice batter (similar to dose) and cooked in a special
skillet with compartments.
· Chapathi
- flat unleavened bread made from wheat flour, water, oil and salt. Unlike
rottis, the dough rolled with a rolling-pin.
Saaru (Main course)
· Huli- Combination of vegetables and lentils
simmered with spices, coconut, tamarind and seasoned with Ghee, asafoetida,
curry leaves and mustard, it is an integral part of every formal meal.
· Majjige Huli- Cooked vegetables simmered in
yogurt with coconut, spices, asafoetida, curry leaves and mustard.
· Tovve- Mushy lentils cooked till creamy, spiked
with spices and Ghee. Vegetables are also added to this dish like
· Ridged gourd, cucumber etc.
· Obbatinna saaru - made from the left over broth
while preparing the sweet obbattu.
· Bas saaru - made from the broth of boiled
lentils and spring beans.
· Haagalakaayi
saaru: Haagalakai, the Indian bitter gourd is simmered with coconut, tamarind
and spices and spiked with Jaggery and asafoetida, curry leaves and mustard The
bitterness of the gourd is cut through by the sweetness of the jaggery and
tartness of the tamarind.
· Gojju-
traditionally this is thicker than the Saaru but thinner than chutney. It is
served with hot rice and is sweet, tangy and spicy. It is served in between
courses as a palate cleanser. It is made from diverse ingredients including eggplants,
okra, fenugreek, tamarind, pineapple, bitter gourd, tomatoes, lemon-lime, etc.
· Tambli
- A yogurt based cold dish served with hot gravy. Optional ingredients in this
dish includes vegetables and greens.
· Fish
/ Mutton / Chicken Saaru - A very famous local curry made mainly from assorted
spices and meats. Often mixed and eaten with Ragi Balls and Rice or Bhakri.
Chutneys:
· Kaayi chutney- grated coconut ground with dal
(kadale) salted and garnished with oil-fried mustard and curry leaves.
· Kaayi chutney (green) - grated coconut ground
with dal, green chillies and coriander salted and garnished with oil-fried
mustard and curry leaves.
· Kaayi chutney (red) - grated coconut chutney
ground with dal and dried red chillies salted and garnished with oil-fried
mustard and curry leaves.
· Maavina chutney - grated raw green mango ground
with grated coconut, dal, salted and garnished oil-fried mustard and curry
leaves.
· Heerekai chutney - grated ridge-gourd peel
ground with grated coconut, dal, salted and garnished oil-fried mustard and
curry leaves.
· Eerulli chutney - grated onion peel ground with
grated coconut, dal, salted and garnished oil-fried mustard and curry leaves.
· Uddina Bele chutney - Fried Black Gram Dal with
Tamarind, Red Chillies, salted and garnished oil-fried mustard and curry
leaves.
Kosambari
A
salad prepared using simple ingredients such as lentils, green chillies and
finely chopped coriander. The dish is generally finished with a tempering of
mustard seeds and asafotida. Common variants include kosambari made with the
above ingredients in addition to grated cucumber or carrot.
Sweets:
· Huggi - cooked rice and kadale or hesaru, with
coconut, milk, elakki and sweetened with bella (jaggery)
· Ginnu - sweetened, flavoured and steam boiled
colostrum of cow, buffalo or goat
· Kajjaya - Rice and jaggery fritters deep fried
in Ghee.
· Kadabu - deep fried (kari kadubu) or steamed
pastry with assorted sweet filling.
· Karjikaayi - deep fried crisp pastry with dry
sweet filling.
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