There is a strange and yet beautiful feeling in me when I reach Sampaje, a small pit-stop at the Ganapati Temple and we’re off! I know from there on, Madikeri is just 30kms away. The winding roads, the fresh springs and the chilly air- there is something orgasmic about this and it increases with every road curve, inching closer and closer towards Kodugu.

This was a ritual every year as we made our way to Coorg from Goa! Yes, I was born and brought up in Goa but my parents made it a point I learnt Kodava takk along with being able to read and write in Kannada.Mum made Akki Rotti and Kadmuttu on a regular basis. Every Kailpodh, Sankramana or Putthari, we made sure that we were in Coorg. If not, we celebrated it with our Kodava friends in Goa, who happen to be only a few in number. In short, we were made sure that we know where our roots are.

Being a Big Foodie myself, I was always fascinated with both Goan and Kodava cuisines. There is one thing that unites both the cuisines, Pork! There are very few places in India where pork is eaten in abundance as in Goa, Coorg and the North East. For most of us, we picture pork as a dirty and a polluted meat, while others shun it due to religious sentiments. But one should know that good pork meat comes from a good farm and well fed pigs. As far the cooking goes, the Coorgi Pork Fry tastes nothing like the Goan Pork Vindaloo. While the Coorgi pork is spicy and best enjoyed with Kadmuttu (Rice Balls), its Goan counterpart is tangy, sweet and spicy, best enjoyed with freshly baked Pao (Goan Bread) and a pint of beer.

There is a wide array of dishes enjoyed in Goa, chief among them being: Pork Sorpothel which is made from Offal meat and blood from the pig infused with various spices. This may sound gory but it’s very tasty, if you can get over the graphic details of its preparation. Goan Sausages (chourissam) which are salty, spicy and smoked meat cut into chunky pieces, usually boiled or fried and eaten. There is also a special delicacy called the Chouris Pao, where the sausages are cut and stuffed inside goan bread and eaten. This is usually sold by small vendors around Goa. (D’Silvas @ Miramar Panjim).A typical Goan meal would be incomplete without Fish Curry Rice, usually made by the Gaud Saraswat cooks from all around Goa. A Goan fish curry rice plate would consist of Steamed/Boiled Rice, Humon  (coarse coconut fish curry), Alsande che Bhaji (or any vegetable side dish) , fried fish , Tisryo (Clams) and Kismoor (dried prawn mixed with freshly grated coconut, onion, and chilly) and Kokum juice which is to be had-post meal for help in digestion.

Apart from the Goan pao and steamed rice, Goans also enjoy Sanna which are like Idlis but fermented with Palm Toddy. Sanna is usually enjoyed with spicy Pork Vindaloo or a decadent Crab or Prawn curry.

In the land of coffee, the chief dish : Pandhi curry is accompanied with Akki Rotti or Kadambuttu. Giving Pandhi Curry its distinctive taste is dark and tart vinegar called Puli Neer or Kanchampuli which can be found in most of Kodava houses. Puli neer is made from the fruit of the Garcinia Gummi Gutta tree, the ripe fruits are picked and left in barrels or baskets to ferment, the juices collected are boiled over a long period of time to make the thick, sticky and dark juice. Kodava cuisine cannot be complete without Papputtu and Nupputtu both of which are made from Tari or broken rice, steamed to perfection which goes brilliantly well with Koli Curry, which according to me would be a signature dish.

The sweet tooth in me cannot resist talking about the desserts enjoyed in both Goa and Coorg. A Goan dessert which is delicious and equally difficult to make is Bibinca; it requires a lot of patience to make this layered dessert (16 layers), because one can’t add the next layer unless the 1st layer is cooked. Made from coconut milk, flour and 2 dozen egg yolks, yes! 12 egg yolks and sugar, this as rich as dessert can get. Other desserts usually made are Dodol , made from coconut milk and jaggery which has a toffee like consistency and Doss , which is made from Bengal Gram Dal, grated coconut and ghee. 

In the Kodava kitchen the desserts I grew up eating were Bale Muruk, Thambuttu and Madh Kool. Thambuttu is a delicacy usually prepared for Puthari , made from ripe bananas, par boiled rice powder and fenugreek powder garnished with freshly grated coconut , toasted sesame seeds and ghee. Madh Kool  is usually prepared during the monsoon period called the Kakkada when the plant is said to have medicinal properties. The leaves of this plant (Wayanad Justicia) are picked and boiled to get its liquid which is mixed with the rice, coconut milk and jaggery to make Madh Kool.

I could go on and on about the cuisines of both these wonderful places, both soaked in their rich heritages make a foodie’s culinary journey memorable. So the next time you go to either Goa or Coorg, make sure you taste the local cuisine.

Grammar nazi : Neha Salkar

Image credits : Kaveri Ponnappa and Shalini- A Cookery year in Coorg