Comments on One Page Cookbooks - For the first time cook: 1001 Sambars - Lentil Sour stews

Hi Amonippallil & Sig,I stand corrected and have ...

2008-07-03T17:35:00.000-07:00

Hi Amonippallil & Sig,

I stand corrected and have modified the blog to reflect your comments.

My quest for a vegetarian dish using kodumpuli continues... I just can't sleep till I understand why this souring agent has been sidelined in Keralite vegetarian cuisine.

Hello Ramki,I am from central kerala (Kottayam)and...

2008-07-03T14:28:00.000-07:00

Hello Ramki,

I am from central kerala (Kottayam)and we use Kodumpuli only in fish curry. We use tamarind in Sambar and also in other curries. At home we have a tamarind tree in my front yard. I have never seen anybody using kodumuli in anything other than fish. If you are from southern kerala, they use tamarind in their fish also.Hindu families don't even use kodumpuli in anything. I totally agree with Sig.

Hi Sig,Thanks for taking the time to comment.You'v...

2008-06-20T21:42:00.000-07:00

Hi Sig,

Thanks for taking the time to comment.

You've made two points

1. Tamarind trees are not uncommon in Kerala

2. No dal based curries in Kerala use Kodumpuli or yogurt as a souring agent

Reg : Tamarind trees
The vegetarian cuisine of Kerala was influenced chiefly by the Namboodiri cuisine. Very few Namboodiri dishes call for Tamarind.
This was because Tamarind is not as common in Kerala as it is in say Tamilnadu and Andhra. It is still true that Tamarind is not as often used in Kerala cuisine as often as it is used in Tamilnadu or Andhra cuisine.

Reg: Dal based curries using yogurt
I need to go no further than my grandma. She was from Tripunithura, where they cook a delicious dish called Moru Sambar, which is cooked exactly like a sambar, but does not use Tamarind. At the very last stages, yogurt is mixed in.

Reg : Dal based curries using Kodumpuli
I have not tasted a Kerala sambar using Kodumpuli, nor am able to find a recipe online. But I'm willing to be that it is indeed used.
The reason is that you cannot have a cuisine which uses one set of ingredients for non-vegetarian cuisine and does not have its equivalent in vegetarian cuisine. I don't think I can name a single ingredient which is used only in non-veg crries and never used in veg curries. Would you try using it in Sambar and tell me if you liked it ?

Kokum however is very commonly used as a souring agent in Gujarati Dals and the Maharashtra Aamti. It is very possible that its use has filtered down the Konkan coast and found its way into the vegetarian cuisine of Kerala. In fact I'd expect it to see it first in North Kerala, which has an lot in common with the Konkani cuisine.

/Thanks

Ramki, I am from Kerala. I don't call myself an ex...

2008-06-20T20:26:00.000-07:00

Ramki, I am from Kerala. I don't call myself an expert but I know a bit about food. There are plenty of tamarind trees in Kerala, we have a couple of tamarind trees in our backyard at home and so do most of our neighbors...

BTW I haven't heard of a single version of daal based curries where kudampuli or yogurt is used as a souring agent. I am not sure where you are getting the info from but I'd really like an example for a daal based curry with yogurt/kudampuli if you have one. In fact Kudampuli is used mainly in seafood preparations, I had to search long and hard for a vegetarian dish that uses kudampuli as the souring agent.

I just want to get the facts straight, since I have spend some time researching both Kudampuli and tamarind. If you have data to back up your claims I would be more than happy to correct my views.

Hi Sig,Tamarind as a souring agent was not traditi...

2008-06-19T08:10:00.000-07:00

Hi Sig,

Tamarind as a souring agent was not traditionally used in Kerala recipes, as it is not native to Kerala. The relatively widespread use of tamarind now is due to the Tamil / Andhra influence.

Kodumpuli / yogurt and to a little extent tomatoes filled in the need for souring agents.

As Sambar is Tamil curry, it is now cooked with Tamarind in Kerala.

However the closest equivalents of sambars in Kerala (meaning curries cooked with tuvar dal and a souring agent)use yogurt / Kodumpuli in place of tamarind.

Hi Ramki, I've never heard of Kudampuli or yogurt ...

2008-06-19T07:48:00.000-07:00

Hi Ramki, I've never heard of Kudampuli or yogurt being used in sambar in Kerala.
Kudampuli is mainly used in fish curries and yogurt is used as a souring agent in dishes like Aviyal, Pachadi etc but never in Sambar. Sambar is normally made with tamarind.
Also, tamarind trees are not uncommon in Kerala, tamarind is an essential ingredient in Kerala cuisine and is used in tradtional dishes like puliinji (a ginger tamarind chutney), theeyal etc.

Hi Preenu,I stand corrected. Thanks for the links....

2008-06-18T23:06:00.000-07:00

Hi Preenu,
I stand corrected. Thanks for the links. I always thought they were almost identical. I've a bag of Kodumpuli now - will get some kokkum and see how different they taste in the same recipe.

/Thanks again

Sure they are both in the Garcinia family, but Kok...

2008-06-18T14:52:00.000-07:00

Sure they are both in the Garcinia family, but Kokum and kudampuli are different fruits with completely different flavors. Check out http://www.aayisrecipes.com/2008/04/27/kokum/
and
http://blog.sigsiv.com/2008/04/kudampuli-gambooge.html

Hi Preenu,Thanks for stopping by.Kokkum and Kodump...

2008-06-18T00:33:00.000-07:00

Hi Preenu,

Thanks for stopping by.

Kokkum and Kodumpuli belong to the same class of sour fruits whose outer skins are dried and used as a souring agent.

Only in Kerala is it called Kodumpuli. Up north ( Maharashtra / Goa ) it is known as Kokkum.

You have a wonderful blog here. I just had a doubt...

2008-06-18T00:25:00.000-07:00

You have a wonderful blog here. I just had a doubt about your statement that in kerala, kokum is used as a souring agent in sambhar. As a keralite, I have never had a sambhar that used kokum. Tomatoes, yes, have sometimes been used instead. I was wondering if you meant kudampuli which is used as a souring agent in fish dishes, instead of kokum. Its harder to find kokum in kerala than tamarind, my parents who spent most of their lives in keral haven't heard of kokum. Sorry for the long comment, keep up the good work.

come on maan, a tamilian can make sambhar with his...

2008-04-03T20:20:00.000-07:00

come on maan, a tamilian can make sambhar with his eyes closed. Marathi guy can not make one with his eyes open. Sambhar is a pure tamil word.

Thanks Ramki for including my Mango Sambhar!!! Thi...

2008-03-23T20:21:00.000-07:00

Thanks Ramki for including my Mango Sambhar!!!

This one page cooking instruction is really wonderful. So many types.... Very good job!!!

Hi, thanks for including the mango rasam recipe on...

2008-03-23T20:05:00.000-07:00

Hi, thanks for including the mango rasam recipe on your blog. But its not my recipe to begin with. I just tried it out from Sharmi of Neivedyam. So could you please include it as her recipe and not mine. Thanks.