Gojju varieties ( Karnataka's sweet and sour stews)

Gojju is a  classic Kannadiga curry. It  is a flavoured sweet and sour thick stew where the sourness is balanced by the sweetness of jaggery. It is the closest equivalent to the kulambu of Tamilnadu and pulusu of Andhra. 

Gojju is eaten mixed with rice or  with sorghum / rice flatbreads ( jolada roti / akki roti). It is also mixed with in flattened rice  ( poha / aval)and served for breakfast as Gojju avval / Gojju avalakkai. Due to its high acidic content, a Gojju lasts for 2-3 days without refrigeration. Nowhere in India would you see a pineapple curry, but in south Karnataka, where Pineapple gojju is much loved and is an essential part of the  wedding feast. Gojju need not be limited to local vegetables / additives listed above. Feel free to use your favourite vegetables. 

Unlike the Tamil kulambu, which is often cooked with meat, it would be uncommon to find meat in a Gojju. The Tamil word Gothsu, a thick sour curry, is probably derived from Gojju.

 

Naming Gojjus : Gojjus can take their name from either the base used ( eg: Pineapple Gojju),  from the flavouring used (eg: methi gojju,) or from  the additves used (eg: Bendekai Gojju). They are also named after the dish it is eaten with ( eg: Pongal gojju) or after a combination of all the above (eg: Kumabalakayi Mosaru Gojju).  Gojju has the consistency of a thick soup. If your gojju is thin,  dissolve 2-3 pinches of rice / gram flour in a spoon of water and mix into the simmering gojju to thicken it.

 

For detailed recipes and great pictures, check out model recipes from my fellow bloggers below :

 RV’s Radish Gojju

Anu’s Shallot Gojju

Sushma’s Gojju with Karnataka’s speciality additive Colocasia leaves.

Krishnaveni’s Eggplant Gojju which could as well be Tamilnadu’s Kathirikkai Gothsu, her  Eggplant Mosaru Gojju which uses yogurt as a souring agent and an interesting gojju made from turkey berry.

Ramya’s Pineapple Gojju