Stalk talking!

SHANTHINI RAJKUMAR stumbles upon a vegetable that few of us know about – the delicious kaambu kathirikkai

November 06, 2014 08:14 pm | Updated 08:14 pm IST - COIMBATORE:

My whatsapp pinged. I recognised that familiar tone. I hear it at least once a day from my fellow foodie-mom and friend Divya. We often exchange images of food as and when something unusual catches our eye. On this particular day however, the image she sent me was more unusual then usual.

What was it? A tiny brinjal, a gigantic jasmine bud? Divya told me it was called Kaambhu Kathirikkai and she came across it during one of her visits to the town hall area. The Kaambhu Kathirikkai is quite unique, in that, it is the stalk of the plant that is the edible portion and not the vegetable bit! The small bud like vegetable is meant to be discarded in the cleaning process and the green, spongy and thick stalk is cooked. How very strange and unusual.

We were told that it is best suited to make a puli kozhambhu (south indian gravy flavoured with tamarind) . With the generous quantity that Divya sent me, I ended up making precisely that. The reason I write about this is because it turned out to be one of the most delicious of pulhi kozhambhus that we had ever eaten. The stalk cooks quickly to a soft almost melt in the mouth, buttery texture. It’s amazing how something that looks like a discardable bit of the vegetable, is completely transformed into a yummy-we-want-some-more kind of dish! If you are a fan of south Indian gravies, try this out at least once. Make it exactly as you would a kathirikkai puli kozhambhu.

More surprises were in store for me. Eager to try out other dishes with this special veg, I looked up recipes on the internet. I encountered zip ...nothing ...nada. Then I turned to the wealth of information around me in the form of aunts, grandmothers, cousins who are masters in traditional Indian cooking. Strangely, none of them had heard of the kaambhu kathirikkai either. Only one lady from Pudukkotai district said it was commonly cooked in gravies but had nothing further to offer. In my quest for gathering more information, I was left with only one option, that of meeting the vendor herself.

We set off down Vysyal street, situated to the left of Raja street and located her with her basket filled with iridescent greens of various kinds. The surprises continued. Rajathi has been selling her vegetables from the very same spot for the last 12 years . She took over from her mother who was doing the same job for 30 years before her. Such an amazing story. Rajathi works seven days a week from 7.30 am to 5 p.m., come rain or sunshine. What impressed me the most was that she only sells vegetables that are in season and indigenous to this region. Apparently, those were the principles which her mother followed and she is happy doing the same. Rajathi sources her produce from particular farms in and around Coimbatore and Kangayam. These farmers grow the vegetables that she specifies, in a select patch, on their farm. She did have three to four varieties of not commonly seen, country beans and greens. This is one woman who truly works hard for her money and such enterprising people deserve our support. This is also an opportunity for all of us to eat local. It does take some planning and the location is rather out of the way for most of us, but it is worth the effort to check the veggies out. She operates from the steps of the building next to the Axis Bank on Vysyal street. You can’t miss her.

Coming back to the kaambhu kathirikkai , Rajathi says the season is between the months of October to January. People eat it often during this period as it is very beneficial for stomach ailments and dealing with bugs that are rampant during the monsoons. Her other suggestions for cooking this wild but cultivable vegetable is to make a simple poriyal (stir fry) or a sambhar with any lentils. I could not leave without buying a sizable quantity of the kaambhu kathirika , enough to share with the extended family.

She sells them by the paddi. No scales here! Out came a well used paddi and she filled it generously to the point of overflowing. We don’t get to see those kind of vendors much these days, do we? The smiles that accompanied the toss of the vegetable into my koodai, were extra and came free. One paddi costs Rs.70 and that quantity is large enough to be used over several times.

It also keeps well in the refrigerator and does not rot easily. Isn’t that what food is all about, a way of sharing health and happiness. Many thanks Divya, and Rajathi.

Read more on Shanthini’s website www.pinklemontreerecipes.com

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