Till a few years ago, for many families in Chennai, a winter without maahaali kizhangu pickle was quite like a summer without mangoes.
Over the years, however, the demand for this unique and very pungent tuber has faded. Today, not many know its name.
To the discerning eye though, the brown tuber brings back fond memories of the pickle, eaten best with rice and buttermilk.
The tuber is still sold on tricycles, in T. Nagar and Mylapore, along with gooseberries, green pepper and limes meant for pickles.
“I prepare it every year. But my daughter, like many others, does not like the smell. But once you develop a liking for it, the pickle is quite irresistible,” says Indira Vasudevan, a resident of Kotturpuram.
According to her, the most popular recipe for making the pickle is: peel the tuber, remove the root in the centre and slice it; add salt, turmeric powder and sour curd; keep topping with curds from time to time as the marinade gets absorbed.
R. Seethalakshmi, a resident of Thoraipakkam, says some like to add green chillies and/or red chilli powder in their pickle. “Some people also add lemon juice to the chilli powder in which the kizhangu marinates. Sometime, lemon wedges too are added. It tastes nice with paruppu saadham (dhal rice), upma and upmakozhukattai .”
Swallow-root, as it is also known, is called maahaani kizhangu in Malayalam. It is believed to have medicinal properties and is also supposed to be good for the liver as it has blood-purifying qualities.
Once a popular winter staple, this pungent tuber is now found only in the kitchens of diehard fans
