Unexpected Indian Food!! 🇮🇳 Pandi Curry in Coorg!

Just look at the closeup of that. It's like unlocking a new flavor of curry. When you think about food in India, the meal we're about to eat is probably not what comes to your mind. It's a life-changing flavor. Within the lush mountains of Coorg, the food of the Kodava people is heavily spiced. Personally, being a Kodava, I have not seen any other culture use it. I think that's gonna be a little too much for you, but yeah, you can try it. And seasoned with a few rare ingredients unique to this region. You have no clue what you're missing. I could die and go to heaven, Mark. Today, we've been invited to a family home where Shelly and Subbu are cooking some of the best Kodava food. Hey everyone, hope you're having an amazing day. It's Mark Wiens and welcome to Coorg. This area is known for growing coffee and it's also the home of the Kodava people. And so today we're gonna be learning all about the Kodava people. We're gonna be cooking some of their signature unique foods and dishes. Evan, yes. Evan. This is Shelly's uncle's house. Oh, okay, cool. We are planning to have his cooking session somewhere there now. Nice. And you're getting this aroma of coffee flowers. Yes. This is the time when coffee blooms. Okay. It'll take about 10 months for the coffee berry to develop. Okay, wow. So whatever flowers right now, we pick it next year by this time. Wow, okay. And so we're all hanging out under the palm trees. It's beautiful. What a property, so lush and green. The kitchen is set up out here. All the spices are laid out. The pork has already been marinating. So they will be making authentic pandi curry. Pork pandi curry. Pandi curry means? Pandi curry. Pork curry. Pork curry, okay. But this is one of the signature dishes of the Kodava people. And you're gonna see the whole process as it's being made. Chili powder, turmeric, and salt. And this is marinated for two hours now. And we directly add it to the tawa. You want the coffee? So we do not use any oil for pork cooking. Okay. Just the direct heat. Okay, because all of that fat will render out of the pork itself. Yeah. And let the meat cook. Fresh curry leaves, drama. Fresh curry leaves, one of the great ingredients. Drama recipe. This is traditional. This is only made in a Kodava house. A lot of people try to replicate it, but they miss the beat because one is the masala that is added to this is very unique to the Kodavas, number one. Number two is we add the vinegar we were talking about towards the end. Okay. That gives it a smoky, earthy, umami kind of a flavor. Kachampuli is what it's called in our language. This is the vinegar that we use that makes this dish absolutely unique. Just dip your little finger in it and take a dab on your tongue, and you'll know what we're talking about. So what's the significance of this in Kodava culture? Personally, being a Kodava, I've not seen any other culture use it. There are substitutes for this, like a lot of people use kokum. But the taste of this is way unique, very umami, very earthy, very smoky, I think. And it's used in a lot of Kodava dishes? Most of the Kodava dishes. Whoa, it's really, it almost looks like tar. Like it's really. I think that's gonna be a little too much for you, but yeah, you can try it. That might be too much. It's really sticky, really dark in color. And it's made from garcinia, right? Made from garcinia. So it's made from a sour fruit. Garcinia gatiguma. We use this one, the fruit we use it for fish curry in Kerala. Okay. But they use it in a completely different way. Consistency is crazy. Really smoky. That will waken you up? Oh yeah. Oh, I love it. So sour and so smoky. It has a lot of different uses that you wouldn't have heard of, you know? Kodagu is very leech infested during the monsoon. Really? Yeah, so a lot of people, what they do is they put a little bit of this on their hands and they rub it down on their legs and the leeches will not get onto it. It's just the sour and it has a hint of a sweetness. Almost like an extremely strong balsamic. Like an extremely strong. Extreme, yeah, that would be the right way. It's extreme balsamic is what it is. That's a common ingredient in so many of the different dishes and that's such a beautiful flavor. There's two different masalas also that go into the board. Yeah. We have green chilies, coriander leaf, pepper, peppercorn, black pepper, I mean. And we have jeera, little bit of methi and little bit of mustard seeds. Okay. This is green masala. Look at how chunky that masala is and so many spices. You see the pepper in there, the black pepper. This has cinnamon, clove, dried coriander, jeera, all roasted. Back over to the, oh, the green masala goes in. Yes. Whole bowl of the green masala. The immediate burst of black pepper and green chilies. The pork is already pre-marinated. And then the fresh masala and layering with the dry masala, the spices, the roasted dry spices, plus the herbs, the curry leaves, the sauteed coriander. You can already imagine the layering of flavor it's gonna have. It's gonna be incredible. You can immediately smell that roasted masala. The flavor of the, Roasted coriander. Yeah. Oh, that cinnamony aroma to it. And plain coriander goes in. Now you see the color change. Oh yeah. Immediately it turns dark. If you see the color, you'll know if the masala is sufficient or not. Oh, okay. Right now it's not. It is not. It has to turn a little more darker. It has to turn darker. The pork masala. Yeah. Oh man, when you add in the dry spice mixtures, the roasted masala just takes on this total new dimension. I mean, those are not just dry spices, they're already roasted down, so already that complexity is, it's gonna be just layer upon layer upon layer of flavor. So it's time. It's time for the kachapuri. Again, you'll see a color change. It gets darker. Yeah, immediately it gets darker. And you taste it now, in another four, five minutes. Because I made him taste it before. Now when he tastes it, he'll know the difference. Yeah. Pepper from our farms here. Oh. locally sourced. And the curry is here. Teddy. Now taste it with the kachapuri. Taste test. Oh, that's unbelievable. That, that's a totally different flavor from any curry I've ever tasted. Oh man, again, the layer upon layer of flavors. The masalas. Oh, it's incredible. And the finishing with the kachapuri, that sour garcinia. Oh, that's, and it's spicy too. It burns your lips. Wow, that's flavorful. This with this. Oh yeah, show us how to eat the rice balls with the pandi curry. Okay. You have no clue what you're missing. I'm about to find out. You said this is your favorite combination meal on earth. I could die and go to heaven, Mark. And be happy. Just on this. Thank you, Shelly. This is a privilege to be here, to sit down for this totally new meal experience. And is there anything else other than rice? Or is it just compressed? Just steamed rice. Steamed rice compressed into ball shape. Going for that pork. Just look at the closeup of that pork. It's so thick and rich. I've had a pork. Whoa, man, this is superb. Shelly, Shelly, wonderful. Thank you so much. It's unbelievable, actually. Like it's a life-changing flavor. I'm glad you liked it. And that kachampuli made the trick. Actually, that sourness. And it's not overpowering. No. It kind of gives it this umami of sour acidity that breaks the richness. And again, the spices that she used for pork curry, it is extraordinary. It's unbelievable, actually. And this is a type of curry like, it's like unlocking a new flavor of curry. Yeah. Like we've completed a mission in life. It's total, total unique flavor. Like unlike any other curry I've ever tasted. I think just the roasted, toasty, smoky flavors of the masalas. Yeah. The green chilies. And then, yeah, that secret kachampuli. And the garlic that they have added. All together, it's wonderful. And it's spicy, too. Like, with the quantity of black pepper, with the quantity of green chilies and masalas, it is, can't even believe it. Yeah, that's happiness. Tender jackfruit. So it's young jackfruit. Yeah. Sauteed down with onions, with a few chilies. And would we eat this together with the ghee rice, or just separate? You can just taste it as it is. All right. Oh, man. Oh, I'm a big fan of jackfruit. Me, too. Both, ripe as well as raw. I mean, the tender one. In all stages. Yeah, all stages. In all stages. And it has this, the flavor of the turmeric, but it's also been marinated in tamarind, so it has a hint of a sourness to it. And, I mean, one of the great things about jackfruit is the texture, right? Yeah. It almost has a, yeah, like a pulled meat texture to it. It's like minced, not minced, maybe shredded meat. Yeah. It's just like shredded meat. And then next up for the mutton? Mutton. Mutton with ghee rice, what a combination. Tender pieces of mutton. Really tender pieces, yeah. Yes. Really tender. Mutton can really compete with pork. Yeah. Yeah, it's really nice, yeah. Very good. And it's a totally different masala. Yes. Like, completely different flavor profile. This one you taste more of the sweeter spices. Yeah. Like the clove-ish, cinnamony flavors in it. I think, yeah, cinnamon. Cinnamon definitely. Cardamom. And with ghee rice, it's perfect combination. Yeah. The ghee rice melts in your mouth. Yep. Mm, mm. Yeah, in fact, I got a whole pot of cardamom, I think in the rice, too. Maybe that rice is not only flavored with ghee, but also onions. Maybe you see some garlic in there. Maybe you see some, hinted with some of the spices as well. But what a meal. There's everything. Outstanding. Flavor profiles that I've never experienced before. I mean, here or in India. And I think like we were saying. Yeah. This just changes your perception of what you think Indian food is. Like, I mean, you have this perception of South India being dosa and idli, or North India being naan and butter chicken and dal, yeah. But these are just completely different flavor profiles. It's always better to visit and experience rather than read or watch. Yes. For sure, for sure. Mango curry. Oh, so for the mango curry, are they ripe mangoes or it's green mangoes? Green mangoes. Oh, you can see it's like, it is the whole tender mango. Cheers. Eben. Oh, another dish. Oh, man. Lots of that achar taste, pickle taste. The sourness. Lots of pepper in there too. And that's salty, sour, and sweet all at the same time. It's like a achar turned into a curry. Like a mango pickle curry. Okay, let's try the pepper chicken. Oh, oh, the flavor of the black pepper. It's so evident. So strong and powerful. Roasted coriander powder goes in. Lots of black pepper goes in, freshly ground. She added in a small mountain of pepper to the chicken. Well, most recipes, I mean, you'll call for like a little teaspoon. She just piled in the pepper. It's just coating every piece of chicken. That just immediately bursts with this pepperiness on your tongue. What another impressive recipe. And then, I mean, just the aroma coming out. The roasted coriander in there as well. The secret culinary weapon. Yes. It's stunning. Stunning, and a totally different flavor profile from the pandikar, from the pork, yeah. In the recent history of my eating, I can't think of another meal that can top that. This meal on this pandikar, yeah. Just look at the thickness of that pandikar. And I totally agree with you. It's a heavenly bite. That is one of the great flavors you could put in your mouth. How do you go from eating something like this that's the most flavorful dish on earth to having to eat something plain with no spice? I don't think you can. It would be like torturous to have to eat something plainly flavored after something like this. It's just, oh man. You have to like check it if your tongue is working. Nothing compares. Final, final bite. But this is a flavor I just wanna keep on my tongue for forever. An unbelievable meal. And like I mentioned already, it's like just totally different from any flavors of Indian cuisine that I've ever experienced before. The food is not over yet. We are continuing. We're gonna be spending a night at a lodge. And tonight, actually Shelly is gonna cook another meal for dinner tonight and cook some different Kodava dishes. What is the plan for dinner tonight? Oh, quite a lot. Some traditional dishes from Kodagu. I think that'll be restricted to something that's been done here. And also we will have some wine. Special wines from here. And these are homemade wines? Yeah, homemade. So there's zero alcohol. That's something that's a part of the culture. The culture here because of the kind of weather that we live in, right? It's pretty cold during winters. So just to warm yourself up. You need some beverages. It's got nothing other than turmeric, salt, and boiled. Okay, it's pork. It's basic pork, boiled pork, right? All right. So that goes directly into the pan. If you realize something, there's no oil in it because the reason why we don't use oil in most of our cooking is because of the fat that the pork carries, which will render into the dish. And this is a very, very easy dish. We call this pork chidakkal in our language, which basically comes... There's a history to how this came into existence, right? So we down a pig in special occasions. We have our festivals. When we down them, we call people to clean it. So they have a right of meat first. So they're given a certain amount of meat for them. So when they're cleaning the pork, they take that piece first and they cook this right then and there. So there's no masalas that are put into it. It's bare basic. And I think you can't get anything more traditional than this in a khorwa cuisine. Trust me. Okay, great. Oh, it's starting to crackle down. Fat is rendering down into oil. Sizzling. Oh, yeah. That already smells so good. You can see it reducing now. Fat is coming out. It's caramelizing as well. It's actually starting to roast on the bottom of that pan, yeah? Yeah. So you're just continually kind of scraping it, scraping it off. Oh, man. Few things better than melted pork fat, which is then caramelized and crispified. All the oil. Just the excess oil. Man, so all that pork, she just caramelizes it down until it turns crispy. That stage where the outside exterior is gonna be crispy, but guaranteed juicy on the inside. And the masala's about to go on. It's bird's eye chili. It's got a little bit of garlic, a little bit of ginger, just for flavoring, and salt and lemon. Oh, and what a move to keep it fresh. Not cooking it at all, right? Oh. Oh, I want that. I need that masala. Yeah. Oh. Cheers for Chittikas. Mm. Oh. Oh, that's sensational. That's just blowing your taste buds. Again, the pork, which is simmered down so it's crispy and fatty. Fresh masala is just what absolutely takes it to the next level with that acidity, the green chilies, the coriander. It is so good. So simple and so good. Cheers. Mm. Yeah. Very smooth and mellow. Sweet. It is sweet. And acidic. Sweet, acidic, as well as that flavor of jackfruit. Yeah. Lightly, not too much. You do, yeah. Like, you would, if you're just tasting it and you didn't know it was jackfruit, you'd need to think about what it was. Because it's not that powerfully jackfruit. I think everything would pair well with this. Yes. She said it's a two-year-old. Been fermenting for two years. Oh, super much. Yeah. Perfect combination. Is it strong for you? Yeah, that does pair really well, though, because you have the really, like, incredibly savory, salty pork with the sweet jackfruit, the fermentation. That combination is unbelievable. This is chicken. Boiled chicken. Okay. Boiled chicken. So this is gonna, it's gonna be the same recipe, just chicken version? Chicken version. Okay. And what's the chicken one called? Chudas. It's also done. Okay, I'll grab one piece. It's blended well. Mm-hmm. I mean, it's so good, again. The acidity. Yeah. The lime juice, the green chili. Actually, that paste. Yes. That makes it different. You can taste the cooked masala. Mm-hmm. Cooked masala. That was raw masala. And this is cooked masala. Yeah, it's different, slightly different in taste. And again, I still prefer pork. What about you? I mean, pork is hard to beat. Yeah. Yes. But the chicken is also just incredibly good. The only reason that the, yeah, yeah, it's not as fatty. I mean, the only reason the pork wins is because we had that, like, it's pork. It's pork, and it was slightly crispier than this. Yes, it has that crispy edge. The fattiness. Chicken is also fantastic, though. The flavor, the aroma is so good. What type of wine is that? This is beetle leaf. Beetle leaf wine. Excellent. That's our next wine pairing. And how long has this one been fermenting for? Two years. Two years again. Cheers. Oh, this is far, far better than that. Oh, yeah, this one is incredible. Yeah, yeah, I agree. This one is... Far, far better. It's much, much higher. Because it immediately has this acidity, more of an acidity, a sourness to it. And the pan, the beetle leaf, it's, again, it's quite subtle. It's not overpowering at all. But we feel it. Yeah. But it's sweet and sour. Rice toffee. This in Kodatak is called wanak erchi. Wanak erchi. Wanak is dry. Erchi is meat. Wow. So this is basically smoked, smoked dried pork. It's the pulao. Oh. The mutton pulao. Oh. The meats were just for snack. Now we're sitting down for the full meal. Some unique dishes. Okay, so we get the roti. This is actually one of the things I'm most looking forward to trying is the black nightshade leaves. Something I don't think I've tried before. To be eaten with the hot... What type of roti is it? Aki roti. It's a rice roti. Oh, it's a rice roti. Okay. Oh. Can't wait to try it. Mm. It's slightly bitter. Yeah. Little lightly. Bitter. It basically clears your system. It clears it in the morning. That's how it clears the system. It clears the system. Realize it in the morning? I think I know what that means. It clears your system, but you won't realize it till the morning. Oh. I love the flavor though. It has a flavor like jute leaves. Yes. Bitter and medicinal a little bit. This is medicinal. Yeah. It tastes medicinal. Definitely. You can tell that. You can tell that it has like, like powerful effects. Oh, I love the flavor though. And it has a nuttiness too. And that, that goes well with this roti. Because it's rice flavor, though it is slightly bitter, the rice flavor gives a different level. Mm. Simple, but so tasty. The flavor coming out of those leaves. It's only the leaves. Oyster mushrooms. Mm. Delicious as well. We used a lot of lime. Yeah, okay. Does have a sourness to it. The actual mushrooms themselves are just nice and silky. This goes, a little goes a long way. It's about time for another beverage pairing. This is bird eye chili wine. Oh. Cheers. Long life. With bird's eye chili. Mm. I was expecting more spicy, but it's not that spicy. Chicken melon. It has again, a sweet and sour taste to it. Oh. But as it goes in, you have it. Yeah, we have that burning feeling. There is a. We probably have the, the green chili already in our throats from the, from the green masala. Maybe another reason, yeah. Yes. Okay. Now we should move on to that, the smoked pork dish, right? This is something that's totally unique. And it, you can smell the aroma too. You can smell the smoke. Wow. Yeah, you can smell the smoke. Yes. That's incredible. Oh, I love it. It's such a deep smoke, to the point where it dehydrates and dries out the meat, just condensing the flavor. So smoky. With a sourness. We marinate the meat before we smoke it. Oh, to tenderize it? Is that how it. What do you add? Salt, chili powder. No smokers, which are built in all of this. Traditional rooms with bamboo trays. You put the meat on top of it, and then you have another place outside where you put the fire, and you bellow the smoke into the room. So the entire couple of days that it's smoked. So it's kind of a, is it a cold smoke? It's a cold smoke. So it's not a hot smoke. Okay. This is basically done to store the meat. Okay. Over time. Reason being, during monsoon, people in Coog can hardly go out. The rain is so bad, that they prefer to store food for that season. And then, what's the sourness coming from? Kachin pulao. Oh, okay. So that's smoke with vinegar. Oh, that's so much flavor. Wow, that's extraordinarily tasty. Okay, so the mutton, the mutton pulao, tender pieces of mutton in there. Just really nice looking rice with the raita. Oh, it's just dish after dish. And that's just so comforting, especially after all the other like spicy, salty, acidic dishes. The pulao just tastes so comforting. This is mint. The flavor of mint, we can feel directly in the pulao. Yes, I do taste the mint. And you just keep the raita apart and try the pulao alone with mutton. Pulao is soft. You taste all the broth and the oils of the mutton, just absorbed into every grain of that rice. Mutton flavor is there in the rice grains. That's because mutton is cooked together with rice. So the rice absorbs all the flavors of mutton, whatever the meat we use. It's just taking on that flavor of the mutton. None of the steam or oils or juices have gone to waste. They've all been absorbed into the rice. Oh, oh man. What a sensational meal. One of the big misconceptions, you know, like that people outside of India, foreigners outside of India have, is that, you know, India is like, everything is dal roti and butter chicken, you know? I mean, just to be the most stereotypical. But you would never think that this is Indian food. When you travel around India, you just are able to experience the diversity that exists in this incredible country. And thank you so much for cooking this incredible meal. We are honored to be here. And, oh, the food is just, it's mind blowing. So we ended up just sitting around, hanging out, incredible company, delicious food, and just, again, flavors totally different than I would ever expect to eat in India. Just sensational. And today has just been such an incredible learning experience. I wanna say huge thank you to Shelly and Sibu for arranging everything. To my great friend, Eben, from Food & Travel. He's just an incredible friend from Kerala as well. And I wanna say a big thank you to you for watching this video. To see this entire India food tour, we're traveling around the state of Karnataka, eating some of the best food. You're not gonna wanna miss any of it. The diversity, the incredible flavors. But I wanna say a big thank you for watching. Please remember to give this video a thumbs up. Leave a comment below. I'd love to hear from you. And if you're not already subscribed, make sure you subscribe now. And I will see you on the next video. Thanks again for watching.