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Kadambam rice: A favourite festive dish of yesteryear actor MK Radha
When vegetables, legumes, lentils and rice are cooked together with an aromatic blend of spices, it transforms it into a nourishing one-pot flavourful dish known as kadambam. It is a special offering at temples, especially during Dussehra, and hence the name, kovil kadambam.
By
migrator
migrator
Chennai
The place to be in during Dussehra is south India or West Bengal. The colour, aura, grandeur, faith and divinity all combined make it a dazzling spectacle. As far as I can remember, we always spent our Dussehra holidays at a huge castle-like house, built by my grandfather about a century ago in the heart of Mylapore in Chennai. It still stands testimony to thousands of memories and festivals celebrated over the years. The garden in the front, with a musical fountain, would have several flowering plants to be offered for everyday puja. At the back end of the house was a mini fruit orchard, with fruits like chikoo, jackfruit, mango, banana, lemon and coconuts. Our neighbor was the famous actor of the thirties to fifties, MK Radha, whose first movie was Sathi Leelavathi and the last was Uthama Puthiran. His sons Sukumar and Viji were our best friends and playmates during holidays. We celebrated festivals together, staged plays and created innumerable memories. They were the only ones my grandmother welcomed into the kitchen to share a festive meal. Sukumar was stricken by polio when young, so had a special place in everyone’s heart. Dussehra time also meant arranging the 18-steps golu, by creating a theme.
Every day was a different prasadam, and whosever home we visited, we ate a variety of mixed rice, sundals which was the norm, as mentioned in the Sangam literature as well. MK Radha’s favourite was kadambam sadam, which dates back to Raja Raja Cholan times. The book, Tamizhar Unavu, written by Bhaktavachala Bharathi, has a separate chapter on ‘food in Sangam age’. Tamil poetic work Perumpanatruppadai records a recipe in which varagu rice, lentils, tamarind pulp and broad beans were cooked along with vegetables for festivals to be offered to the divine. This Dussehra, I pay ode to one of the famous actors of pre-independent India and a great human being with his favourite dish.
KOVIL KADAMBAM RICE RECIPE
Preparation Time: 30 min
Cooking Time: 30 min
Serves: 5
Calories per serve: 310 per serve
Ingredients
Rice: 1 cup
Toor dal: 1/4 cup
Channa dal: 1/4 cup
Tamarind: ¼ cup soaked
Cow ghee: 2 tbsp
Gingelly oil: 1 tbsp
Turmeric powder: 1 tsp
Coriander seeds: 1 tbsp
Fenugreek seeds: ½ tsp
Cumin seeds: 1 tsp
Urad dal: 1 tsp
Sesame seeds: 1 tsp
Red chillies whole: 9
Whole black pepper: 1 tsp
Curry leaves: 1 cup
Asafoetida: 1 tbsp
Grated coconut: 1 cup
Salt: to taste
Black eyed peas: 1 tbsp
Karamani: 1 tbsp
Brinjal:Â 2 small sized
Pumpkin: 1/2 cup
Ash gourd: 1/2 cup
Cluster beans: 6
Broad beans: 6
Drumstick: 1
Potato: 1 medium sized
Beans: a handful
Green chillies: 2
Curry leaves: 1/4 cup
Jaggery: 1 tbsp
Mustard seeds: 1 tsp
Fresh coriander chopped: A small bunch
METHOD
- Soak the chickpeas and black eyed peas overnight.Â
- Wash the two dals and rice and soak together for half an hour.
- Soak the tamarind and extract the pulp and set aside.Â
- Cut all vegetables into medium sized pieces and keep aside. Make sure brinjals and potatoes are kept in a little water.Â
- Place a heavy bottom saucepan on medium heat and roast all the dry ingredients — coriander, red chillies, fenugreek, asafoetida, chana dal, urad dal, sesame seeds, cumin, pepper. Remove once lightly roasted.
- Add a little ghee to the saucepan and roast the grated coconut, till light brown.Â
- Cool all ingredients and coconut, and then grind into smooth paste, adding water.
- Now place rice and dal in a vessel, adding salt, ghee and turmeric. Cook for 15 minutes till two whistles. Water should be a little Extra so the cooked consistency is sticky.
- Now place a pan on stove and pour some oil. Add mustard seeds then cumin, 2 red chillies and curry leaves. Add some asafoetida too. To this add the vegetables, the legumes and cook in tamarind pulp, adding enough water.
- When the veggies are cooked, add in the ground masala, jaggery, turmeric and a little salt.Â
- Once it boils, add the cooked lentils and rice. Add fresh curry leaves. Top with fresh coriander. Add the rest of ghee and stir well. Serve hot.
Kitchen Tips
- Always add a little oil or ghee to any lentils being cooked to avoid frothing over
- always add drumsticks after other veggies are half cooked, so they retain their shape and cook fast
— Chef Ramaa Shanker is the author of ‘Festive Offerings to the Gods: Divine Soul Recipes’
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