Kadambam rice: A favourite festive dish of yesteryear actor MK Radha

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:  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. 
• Wash the two dals and rice and soak together for half an hour.
• Soak the tamarind and extract the pulp and set aside. 
• Cut all vegetables into medium sized pieces and keep aside. Make sure brinjals and potatoes are kept in a little water. 
• 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. 
• 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. 
• 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’

Visit news.dtnext.in to explore our interactive epaper!

Download the DT Next app for more exciting features!

Click here for iOS

Click here for Android