Most people associate Karnataka with the dishes that are most common there, such as dosa, idli and vada. But actually, there is so much more than that to the food that Karnataka has to offer. As you travel throughout Karnataka starting from the southern part in Bengaluru and moving towards the North Karnataka region, meal types may vary depending on geography and produce, so one can find many different types of food that this state has to offer. For me, Karnataka’s food plays a very important role in my memories as well. I was born in Ankli town in North Karnataka, and I have many strong food memories coming from simple meals made at home with fresh local veggies, breakfast meals and food that is not complicated. Despite cooking various dishes from different states across India, Karnataka’s cuisine stays close to my roots.
Discovering Karnataka beyond the familiar: My travel and cooking experience across Karnataka helped me deduce there isn’t just one Karnataka cuisine. Each part of Karnataka has its particular identity. Coastal Karnataka is a blend of rice, coconut, seafood, and fried spices while Malnad cuisine makes excellent use of fruits and vegetables of season and local ingredients. North Karnataka is known for wholesome meals prepared using jowar, vegetables, pulses, chutneys, and spicy sides. Bangalore, on the other hand, is where food culture from different parts of Karnataka is coming together. Most of the food is simple, seasonal, and based on what families have been preparing for centuries. The art of everyday vegetarian cooking: Karnataka is well-known for its variety of simple vegetarian varieties that are delightful in every way. Take Patrode, for example, which makes use of colocasia leaves cooked with spiced gram flour. Then there is the bunch of recipes that highlight seasonal ingredients. For instance, dishes like Beans Palya, Beetroot Palya and Tonde Kai are usually made with some simple seasoning and coconut, resulting in a dish that is delicious but light. In North Karnataka too, vegetables like the eggplant have their unique place in the culinary world. An example is Yennegai prepared with small eggplants filled with spiced masala. Finally, chutney powders made with peanuts and sesame add to the texture of the dish. Whenever I recall my childhood food memories in Ankli, I only remember the regular meals rather than fancy dishes. Breakfast here features upma and bhaji and bhaji can be spotted right at the shops every morning. Both these foods were not something reserved for some special occasion. Instead, they were just part of every meal. Also Akki Roti holds a special place in Karnataka’s culinary tradition. Made with rice flour, it is commonly enjoyed with chutney, pickle, curry, or vegetables, making it a popular and wholesome breakfast staple. From Koli Saaru to Chicken Ghee Roast: The state’s non-veg cooking is good in a different way. Koli Saaru is a chicken curry made with a gravy with loads of spices. Lamb Sukka is another dish that sees the meat being cooked slowly to very tender, flavourful meat with the addition of masala without any gravy. And then one cannot fail to mention Chicken Ghee Roast, one of Karnataka’s most famous meat dishes where roasted chillies, spices, tangy taste, and a lot of ghee combine very beautifully.
Because with each bite I feel like I am tasting a special and home-cooked dish, hence, for me it is more than just an inexpensive meal. Badami: During my travels to temples all over Karnataka, one of my most cherished gastronomic experiences is a simple dish called Badami. This dish is specially made by women who prepare the dish at home and later sell it at the temple. What’s even more incredible is that it’s very pocket friendly. With that amount, you will get a wholesome meal including kadak bhakri, vegetables, and brinjal with leafy vegetables, not forgetting about an assortment of chutneys which includes peanut, on the other hand, there can be masar which can be either buttermilk or curd, and a little on the side. Coastal Karnataka on a plate: On the coasts, rice and coconut are essential foods. An example of this is Kori Roti, in which crisp, thin rice wafers are broken into pieces and poured with spicy and coconut-rich chicken curry. The combination of crispness and thick gravy adds to its charm. Matta rice is used as an accompaniment to Kori Roti, and the ingredients used in coastal dishes such as coconut, curry leaves and roasted spices give them their unique identity.