Iyengar style Kadag Puli / Kadugu Puli- a Traditional Curry

What is Kadag Puli or Kadugu Puli?

Kadag or Kadugu means Mustard, puLi (with a sharp L) means tamarind in Tamil. Kadag Puli (ಕಡಗ್ ಪುಳಿ) is a tangy, umami flavoured curry made with country veggies like sweet pumpkin, chayote squash or even brinjal (aubergine). Sharing my family’s heirloom recipe here. Kadag Puli is a traditional Iyengar dish which is satvik (No Onion No garlic) curry. Best served with steamed rice /chapatis. It is a medley of native veggies in a pungent umami-tangy sauce. A similar curry from the Udupi cuisine served with hot rice is this Balekayi Sasam (Raw banana cooked in a coocnut-mustard sauce).

Where is Kadag Puli a native of?

Kadag Puli is a traditional dish from the Mysore Iyengar belt. Usually made for festival spreads too, this pungent tangy spicy curry is eaten with hot rice and ghee immediately after the first course, in place of sambhar. Funny how growing up, this was up there on my pet peeves dishes list when grand mom used to make it, and now we have grown (!!) to like it a lot. Guess adult life DOES teach you a thing or two about respecting and relishing local produce.

Mustard in Indian Cooking 

Mustard seeds is the key ingredient here, and is used extensively in South Indian Cooking both in the form of paste (like in todays recipe and for tempering too). Vendhaya Mangai (Instant Mango Pickle) is a popular recipe using mustard and fenugreek powder as is Udupi Style KAyi Sasive Chitranna (a flavoured rice with spicy mustard paste).

In the East (and perhaps a few parts of North India too including Bihar, Jharkhand and the North East), mustard oil is used as the primary source of good fat for sautéing, frying etc.  Bengali cuisine uses Kasundi (mustard paste) extensively while Punjab and other stars in the North use Sarson leaves (fresh mustard leaves) in the Winter months when the greens are harvested and mustard oil too. And the mustard leaves used in delicious recipes like Sarson ka Saag or this Badami Saag served with Makki di Roti (Cornmeal flatbread)

What are the main ingredients for this curry?

Mustard – unmistakably this is the bedrock for the curry

Fresh coconut – rounds up the flavours smoothly

Chillies, tamarind and jaggery – to provide the balance

Tips to make a tasty Kadag Puli / Kadugu Puli

• What other veggies can be used in place of Sweet Pumpkin / Squash? Any other native veggies like aubergine (brinjal), Ashgourd (Pusanikai), Cabbage , Mangalore Cucumber , Okra or even Chayote Squash can be used
• Can onions be used in this dish? Traditionally, this dish is made sans onion garlic
• Can we use tamarind paste instead of whole tamarind Yes, use 1 tsp of Tamarind paste
• Cook the veggies only 80% in the first stage, coz it cooks further when simmered in the sauce. Else the veggies would turn mushy and unpalatable. 
• If using Brinjal or Okra in place of squash, reduce the water to a minimum and time used for cooking. Simply saute it for 3-4 mins till it shrivels and appears glossy

Other South Indian based Side dishes for RIce / Roti you may like on the blog

Lets make Kadag Puli – a Traditional Gluten Free, Vegan and Satvik curry made with country veggies

Prep time – 10 mins, Cook time – 15 mins, Serves – 4

Cuisine – South Indian ; Course – Side Dishes

Ingredients for Kadag Puli / Kadugu Puli

• 200 g Squash
• 1 TBSP oil (split use)
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 TBSP rice flour

To grind:

• 1.25 tsp Mustard seeds
• 1/4 cup Coconut (grated, fresh of frozen)
• 1 small tamarind roundel (sub with 1 tsp tamarind paste)
• 4 Kashmiri Red chillies (whole)
• 2 Dry Red chillies (whole)
• 1/8 tsp Turmeric

Tempering:

• 1 tsp mustard seeds
• 1/2 tsp cumin seeds (jeera)
• 1/2 tsp Split black gram (urad dal / Ulutham paruppu)
• 1/8 tsp Asafoetida (simply skip for GF)
• 1 sprig curry leaves

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How to make Kadag Puli / Kadugu Puli

1. Wash and Peel the squash, cut into equal cubes. Keep aside.
2. Grate coconut and keep aside.
3. Soak the tamarind in 4- 5 TBSP hot water for 15 minutes.
4. In a pan, heat half the oil, splutter the mustard seeds, urad dal and half the curry leaves.
5. When the dal turns brown, add the cubed veggies and saute for 1- 2 min
6. Add salt and 1/4 cup hot water and let it cook till 80% cooked (takes about 5-7 mins depending on quantity and the squash variety)
7. Meanwhile, make a paste of all the ingredients under the “To grind” list. Add 2-3 tsp of water to grind smooth.
8. Once the veggies are cooked, add this ground paste to the pan, and add 1/2 cup hot water.
9. Mix well and let the veggies simmer for 5-6 mins.
10. Prepare a slurry with the rice flour and 3 tsp of water.
11. Add this rice slurry to the pan. The curry will thicken in 1-2 mins.
12. At this point, make a second tempering with the remainign oil, cumin, curry leaves
13. Add this tempering to the curry. Serve hot with rice / chapati (Indian unleavened flatbread)