Mandyali Dham ~ Kaddu ka Khatta

 

Today's platter is a dham that is served in a thaali, after I failed disastrously to capture the iconic meal in leafy bowls and plates. A 'dham' is a traditional feast served in the state of Himachal Pradesh on festive occasions. The legend is that a Chamba king named Jaisthamba was fascinated by the idea of Kashmiri wazwan and ordered his cooks to prepare a vegetarian meal on similar lines to offer the Goddess. A menu thus created thirteen centuries ago slowly evolved into a 'dham'. As it was initially prepared in temples as prasad, the dham meal is completely 'satvik'. No onions, garlic, or tomatoes are used. The emphasis of cooking is mostly on pulses / legumes. Nowadays people have dhams planned for every auspicious occasion and gathering including weddings.

Winters are considered to be the best season to serve dhams according to this article which gave me sufficient info to plan for this dham. A traditional dham is always cooked by botis, brahmins who are hereditary chefs. The recipes are not handwritten and the secret recipes are passed down from generation to generation in the family. A dham preparation for a mid day meal begins the previous night. The food is cooked in a 6x2 feet trench using firewood. Thick copper and brass vessels with broad base and narrow openings are used to cook the dishes since metals are good conductors of heat and the narrow shape keeps the food warm foe longer period. The big iron kadai / woks are used to make the khattas. The guests sit on the floor in a line to eat which was originally meant to imbibe the feeling of equality among the local communities. The food is traditionally served in  biodegradable plates made with leaves.

The dhams cooked in each region of the state varies because of the diversity. Kangra dham, Mandyali dham, Chambyali dham and Bilaspuri dham are the famous ones among the lot. I chose to go with the Mandyali dham as my husband is somewhat attached to the place since his first job was in that picturesque town. Mandyali dham is known to follow the definition of a proper Ayurvedic diet. As per sage Sushrutha, a proper diet consists of six rasas, eaten in a particular order. One should start with sweet, followed by sour and salty food. Bitter and astringent food should be consumed at the end. 

Mandyali dhaam has six dishes served along with rice. 

1. Badaane ka meetha / Boondi ka meetha

Mandyali dhaam starts with a madhura rasa / sweet dish called boondi ka meetha or badaane ka meetha. Boondi or crisp, fried tiny balls of chickpea flour is cooked in sweet sugar syrup along with dry fruits. It is not shaped as laddu but the boondi is in a liquidy syrup and obviously I loved it.

2. Sepu badi

The second one in the dham would be madhura amla rasa - sweet and sour sepu badi, a dish made with fresh spinach leaves and badi. This is one of the dishes which takes a little extra time for the preparation if you are starting from the scratch as I did. For badis, black gram / urad dal need to be soaked, ground, shaped and then cooked in water. Then they are cut into cubes and fried. The badis thus prepared are cooked in a spicy gravy of spinach.  

3. Kaddu ka khatta

Next is the turn of kaddu ka khatta, a sour and sweet tasting pumpkin curry that makes up amla lavana rasa - sour and salty.

4. Kol ka khatta

The fourth one is kol ka khatta which is literally sour tasting and made from kol aka horse gram. It is sour in taste and but because of the addition of mustard powder tastes pungent.

5. Mah ki dal 

Mah ki dal which is (triktapradran - bitter dominant) black gram cooked with spices.

6. Jhol

The final one in the series is jhol which is an astringent, prepared with yogurt thinned with the addition of water and ground corn in a clay pot. The locals believe that food is not digested without drinking a cup of jhol.

I am posting the recipe for kaddu ka khatta below. As the name suggests this is a sweet and sour tasting curry which falls under my favorite realm. The curry is a simple and quick one though the list of ingredients is a lengthy one. This delicious side dish can be enjoyed with rice / rotis or pooris.

Ingredients:
2 tbsp. mustard oil (I used olive oil.)
1 tsp. cumin seeds
1 tsp. coriander seeds / sabut dhaniya, slightly crushed

1/8 tsp. fenugreek seeds (methi)
A pinch of black peppercorns (optional)
2 green chilies. sliced
A pinch of  asafoetida / hing
1/8 tsp. turmeric powder
1 cup peeled and cubed pumpkin
Salt to taste
Chili powder to taste
1 heaped tsp. jaggery or to taste
1 - 2 tbsp. thick tamarind puree
1/2 cup water
1/4 tsp. carom seeds / ajwain
Cilantro / Coriander leaves to garnish

Directions:

* Heat oil in a pan and add cumin seeds, coriander seeds, fenugreek and peppercorns if using. When cumin starts to brown add green chilies and sauté for  few seconds. 

* Add asafoetida, turmeric and pumpkin cubes. Sprinkle salt over the cubes, mix to combine and cover the pan with a lid. 

* Cook pumpkin on medium flame for about five minutes and check. If the pumpkin has softened, add the jaggery, tamarind and water. 

* Crush carom seeds slightly between palms and sprinkle over the curry. Mix well and taste. Add chili powder if and as needed. (I added about 1/4 tsp. chili powder.) Cook until the mixture slightly thickens and turn off the stove. Garnish with cilantro before serving.

Comments