Kottu curry and pulinji were a must for all sadhyas when I was little. My mother single-handedly prepared all the dishes, all perfect in taste! She even stitched our pavada sets for Onam … lovely silks interwoven with gold motifs and we girls loved all that bling! Late into the night we could hear her pedalling at the sewing machine trying to get our shiny attire ready. Next day we were always super-excited to wear our new clothes, jasmine in our hair, and Amma’s jewellery.
I carried on this tradition with my children too and it was lovely. Suddenly it was time for them to fly far away and I was desolate. However, like-minded friends got together and we celebrated Onam with great gusto. Each of us prepared a dish, got together, dressed up in style in our mundu sets and had a lovely sadhya. I was always asked to prepare kottu curry and pulinji. Of course, it was never as good as my Amma’s!
Soak chana overnight in ample water. The next morning, cook it with salt and ½ teaspoon turmeric till soft (about 10 minutes in a pressure cooker). Peel, dice, and cook yam separately with salt and ½ teaspoon turmeric (one whistle in the pressure cooker).
Grind 2 tablespoons grated coconut with the peppercorns and green chilli. Mix the cooked chana, yam, and coconut paste together. Add the chilli powder and jaggery and give it a good boil.
Heat the oil, splutter the mustard seeds in it, add curry leaves, and 4 tablespoons grated coconut. Saute till the coconut turns brown. Pour it on top of the curry. The curry should NOT be watery but thick like avial.
