Curry recipes | Havyaka

Kesavina karkali | Colocasia or taro relish

By Leena Hegde, Puttanamane

Ingredients A quick look Step by step Notes

A classic recipe made by generations, and our monsoon would not be complete without kesavina karkali - a relish or chutney made of colocasia or taro or arbi or arvi plant. This is a seasonal delicacy that we relish with hot rice, where both leaves and stem are used to make the dish.

There are many varieties in colocasia and some tend to get itchy. So it is necessary to add sufficient amount of tamarind to the dish and the dish should be properly cooked.

More about Kesa or Colocasia

Kesa or colocasia is an important part of our traditional cuisines. Colocasia species, a member of the Araceae family, has a wide range of variability in its genetic makeup, with both cultivated and wild forms existing. We cultivate a type of colocasia for its edible corms (underground stems / roots) as an irrigated crop throughout the year, and rainfed wild colocasia can be found growing naturally in various settings during monsoon (May-June to Oct-Nov). These wild colocasia are used in various monsoon delicacies like pathrode, karkali, deepavali special tellevu, etc. Cooking the colocasia thoroughly is crucial and raw plant / vegetable cannot be consumed.

Prep time

20 mins

Cook time

5 mins

Cool off time

0 Total time

25 mins

Course

Curry

Diet

Vegan, Vegetarian

Difficulty level

Easy

Servings

1 cup

Ingredients

10 – 12 fresh kesa or colocasia leaves
10 – 12 tiny chillies or 4 – 5 green chillies
1 – 1.5 teaspoons tamarind
8 – 10 garlic cloves
8 – 10 curry leaves
1 – 1.5 tablespoons coconut or any edible oil
1 teaspoon mustard
1 pinch turmeric powder
Salt as required
Water as required

Cookware / Utensils

Pan
Bowl(s)
Spoon
Mixer

Instructions

Clean colocasia leaves. Check for any pests.
Wash them thoroughly.
Chop the leaves and stem roughly.
Soak them in salt water for about 20 minutes. (Optional)

This is to remove itchiness from colocasia, if any.
Take chopped leaves in a cooking bowl / pan. Add tamarind, and salt as required.
Add a cup of water or as required. Cook them. Let it cool.
Now take cooked colocasia in a mixer jar.
Wash and add tiny / green chillies. Peel garlic cloves, wash and add.
Grind them into smooth paste. Cover and keep aside.
Heat 1 – 1.5 tablespoons of oil in a pan.
Add 1 teaspoon mustard. Let them splutter.
Then add curry leaves, and a pinch of turmeric powder.
Add ground colocasia mix. Mix well
Boil it on medium heat until the mix turns little thick.
Switch off and relish hot with hot rice.

Step by step guide

How to make Kesavina karkali

1. Clean colocasia leaves. Check for any pests.

2. Wash them thoroughly.

3. Chop the leaves and stem roughly.

4. Soak them in salt water for about 20 minutes. (Optional) This is to remove itchiness from colocasia, if any.

5. Take chopped leaves in a cooking bowl / pan. Add tamarind, and salt as required.

6. Add a cup of water or as required. Cook them. Let it cool.

7. Now take cooked colocasia in a mixer jar. Wash and add tiny / green chillies. Peel garlic cloves, wash and add.

8. Grind them into smooth paste. Cover and keep aside.

9. Heat 1 – 1.5 tablespoons of oil in a pan. Add 1 teaspoon mustard. Let them splutter. Then add curry leaves, and a pinch of turmeric powder.

10. Add ground colocasia mix. Mix well and boil it on medium heat until the mix turns little thick.

11. Switch off and relish hot with hot rice.

Notes

Use fresh colocasia leaves, and wash them thoroughly. If you like you can even soak them in salt water as I did.
Use colocasia leaves along with their stems. Wild colocasia stems are commonly dark purple or green in colour.
In traditional cooking, tiny chillies (similar to bird eye chillies) are used. If you have no access to the same, normal green chillies can be used.