Name: Garlic-Flavored Pigeon Pea Broth with “Drumsticks” and Kokum (Palidu)
Yield: Makes 4 cups
Cuisine: India
Ingredients: 1 teaspoon ground Kashmiri chiles; or ¼ teaspoon cayenne (ground red pepper) mixed with ¾ teaspoon sweet paprika; 1 tablespoon chickpea flour; 2 teaspoons Toasted Cumin-Coriander Blend; 2 tablespoons Ghee or canola oil; 1 teaspoon cumin seeds; 1 teaspoon fenugreek seeds; 6 medium-size cloves garlic, finely chopped; ¼ cup oily or unoily skinned split yellow pigeon peas (toovar dal), picked over for stones; 4 pieces dried black kokum (each roughly 2 inches long and 1 inch wide, see Tips); 2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh cilantro leaves and tender stems for garnishing; 12 to 16 pieces frozen “drumsticks” (each 3 to 4 inches long; no need to thaw; see box); 1 teaspoon coarse kosher or sea salt

Preparation info

Makes
4 cups

Difficulty
Medium

Appears in

660 Curries

By Raghavan Iyer

Published 2008

About

Classic to the Bohri Muslim community of northwestern India, this curry infuses a nutty-sweet pigeon pea sauce with slightly tart kokum and woodsy “drumstick.” Ranee Munaim’s mother, Sakina, shared this recipe with me, and as I cooked it, I couldn’t help but notice the similarity to the tamarind-based rasams of my southern upbringing. However, one spoonful of this curry and the resemblance ended. The flavors could not be any farther apart.