Why colocasia leaves are must-try this monsoon

The Hindu

5 days ago

'Always look for leaves which have a deep purple almost blackish hue, these usually do not leave you with an itching sensation in the throat,' said my mother-in-law, Sarojini Upadhya when I first picked colocasia leaves for a dish.
This is something that has stayed with me and is the main criterion when I cook these large elephant ear leaves as they are commonly called. Kesavu or Kesavina elle as they are known in Kannada is a regional ingredient which is abundant during the monsoons. A highly versatile green whose leaves and shoots are used in a multitude of dishes, colocasia aka taro leaves are a specialty in the coastal states of Karnataka, Goa, Maharashtra and Gujarat.
'Consuming these leaves during the rainy season is traditionally supposed to aid digestion and protect the body from cold. They are also prepared with other seasonal delicacies such as bamboo shoot. Since the Western Ghats are rain-fed, these leaves thrive almost everywhere, making them easily available,' says regional cuisine enthusiast Shruthi Hegde, programme director at an NGO in Hyderabad.
Vast repertoire
A much sought after green, colocasia leaves find their way into a wide variety of dishes including crispy fritters, chutney, curries, tangy side dishes, sambar, savoury pancakes and the ubiquitous pathrode aka colocasia pinwheels or taro rolls. The latter is arguably the most popular dish made from these leaves, with each region and even families having their own variations. While some add rice as the base for the ground batter others use split chickpeas or chickpea flour.
'Irrespective of what dish you make, the key in cooking kesavu well is to add a generous amount of tamarind extract, giving it a bold flavour. This also prevents any itching sensation in the throat that may arise,' adds Sarojini.
Apart from tamarind, hog plums pair well with the leaves, and this seasonal souring agent imparts a piquant touch. Preparations such as chutney and tangy sauces call for a generous tempering of garlic whose pungent, nutty taste when roasted, lends a unique flavour to these dishes.
Colocasia leaves are also widely used on festive occasions such as Ganesh Chaturthi and Ananta Chaturdashi. 'In the Havyaka community we make a gravy called karakali. Well-cooked leaves are ground and boiled with tamarind juice and salt. A quick tempering of mustard seeds, garlic and urad is added before it is served with hot rice and coconut oil,' adds Shruthi.
Colocasia leaf chutney is a slightly more elaborate dish in terms of preparation. The leaves are roughly chopped and boiled with tamarind extract, then ground with coconut and an array of roasted ingredients such as coriander and cumin seeds, urad dal and red chillies. A tempering of mustard seeds, garlic and red chillies are the final touch.
One dish, many forms
The base for most colocasia dishes is a batter prepared from rice, tamarind, red chillies, coriander and cumin seeds, all of which are soaked in water for at least four to five hours. This mixture is ground with coconut after which salt, turmeric and jaggery is added.
This batter is spread over the leaves which are then rolled and steamed after which they are cut into slices and tempered. While this is the way colocasia rolls are prepared, the batter is also used for other preparations.
'Add finely chopped leaves into the batter, shape them spherically and deep fry them as fritters. Just make sure that the batter is thick. Alternatively, if the batter has turned runny, you can spread the mixture on a pan like a savoury pancake — this is called chetti. Both dishes taste best when cooked in coconut oil,' adds Sarojini.
Another popular method is to steam the entire mixture. Prepare a tempering of mustard seeds, red chillies, urad dal, curry leaves, freshly grated coconut and add the steamed mixture by crumbling it. With a pinch of sugar, the shredded pathrode curry ready.
Edible shoot
Many people do not realise the shoot is edible too and pairs well with lentils. Removing the outer layer of the stem reveals the inner soft, porous tissue which needs to be finely chopped.
'Well diced shoots of colocasia are cooked with tamarind paste, jaggery and green chillies. Add a bit of rice flour for thickness and top this curry with a tempering of mustard seeds, red chillies and garlic,' says Latha Rao from Kundapur.
The same recipe can be tweaked by adding rasam powder to avoid garlic, giving the dish a more diverse flavour profile. The chopped stems can be cooked with toor dal and prepared like regular sambar.
'You can cook the chopped stems in a ground paste of coconut, roasted urad, dal and red chillies which results in a thick gravy. A raw curd-based gravy is another preparation. Cook the chopped stems till soft and then mix it with a ground paste of coconut, green chillies and a dash of raw mustard. Add curd and pour a tempering of mustard seeds, urad and channa dal, red chillies and curry leaves over the gravy,' says Vijayalaksmi Rao, who hails from the Karavalli region of Karnataka, but now resides in Bengaluru.
Contemporary twist
This monsoon green is quite versatile and chef Shriya Shetty has reimagined colocasia leaf rolls as pathrode lasagna. 'We were doing a Paris X Mangalore inspired pop-up meal in Mumbai during the monsoon season and I wanted to showcase different textures of the colocasia leaves; the way it tastes when made into a curry and when deep fried. Lasagna is a layered dish and pathrode fit the bill as the perfect inspiration,' says Shriya.
Shriya, co-founder of BuCo, an artisanal bakery and café in Mangalore, bakes pathrode in a bechamel sauce of coconut milk, ghee, millets and spices, for the lasagna.