The Coorg Food Co. — Restaurant in Bengaluru

A KODAVA Home Kitchen at THE COORG FOOD COMPANY.

And sure enough, like homes, came the first of the Kodava family refreshments before a sit down meal. A steamy deep red rasam and buttermilk in 2 separate glasses. The tomato based rasam, mildy spiced ‘Mallu Kani’ or pepper rasam with pepper held promise of a good lunch to follow as it was an appetizer while the buttermilk (from an old family recipe) turned refresher and balancer. As Pavith held court, he explained to me that the pepper in the rasam as well as in most Kodava dishes came from the vines grown in the home estates and sharing space in between them was where the Bird’s eye chillies grew in total symbiosis. One of the signature ingredients of Kodava cuisine was the Bird’s eye chilli. While the rest of the South of India cooks fell back on dry red chillies for heaty spice, the Kodavas went green. Next came a Platter of Pork on a wooden platter with a handle much like a meat sizzler dish. 4 kinds of Pork on the platter. Pavith’s take on the platter was ‘ Since we offer 4 varieties of pork here, we thought a platter would be the best showcase to flavor all and then go for the main pork dishes of what you liked.’ Like a showcase of what the Kitchen could toss up with Pork. Back in the days, pigs were culled in the plantations with licensed guns that ensured the blood of the animal was in free circulation. At first glance, it was the ‘Fire Pork’ that got my attention. Crisply fried to perfection with Bird’s Eye Chilli. And the name fitted well; it was spicy and sautéed to the right crispiness. The next mound on the platter I got to flavor was the drier version of Kodava cuisine’s signature Pandi Curry. It was drier as it doubled as a starter dish. Next was a juicy, well spiced pork chop and a fried large strip of Pork Fat glistening as if to remind the eater that ‘Fat is Fun’. The starter dish that blew me away was the ‘Chekke Cutlet’ or a cutlet made out of raw jackfruit. It sure looked and felt like a regular meat cutlet, complete with a light coating of breadcrumbs. But when you sink deeper in you get the feel of the ‘Super Fruit’ boiled and then sautéed with home roasted masalas and then fried in oil. It is no wonder then that Kerala made the humble Jackfruit the title of ‘State Fruit’. Strange, but true. The ingredients mainly the Kachampuli, that gives Kodava cuisine its unique sourness grows in Mangalore, Kerala and Coorg. Call them Panpuli, Kodampuli or Kachampuli. Same family but different cousins. Garcinia Cambogia and Garcinia Indica, dependent so much on the soil and climate characteristics.

Then we were served the Pandi Curry along with the Puttu Platter. Nool Puttu (steamed circular string hoppers), Kadambuttu (steamed rice dumplings balls) and Paalputtu (steamed rice triangles made of broken rice and garnished with grated coconut). It was by far the best Pandi curry I have ever had. Pavith attributes the uniqueness to the meat of pork with bones and the classic spice mix insynchonicity with the subltle flavor Kachampuli. The Koli Curry came next. Chicken curry with a coriander feel and grated coconut in a thick stew like gravy. Pavith suggested hot Akki Rotis or the brilliant Ney Kulu or Ghee Rice. The surprise elements were the Kodava Pilav with mutton and the Mutton Pepper Fry. The Coorg Food Company had developed their own signature dishes after 5 years of cooking and experimenting with Kodava cuisine and these dishes had their distinct seal on them. All the rest of the Kodava food we tasted had the same distinctiveness. With all original ingredients coming to the restaurant from Coorg. And of course the magic of Kodava home cooking with Pavitha’s eyes on all the dishes being tossed up.

The Tender Coconut Pudding with thick cream and the flavor of tender coconut flesh felt so soft with just the right sweetness. And the Lazy Daisy Cake; another original that dates back to the British influence in baking a basic cake topped with caramelized coconut flakes and drizzled with caramel. Bravo The Coorg...

Authentic Kodava cuisine is rare to come across, The Coorg Food Co located at Kamnahalli is offering home spun heirloom dishes on their menu. I got to taste few regular and seasonal dishes, distinctive flavors from herbs foraged from their family owned estate to home made vinegar sets the cuisine apart.

Kodava community are known for their seasonal cuisine, they prepare many dishes with cured salted pork, game meats, spices, preserved chilies and locally grown vegetables. They prefer spicy food but we can request for the spice levels in the food as per choice. Many dishes are packed with flavors from wild coriander, pepper and parangi malu (a variety of birdseye chilly) which is grown in the foothills of their coffee and tea estates.

Food was delivered to my house from koramangala, we can opt for contactless delivery option. I received my lunch in time, the packaging was excellent no drips or spills. We will had to reheat few dishes due to the distance and time the food reached. Portion size was excellent , choosing the platter options was a clever move I got to taste many dishes at once.

We are right in the middle of summer, the team has prepared various dishes using summer veggies and cured pork, which is hung and cured in a smoke room that will be used during monsoon season. Beautiful spread on my table contained jackfruit cutlets, bitter gourd with onion, chilli and lime, puttu platter, pork platter, koli curry, pandhi curry and nei kulu (ghee rice).

Vegetarian Starter Raw Jackfruit Cutlet with Mint Chutney Seasonal delicacy, fruit which is sourced from family owned coorg estate cooked with secret blend of mellow spices from coorg and natural flavors from jackfruit has a distinct flavor and richness...These cutlets can be served as a starter or as a side dish.

Vegan / Vegetarian Starter Kaipakka Fry Family's heirloom recipe and favorite among guests. Crispy bitter gourd fry tossed with fresh onions, chillies, coriander and lemon juice. The bitter gourd was fried to perfection crunchy and spicy if onion is tossed can be paired with any drink conversation starter.

Pork Platter Nonveg Starter Pandhi Chops juicy pork chop with grilled piece of fat...Oneke Erachi...Smoked Pork, Pandhi Barthad...Pork in traditional black masala, Tith Pandhi...Signature Dish of The Coorg Company. Every pork lover's dream come true...

Puttu Platter Steamed Rice Cakes prepared with cream of rice and grated coconut. 1. Kadam buttu steam cooked rice dumpling, 2. Nool Puttu / string hoppers 3. Paputtu.

Ottis Rice rotis made with only rice this is a gluten free dish can be served with their traditional curries

Koli Curry Tender pieces of chicken cooked with green masala and coconut based gravy. Koli Curry is paired and enjoyed with noolputtu, paputtu and ghee rice...

Pandhi Curry Traditional Kodava family recipe prepared with deeproasted masala or karatha masala and cooked with special blend of spices and kachumpuli. This pork curry pairs well with rice rotis, ghee rice and Kadam buttu.

Ney Kulu Traditional ghee rice normally served when guests visit. Rice cooked in ghee and garnished with caramelized onions, cashews and raisins.

Tender Coconut Pudding Cream and tender coconut water blended well and baked. This dessert...

The best place to have some authentic and scrumptious Coorgi food in Bangalore. A paradise for Pork lovers located right in the heart of Kalyan Nagar.

Small space yet very well thought decor with quite a lot of woodwork which gives a very warm and homely feel and takes you right to hill of Coorg.

The menu has mostly traditional Coorgi dishes which are not easily found anywhere else in Bangalore.

Visited this place recently with a group of friends for dinner and the food was outstanding.

What we had:

Soups-

Pork leg soup- Extremely flavoursome and comforting. Tender pieces of pork cooked in a hot spicy broth which is sure to amaze you. Try adding a few drops of lemon juice to enhance the flavour. A must try!

Mutton Paya soup- Plain and simple with mild spices. Average tasting and needed some seasoning.

Appetizer-

Kaima Unde Bharthad- mutton meat balls served on skewers cooked along with fried curry leaves. Succulent meat with balanced heat and spices.

Pork Wraps- Beautiful presentation of bite size wraps in chai glasses. Tender fried pork with bunch of spices wrapped in Akki Otti garnished with coriander leaf. Simply delicious. The meat to fat ratio was pefect making the meat glistening and inviting.

Pork Platter- A pure pork bliss! The platter consisted of Onake Erachi(Spicy Smoked Pork), Thith Pandi (Chilli Pork Fry, with the extra hotness coming from the fiery Bird's Eye Chilli), Pandi Barthad (Slow cooked pork in black masala) and Pandi Chops (Pork Chops with subtly spiced pork chops).

Each dish in the platter was cooked to perfection and quality of ingredients used were top notch.

The Onake Erachi(Spicy Smoked Pork) was best of the lot and was something I never had before. The Chef explained the long and painstaking cooking process of this dish where the meat is smoked in-house. One simply cannot have enough of this as the flavours are lip-smacking.

The Chilli pork was unlike any other I've had so far, made with Bird's eye chilli brought right from Coorg which imparted a sharp heat and pungent aroma.

Main Course-

Pandhi Curry

Koli Curry

Ney Kulu

Puttu Platter

The Pandhi curry (slow cooked pork in traditional black masala) was rich and spicy and not overwhelming amount of fat which was good.

Koli Curry (Coconut based chicken curry) along with Ney Kulu (aromatic Ghee rice) proved an awesome combination with a deliciously soothing flavour.

Puttu platter had three kinds of rice cakes and dumplings which went very well with that spicy rich Pork curry.

Desserts-

Tender Coconut Pudding

Jaggery Coffee

Coconut pudding was light and not too sweet with right texture and tasted amazing.

Jaggery coffee, again something not very easily found here had a unique blend of amazing coffee with jaggery.

A very memorable and probably the best dining experience of Coorgi cuisine I have encountered. A highly recommended place, especially for pork lovers. The prices on the menu is very reasonable and...