Madikeri, Kodagu
Bird-Eye Chilli Powder
ಪರಿಂಗೆ ಮೊಳ್ಳು
Paringe mollu, grown behind Poovamma's house.
Paringe mollu are the bird-eye chillies that grow in Kodagu kitchen gardens and go into pork, fish, eggs, and anything that needs a sharp, short heat. Poovamma picks them full red from the plot behind her Madikeri house, dries them on a courtyard mat, and pounds them on her own stone. The powder is lacquer-red, not brick. A pinch wakes a dal. A teaspoon stands up to fat.
₹280
Garden pick, dried September. Small lot — 42 jars this week.
Maker
Poovamma of Madikeri
Paringe mollu — bird-eye chilli powder
In the tin
- Bird-eye chilli (paringe mollu)
At the table
- Eggs
- Pork
- Fish fry
- Tadka
- Pickles
How we use it
- Start with ¼ teaspoon. This is not Kashmiri colour chilli.
- Bloom in hot oil with curry leaves for a tadka.
- Dust over fried fish or eggs with a squeeze of lime.
- Stir a pinch into kachampuli-finished chicken for a second heat.
From the kitchen notes
Also from the stone
Akkavva of Chettalli
Coorg Chicken Masala
Kartha masala — coriander, pepper and the quiet spices of a Coorg kitchen, roasted dark and ground a little coarse so it clings to chicken.
From ₹320
Subbi of Kutta
Kachampuli
Monsoon fruit, boiled down by Subbi of Kutta until it turns near-black. A teaspoon is a whole dish.
From ₹420
Akkavva of Chettalli
The Coorg Pantry
Akkavva's chicken masala, Subbi's kachampuli, Poovamma's bird-eye chilli — packed together with their names.
From ₹980