Kutta, South Kodagu
Kachampuli
ಕಾಚಂಪುಳಿ
The sour, black heart of a Coorg kitchen.
Kachampuli is Coorg's vinegar — a thick, dark concentrate simmered from the wild fruit of Garcinia gummi-gutta. It is the souring soul of pandi curry, Koli Barthad, and almost every slow meat of the district. Subbi gathers fallen panapuli after the first rains and reduces the juice in a clay pot. No sugar, colour or preservative. Young bottles pour. This year's bottles still move; last year's cling.
₹420
Monsoon 2026 reduction. Bottled in Kutta, August.
Maker
Subbi of Kutta
Kachampuli — Coorg vinegar
In the tin
- Garcinia gummi-gutta (panapuli) fruit
- Time
At the table
- Pork
- Chicken
- Fish
- Mushrooms
- Cocktails
How we use it
- Add at the end of cooking, never at the start — heat will dull it.
- ½ to 1 teaspoon for 500g meat. Taste. Add another drop if the pot needs lifting.
- A few drops in warm water make a sour, almost medicinal morning drink.
- Bartenders use it where they would use aged balsamic, with more bite and no sugar.
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
Poovamma of Madikeri
Bird-Eye Chilli Powder
Tiny Kodagu chillies, dried and pounded bright. High, clean heat — the jar by the stove.
From ₹280
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