Udupi’s Samaradhane Saaru (Togaribele Saaru)

No visit to my homestead at Udupi is complete without visiting the Krishna Temple. This temple being one of its kinds, I feel the positive semblance when I just step into the premises and walk through the temple square. This place has the aura to reenergize my senses and calm the mind in the midst of all anxieties. The Vedic chants that could be heard inside the temple will make you feel rejuvenated and fresh. The smell of dung takes me back to the good old days. To make it short, I will fail if I try to project the magic of this place in words.

Udupi is a place, cherished by me all the time. May be because my wedding took place here, my parents and sister were born here, or it could be because I can feel my late mother’s presence here, I’m not quite absolutely sure. But a visit to this place stirs a lot of emotions and memories for me.

Down the memory lane, I hardly remember myself delighting in food that was cooked at home. Just like any other kid, it was a tough task for me to feed on those vegetables! I used to run away from radishes, leafy veggies, eggplants or the cucumbers. I wasn’t a fan of the rasam / saaru either. Milk was my foe! On the contrary, sweets were on top of the list during those days. I would gorge on anything that would taste sweet. Payasams given to me were finished in no time. As a young girl, my capacity for eating sweets was profoundly enormous.

Fast forwarding to the present, I see myself feeding on every vegetable I used to run away from. I even enjoy the raw raddish slices that come in salads. ☺ The one I really enjoy is the Rasam accompanied with a Palya (Stir-fried vegetable) rounded up with curd rice. This change however came, when I started appreciating food and cooking. Till then, I was blind to what went into my platter.

Speaking of Udupi and the temple, I will have to add about the food served in the temple. From ages people here have been feeding on rice – rasam / saaru with a vegetable called palya and then the rice – sambhar / koddel followed by curd – rice. This meal is generally accompanied with a sweet. On occasions, the meal starts with rice served with tovve (dal) followed by thambulis, rasam, two or three variatons of sambhar (curry), which would be accompanied with types of kosambris and palyas, then again followed by menaskayi and a medley of sweets and savouries that includes payasams, holiges and deep fried stuff! The meals are finally rounded off with curd-rice and buttermilk.

The secret behind any kind of food cooked in this coastal city is the addition Jaggery / Molasses. Most cooks refrain from using Jaggery in food, but fail to realize that a small addition of this sweetener can enhance and balance all the major flavors emerging from the dish.

Jaggery is used extensively in coastal food. The quantity of usage is of-course a choice. Too much of it will spoil your food. Too less of it might not give the dish the required balance of flavors. According to our elders, the climate of the Udupi – Mangalore region makes one perspire profusely making it tiresome for a working life. Jaggery replenishes the lost energy and contributes towards the iron supply for the human constitution. It is a simple phenomenon that has been adopted since ages. My reads also mention, during the olden days, guests who would arrive home from different places were welcomed with a nugget of Jaggery and water just to help them get back their original state.

I’ve had many recipe requests for the Udupi Saaru coming from readers since two years. I’ve come to realize that I’ve been unnecessarily postponing this particular write – up on the blog. Though my husband hails from the Mandya / Mysore region, he has enormous love towards this tangy rasam. He has expressed his displeasure several times that I haven’t cooked or written about many of the traditional recipes viz. Menaskayi, Pathrode, Variety of Thambulis or Pelakai Gatti.

This recipe is a standard one. Traditionally made by sun drying all the ingredients first and then we roast them on fire. In the olden days, the spice powders were hand pounded and so was the taste very divine! Today, every task is all in just a click of a button with a lot of time saved. :)