Baimbalé Curry
Baimbalé Curry begins with the sort of instruction that makes you wonder whether you are cooking dinner or starting a small fermentation project.
Fresh bamboo shoot is a seasonal ingredient in Kodagu, and getting it curry-ready takes considerably longer than making the curry itself. The tough sheaths are stripped away, the tender core sliced and soaked for roughly two days, allowing it to leach and develop a gentle fermented sourness. Then it gets boiled, drained and finally earns its place in the kadai.
The curry itself is wonderfully straightforward by comparison. The bamboo is cooked with coconut, onions and spices roasted almost alarmingly dark, then balanced with jaggery and a late dash of kachampuli.
I started with 1.5 kg of bamboo shoot, spent two days soaking it, boiled it for half an hour, and ended up with 500 g for dinner.
Nobody gets into seasonal produce because they value efficiency.
Ingredients
For preparing the bamboo shoot
500 g fresh bamboo shoot, cleaned and thinly sliced
½ tsp turmeric powder
Salt
Plenty of water, for soaking
For the roasted spice powder
1 tbsp coriander seeds
½ tbsp cumin seeds
1 tsp mustard seeds
For the curry
2 medium onions, finely sliced
5–6 garlic cloves, lightly crushed
1 small sprig curry leaves
½ tsp mustard seeds
2–3 dried red chillies
½ tsp turmeric powder
½ tsp red chilli powder, or to taste
1½ cups freshly grated coconut, ground to a smooth paste with a little water
1 tsp dark jaggery, or to taste
A dash of kachampuli, or to taste
2–3 tbsp coconut oil
About 2 cups hot water, as required
Salt, to taste
A handful of coriander leaves, chopped
A Note on Yield
Fresh bamboo shoot involves a lot of trimming. For this recipe, I bought approximately 1.5 kg of whole fresh bamboo shoots to get about 500 g of cleaned, tender core after removing the tough outer sheaths and fibrous portions. Treat that as a rough guide rather than a fixed conversion. The usable yield can vary considerably depending on the size, age and tenderness of the shoots, so when buying whole shoots, it is much better to err on the generous side.
Preparation
Clean the Bamboo Shoot
Wear gloves while handling the fresh bamboo shoot, particularly if your skin is sensitive.
Peel away the tough outer sheaths until you reach the pale, tender core. Trim or shave away any remaining coloured, tough or fibrous portions.
Slice the tender core thinly and drop the slices directly into water as you work to prevent them from discolouring.
Wash thoroughly.
Soak the Bamboo Shoot
Cover the sliced bamboo generously with fresh water and leave to soak for 24 hours.
Drain completely, rinse well and cover again with plenty of fresh water. Soak for another 12 hours.
Drain and rinse once more.
At this stage, smell the bamboo. You are looking for signs that a light fermentation has begun, particularly a noticeably sour aroma.
If it is already developing that fermented character, cover with just enough fresh water to submerge it and transfer it to the refrigerator for another 12 hours.
If it hasn't developed much sourness yet, cover with fresh water and leave it at room temperature for the final 12 hours.
This gives the bamboo approximately 48 hours of soaking and light fermentation in total.
Boil the Bamboo
After the final soak, do not discard the sour soaking liquid yet.
Transfer the bamboo and this liquid to a pot. Add a little turmeric and salt.
Bring everything to a full boil, then reduce the heat and simmer uncovered for 30 minutes.
Drain thoroughly and discard all of the cooking liquid.
The bamboo is now ready for the curry.
Roast the Spices
Dry-roast the coriander seeds and cumin seeds separately, taking each to as deep a brown as possible without allowing it to burn.
Separately roast the mustard seeds until they begin to pop.
Allow everything to cool, then grind the roasted coriander, cumin and mustard together into a powder.
The deep roasting is important here. You want a dark, intensely aromatic spice mixture rather than lightly toasted spices.
Start the Curry
Heat 2–3 tbsp coconut oil in a kadai over medium heat.
Add ½ tsp mustard seeds and allow them to splutter.
Add the curry leaves, dried red chillies and lightly crushed garlic. Fry briefly until aromatic.
Add the sliced onions and cook until lightly golden.
Add the Bamboo Shoot
Add the prepared bamboo shoots and gently mix them through the onions.
Add the roasted spice powder, chilli powder and turmeric. Toss carefully so that the bamboo is evenly coated without breaking up the slices.
Pour in approximately 2 cups hot water and bring to a boil.
Reduce the heat, cover and simmer until the bamboo is cooked through but still retains a pleasant firmness rather than becoming completely soft.
Add the Coconut
Season with salt and add 1 tsp dark jaggery.
Stir in the ground coconut paste and mix gently.
Bring the curry back to a gentle simmer and cook for a few more minutes, allowing the coconut to integrate into the gravy.
If it becomes too thick, loosen it with a little hot water.
Finish with Kachampuli
A couple of minutes before removing the curry from the heat, add a small dash of kachampuli.
Mix, simmer briefly and taste. Kachampuli can vary dramatically in strength, particularly homemade versions, so add more only if necessary.
The finished curry should have the earthy, lightly fermented character of the bamboo at its centre, with roasted spices and coconut around it and just enough jaggery and kachampuli to give the gravy a sweet-sour edge.
Remove from the heat and finish with a generous handful of chopped coriander leaves.
Allow the curry to rest for 10–15 minutes before serving with Akki Roti or steamed rice.