Coorg Food: 10 Kodava Dishes to Try and Where

Coorg food means Kodava cooking, and the dish most visitors come for is pandi curry, dark pork cooked with black pepper and kachampuli, a sour vinegar made from a local fruit. It is eaten with rice dishes found almost nowhere else, such as kadambuttu, steamed rice balls, and akki otti, a thin rice flatbread. Below are ten Kodava dishes to try, what each one is, and where to eat them near Kushalnagar.

Coorg food at a glance

Dish	What it is	Eat it with
Pandi curry	Pork curry with pepper and kachampuli	Kadambuttu, akki otti or rice
Kadambuttu	Steamed rice balls	Pandi curry or koli curry
Akki otti	Thin rice flour flatbread	Any curry
Nool puttu	String hoppers, fine rice noodles	Curry, or coconut milk and sugar
Paputtu	Soft steamed rice cake with coconut	Curry or chutney
Koli curry	Kodava chicken curry	Kadambuttu or rice
Bamboo shoot curry	Tender bamboo shoots in a spiced gravy	Rice
Kumm curry	Wild mushroom curry, a monsoon dish	Rice or otti
Koovaleputtu	Ripe jackfruit or banana with rice, steamed in leaves	Tea or coffee
Kajaya	Fried sweet of rice flour and jaggery	On its own

10 Kodava dishes to try in Coorg

1. Pandi curry

The best-known Coorg dish. Pork is cooked slowly with roasted spices, plenty of black pepper and kachampuli, which gives it its dark colour and sour edge. Read our guide to the best pandi curry in Coorg for where to find it.

2. Kadambuttu

Small balls of rice, steamed until soft. They soak up curry and are the classic partner for pandi curry and koli curry.

3. Akki otti

A thin flatbread made from rice flour and cooked on a griddle. It is eaten with almost every Kodava curry.

4. Nool puttu

String hoppers: fine rice noodles pressed into rounds and steamed. Eat them with curry, or with coconut milk and a little sugar.

5. Paputtu

A soft, steamed rice cake, often with grated coconut, cut into pieces and served with curry or chutney.

6. Koli curry

Kodava chicken curry, spicy and coconut-based, usually served with kadambuttu or rice.

7. Bamboo shoot curry

Tender bamboo shoots cooked in a spiced gravy. You will find it on the menu at our Rainbow Room.

8. Kumm curry

A curry of wild mushrooms that appear in the forests during the monsoon, so look for it from June to September.

9. Koovaleputtu

Ripe jackfruit or banana mixed with rice, wrapped in leaves and steamed. A good snack with a cup of Coorg coffee.

10. Kajaya

A Kodava sweet of rice flour and jaggery, fried into small cakes, sometimes with banana.

Ingredients that make Coorg food different

Kachampuli is the sour, dark vinegar made from a local fruit, and it gives pandi curry its sour taste. Black pepper and cardamom grow in Coorg's coffee estates, and rice from the paddy fields is the base of most meals. Coorg coffee, often brewed as strong filter coffee, ends almost every meal.

Where to eat Coorg food near Kushalnagar

At Amanvana, the Rainbow Room by the river serves Kodava dishes such as pandi curry, bamboo shoot curry and akki rotti, alongside Indian and international food. Lunch is from 12:30 to 3:30 pm and dinner from 7:30 to 10:30 pm, and vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free and Jain food is available on request. You can also book a riverside barbeque. For restaurants in Madikeri, see our pandi curry guide.

Take Coorg home

Buy coffee, honey and spices before you leave. See our guides to places to buy coffee in Coorg and where to buy Coorg honey.

Frequently asked questions

What is the famous food of Coorg?

Pandi curry, a pork curry made with black pepper and kachampuli, eaten with kadambuttu (steamed rice balls) or akki otti (rice flatbread).

Is Coorg food only non-vegetarian?

No. Pork and chicken dishes are the best known, but bamboo shoot curry, mushroom curry, rice dishes like akki otti and nool puttu, and sweets like kajaya are vegetarian.

What is kachampuli?

A dark, sour vinegar made from a local fruit. It gives pandi curry its colour and tang.

Where can I eat Kodava food in Kushalnagar?

At the Rainbow Room at Amanvana, which serves pandi curry, bamboo shoot curry and akki rotti. Madikeri, about 40 minutes away, has more Kodava restaurants.

When is the best time to try Coorg food?

Any time of year. Look for mushroom curry and bamboo shoots in the monsoon, and festival dishes around Kailpodh in September and Puttari, the harvest festival, in November or December.

Plan your stay

Looking for a luxury homestay in Coorg? Amanvana is a small resort with the same home-style Kodava cooking at the Rainbow Room.

Stay in a private bungalow at Amanvana, a short walk from the Kaveri, and plan your days with our 3-day Coorg itinerary. Check dates and rates on our booking page, or call +91 94806 96070.