Khotta - Traditional GSB delicacy

Khotta (also called Khotto)

I definitely do not know the history behind this particular common-man's-delicacy but I can comfortably say it is one of the most interesting dishes in a GSB house. Can’t say how many people still make it, as it requires a decent bit of effort and a whole lot of love to make.

But, my mom (Vinoda Kamath, in picture below) still makes it, to this day, and with a lot of love, hoping we do not forget such dishes in pursuit of easy-way-out cooking.

What you need

• Fresh jackfruit leaves. (You will need four leaves to make one khotta container, so take accordingly.)

• A few sticks of new, unused broom to tie the leaves together

• Idly batter

• Steamer or even cooker

Method

• Make containers as shown in the pictures below that can hold the idly batter. (We are just replacing the regular idly mould with these homemade, eco-friendly, flavour inducing containers.)

• After you have made the containers, pour the idly batter into it to fill about three fourths of the container. (The containers should be woven in such a way that there are no gaps, or the batter will just ooze out)

•  Immediately place the containers in the steamer/cooker and cook just like you would idlys

• After the khottas are ready (takes exactly the same time to cook as idlys), remove them from the steamer/cooker and tear off the leaves and take out the fluffy khottas.  

• Serve hot with coconut chutney and sambar.

Following is a step-by-step process of weaving the Khotta container

The chef, my mom, patiently posed and showed how to weave the container using jackfruit leaves

Start with two leaves and gently pierce with the sticks at the places shown in the pic.

Now, add a third leaf and weave as shown. The stick pieces will just be over an inch in length

After you have joined the fourth leaf, the shape of your efforts will look like this. Pretty neat, I say.

Now, lift two adjacent leaves and again get weaving

Then, join the next. The shape now will be as shown above

Now weave the last leaf in with the stick

Your ready container will look like this. You have now successfully created your own idly mould! After this, just pour the idly batter into it and steam in a steamer or cooker.

This is how the Khotta will turn out. (I have ripped the leaves open to show the Khotta within. When you lift it out of the steamer, it will come out as a nice clean closed unit)