Kosthu

This is an honest to god original recipe from my kitchen. Well. My grandma’s kitchen to be exact! 

We’ve been making Kosthu in my house for over 80 years and it’s one of my favourite accompaniments to dosas. So imagine my surprise when I searched for a recipe online while researching this post and couldn’t find one! My grandma and I are particularly fond of this curry and when we’re in charge of breakfast at home it’s always our go to item. 

According to legend (a.k.a Grandma’s mostly real but sometimes exaggerated stories), a bus full of tourists once landed up outside my great grandpa’s hotel late one evening. By that time they were running out of most items including sambhar. That’s when they whipped up a quick kosthu in place of sambhar. They also did a whole bunch of other stuff that I’ll leave out so as to not tarnish the good family name, but ‘adjustments’ were made! I for one am grateful to those adjustments! This curry comes together so quickly and is so delicious that you’ll definitely double the recipe next time! 

Equipment
Whether you’re doubling the recipe or not, you’re definitely going to need a great kadhai or wok for this recipe and boy do you have options! There’s the Wonderchef Granite Non Stick Wok  which comes in 3 different sizes and capacities. If you’re cooking for two you can get the compact 20cm Wonderchef Nigella Stainless Steel 3-ply Kadhai. My personal favourite however, is the Wonderchef Royal Velvet Non-Stick Wok with Lid. While quality is a given with all Wonderchef products I’ll admit that it’s the colours that got to me with the Royal Velvet Wok! It comes in Wonderchef’s signature red and a divine purple. No matter which one you choose though, they’re all compatible with all types of cooktops and these multipurpose woks will soon become a staple in your kitchen!

The quickest accompaniment to dosas and idlis is definitely chutney. Provided you have grated coconut. I lived away from my family for 5 years and I never once grated my own coconut so it definitely wasn’t an ‘easy’ option for me. Kosthu requires no grinding and no cleaning of a mixer which is the biggest selling point for me! Enjoy this recipe with any dosa or idli! 

Ingredients 

• 1 Tbsp Vegetable Oil
• 1 tsp Mustard Seeds 
• 1 tsp Split Bengal Gram (Chana Dal) 
• 1 Onion (chopped)
• 1 Tomato (chopped) 
• 1/2 tsp Salt (or to taste) 
• 1-2 Green Chillies 
• 1/2 Tbsp Ginger (finely minced) 
• 1/4 tsp Turmeric 
• 1/4 tsp Asafoetida (Hing) 
• 2 Tbsp Gram Flour/Chickpea Flour (Besan) 
• 4 Tbsp + 1 cup Water

Instructions 

1. Add the oil to your pan and once hot, add the mustard seeds and split bengal gram.
2. Once the mustard seeds pop, add your onions, ginger and green chilli and sauté till the edges of onions start to brown. 
3. Roughly tear up or chop the curry leaves and 
4. add it to the pan. 
5. Add the tomatoes and sauté for 1 minute. 
6. Add salt, turmeric and asafoetida to the tomatoes and sauté for another minute. 
7. Mix the gram flour with 4 Tbsp of water. Ensure the mixture is completely smooth. 
8. Add half a cup of water to the vegetables and bring to a gentle boil. 
9. Strain the gram flour mixture into the pan while stirring constantly. 
10. Add an additional cup of water until it is at your desired consistency. 
11. Allow the mixture to boil for a minute, taste and adjust seasoning. 
12. Enjoy! 

Notes 

• Stirring continuously while adding the gram flour to the vegetables helps to keep your Kosthu smooth and lump free so work fast! 
• The water added at the end can be adjusted according to your preferences but remember the curry will thicken as it cools down so you want to make sure the consistency while it’s hot is a little thinner than desired. 

About the blogger
Sneha Sundar is the creator of You Dim Sum, You Lose Some; a philosophy she adopts both in and out of the kitchen!