How to unlock the complex flavour of black pepper
Back pepper’s real place is not in a shaker but in the kitchen, where it adds heat to dishes such as the Tamil ‘kuzhambu’, or the ‘morich jhol’ from the Tagore family
What does one write about a spice that sits quietly beside salt on every dining table? The salt and pepper shakers are such fixtures of the colonial dining setup that hardly any of us stop to ask why they belong on Indian tables today. The only time I find myself using the pepper shaker at the table is to sprinkle it over boiled eggs. In truth, we rarely add salt to Indian food at the table, and black pepper’s real place is not in a shaker but in the kitchen, where it adds a complex heat to dishes.
Every time I rediscover a traditional dish from my Tamil heritage, I’m struck by its restraint. The economy of ingredients and process, and the surprising fullness of flavour in the end. One such dish is milagu kuzhambu, a pepper-based tamarind gravy I last tasted at a relative’s home a few years ago. When your taste buds crave a reset, nothing works better than a bowl of steaming rice with milagu kuzhambu, topped with ghee or gingelly oil.
I often turn to my mother’s recipe when I’m craving it after an indulgent weekend. I make a generous batch in my grandmother’s kalchatti (soapstone pot). The flavours deepen and mellow over a few days. A spoon of chilled curd rice with a dab of that hot kuzhambu makes the perfect mouthful.
Another unforgettable pepper-based dish comes from the kitchens of Rabindranath Tagore. I don’t of course, have any connection with the Nobel Laureate or his family recipes but my friend Maumita Paul is my introduction to the fascinating world of Thakurbarir ranna (food from the Tagore household). Eating at her table has always been an exquisite experience, and one dish that stayed with me is morich jhol, a vegetable stew delicately laced with black pepper. If your idea of gravy begins and ends with onion, tomato, ginger and garlic, this one will be a revelation. (For those curious, you can find some of Maumita’s work on her blog, Experiences of a Gastronomad.)
If there’s one thing I urge you to do after reading this, it’s to ditch the bottle of pre-ground pepper. Buy whole peppercorns, lightly toast or sun-dry them, and grind a small batch to last a week or two. It is the only way to pay your respect to this spice that rewrote world history.
MILAGU KUZHAMBU
Serves 4
Ingredients
1 lemon-sized ball of tamarind
Half tsp ghee
3-4 dried red chillies
1 tbsp urad dal
1 tsp chana dal
1 tsp whole black pepper corns
3 sprigs curry leaves
1-2 tbsp gingelly oil
Half tsp black mustard seeds
Few curry leaves
1 tsp salt
Quarter tsp turmeric powder
Pinch of asafoetida
1 tsp jaggery powder
Method
Soak the tamarind in one cup of hot water for 15 minutes. Extract the puree by squeezing the pods well. Remove the pods and keep the tamarind extract aside.
In a pan, heat ghee and roast red chillies until they crisp up. Remove and keep aside. Next, roast the urad dal, chana dal and peppercorns, until the dals turn lightly golden brown. Add the curry leaves at this stage and toast until they turn crisp. Combine all the toasted ingredients in a small mixer jar and grind to a fine powder.
Remove this kuzhambu powder to a small bowl. Add around half cup of water and whisk well to combine, removing any lumps.
In a heavy bottomed pan, heat the gingelly oil. Add mustard seeds, curry leaves and asafoetida. Once the mustard seeds splutter, add the tamarind extract, salt and turmeric powder. Bring this to a boil. Reduce the flame and simmer for 5 minutes.
To this, add the prepared spice slurry and jaggery. Simmer on a low flame for around 7-8 minutes until the mixture thickens. Check for salt and adjust as required.
The consistency is that of a thick sauce and the flavours are concentrated. All you need is 3-4 spoons per person to mix with rice.
It can be stored in an airtight glass jar for around 2 weeks in the fridge. Reheat to a boil before using.
MORICH JHOL
Serves 4
Ingredients
2-3 tbsp mustard oil
Half tsp kalonji (nigella seeds)
1 medium potato, peeled and quartered
6 cubes of yellow pumpkin (2 inch pieces)
3-4 pointed gourd (parval)
Half cup thick slices of ridge gourd (peeled)
2 small brinjals, quartered
1 tsp ginger paste
1 tsp salt
2 tsp sugar
Half cup milk
1 tsp ghee
For the paste:
12 black peppercorns
Half tsp kalonji
Method
Soak the black pepper and kalonji in a few spoons of hot water for 30 minutes. Grind to a fine paste and keep aside.
Heat the oil to smoking point in a pan. Stir in kalonji seeds. Add the cubed potato and stir-fry until golden spots appear. Remove with a slotted spoon draining all the oil and keep aside. Similarly fry each of the veggies in the oil for 30-40 seconds each and keep aside.
Stir in the ginger paste into the leftover oil in the pan. Add the pepper-kalonji paste and fry on low flame for 30 seconds. Return the stir-fried veggies to the pan. Season with salt and sugar. Add 1.5 cups boiling hot water. Simmer and cook until the potatoes are tender.
Stir in the milk and bring it to a simmer.
Remove the jhol to a bowl and garnish with a tsp of ghee. Serve with rice.
Double Tested is a fortnightly column on vegetarian cooking, highlighting a single ingredient prepared two ways. Nandita Iyer’s latest book is The Great Indian Thali. She posts @saffrontrail on Instagram and X.
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