Kappa (Kumaoni Buttermilk Curry)

Name: Kappa (Kumaoni Buttermilk Curry)
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 25 min
Yield: 4 servings
Cuisine: Kumaoni
Ingredients: 500 ml buttermilk (chaas); 1 tbsp gram flour (besan); 1 tbsp mustard oil; 0.5 tsp Mustard seeds; 0.5 tsp Cumin seeds; 6 leaves Curry leaves; 1 piece green chilli; 0.25 tsp turmeric powder; 0.75 tsp Salt

A light, thin buttermilk curry from Kumaon, gently spiced and tempered, served as a cooling accompaniment during the summer months.

🇮🇳India· Uttarakhand

Prep: 10 min
Cook: 15 min
Total: 25 min
Servings: 4
Difficulty: Easy
Calories: 80 kcal

Ingredients

0 of 9 gathered

Servings

Equipment

•Heavy pot

Nutrition

Per serving, approximate

Calories: 80 kcal
fat: 5 g
carbs: 6 g
fibre: 0 g
protein: 3 g
calories: 80 kcal

Instructions

1
Whisk the buttermilk with gram flour and turmeric until completely smooth.
2
Heat mustard oil in a heavy pot until it smokes lightly. Turn down the heat.
3
Add mustard seeds and cumin seeds. Let them crackle in the oil.
4
Add curry leaves and green chilli. Fry them briefly.
5
Pour in the whisked buttermilk mixture. Stir continuously as you pour.
6
Bring it to a gentle simmer on low heat. Stir frequently so it does not curdle.
7
Cook for 10–12 minutes. Stop when the raw besan (gram flour) smell disappears and the curry lightly thickens.
8
Season with salt.
9
Simmer for a final 2 minutes.
10
Serve warm with steamed rice.

Chef's tips

Keep the heat low throughout, as buttermilk splits easily if boiled too hard. This is meant to be a thin, light curry rather than a thick kadhi (spiced yoghurt gravy).