Wild edibles are praised as the best option during a food shortage. Generally, people in the rural areas depend on wild foods due to the accessibility and affordability of such foods which are grown with no human intervention and expensive resources. Wild foods contain no toxins but essential nutrients. Hence, those who consume them are food and nutrient secure.
Kahata Gedi or wild guava, as the name suggests, is one such wild food that people in remote areas in Sri Lanka eat in the form of a curry. Scientifically known as Careyaarborea, the leaves, bark, and fruits of wild guava are used for preparing medicines. This is also known as Kumbhi in the Sanskrit language due to the shape of the fruit. A well-grown fruit resembles a water pot (Kumbha). Hence, the name is coined as Kumbhi.
Wild guava is deciduous and a medium-sized tree that grows up to 15 to 20 metres. It has a thick bark. Wild guava trees can be found in Sri Lanka, India and the Andaman Islands.
Kahata Gedi Curry
Although the leaves and the tender fruits are edible and used in the Ayurvedic stream of medicine, people generally do not incorporate them into their meals. The curried wild guava is indigenous to Sri Lanka. However, the practice of currying this wild fruit is found only in some regions of the country. Hence, the curried wild guava is not popular. Most Sri Lankans are neither aware that wild guava can be eaten in the form of a curry nor have ever tasted it. This curry is commonly prepared by people in some areas of the Sabaragamuwa Province.
Ethnomedical practitioners recommend Kahata Gedi curry for those with diabetes due to its ability to control sugar levels in the blood.
Seventy-one-year-old M.K. Leelawathie who is a resident of Mahawalatenna of Balangoda shared her experience in making this special curry. As per Leelawathie, it was her grandmother who had taught her the method of preparing Kahata Gedi curry. “We were not affluent people. During my childhood and youth, we consumed a lot of wild foods. We also depended on the vegetables and herbs found in our surroundings because we could not afford to purchase vegetables sold in the market. During the fruit-bearing season, Kahata Gedi curry and Melluma become regular food at home,” she said.
She takes pride in claiming that she is among the few women who are knowledgeable in preparing Kahata Gedi Maluwa which requires a bit of skill in culinary art. As per Leelawathie, making Kahata Gedi curry is not as easy as making other vegetable curries. “Not everyone is skilled in preparing Kahata Gedi curry in a scrumptious manner. You should learn to make it” she said.
Pungent taste
Kahata Gedi are a bit astringent in taste. The cook should be skilled in eliminating the pungent taste. If properly prepared, the curried Kahata Gedi is sure to hold the eater in its thrall. Those who have tasted Kahata Gedi curry comments that the curry is addictive. Most of them are of the view that ‘once you eat Kahata Gedi curry, you are sure to want to taste it again’. Although those who taste the curry would fall in love with it, the consumption of wild guava is restricted to the season that would not last longer than two months.
Plucking tender fruits is necessary for preparing curry. The entire fruit is not used in cooking and the two ends of the fruit should be removed as they may add more pungency to the curry. “If you take 1 kilogram of Kahata Gedi, you can cook only 500g of it. The rest has to be discarded” said Leelawathie. Since the wild guava fruits are harder, cooking takes a little longer time. Hence, prior to preparing curry, some cooks boil the fruits with garcinia until the fruits are tender.
“I don’t like boiling Kahata Gedi prior to cooking. Then the flavour, nutrition, aroma, and all the goodness of Kahata Gedi will be gone. Let the fruits be boiled in the curry with other ingredients. Then the fruits will absorb the flavours and would not give a pungent taste,” she said.
Below is the recipe for curried wild guava.
Ingredients
Kahate Gedi- 250g
Spring onions- 5
Green chili/ scotch bonnets- 2
Curry leaves
Pandan leaf
A small piece of cinnamon
Ginger - garlic paste 1 tablespoon
Garcinia pieces 4 or 5
Cardamom 3
Clove- 1
Roasted curry powder - 2 tablespoons
Chilli powder- 2 teaspoons
Coconut oil- 3 tablespoons
Mustard seeds- 1 teaspoon
First extract coconut milk
Second extract coconut milk
Salt to taste
Method
Remove the cap of the fruit. This can easily be removed when pulled. Then the fruit will appear with petals and a thread similar to a flower. Cut that part off. Remove the other end too. Cut the fruit in half. Fill a container with water and add some lime juice. Put the chopped wild guava into this container. Adding lime juice helps prevent the discolouring of fruits. It will also prevent the fruits from becoming more astringent. Wash the chopped fruits with water mixed with lime juice. Let the water drain from fruits.
Heat an earthenware pot. Add coconut oil. When the oil is heated, add mustard seeds. As mustard seeds splutter, add cinnamon, curry leaves, and pandan leaf and sauté. Then add ginger-garlic paste and mix well. Add chopped onions and sauté for a minute under medium heat. Then add chopped scotch bonnets. Sauté until a fine aroma emanates from the tempered ingredients. Then add crushed cardamom. Then chilli powder and roasted curry powder. Sauté for a minute and add second extract of coconut milk along with garcinia and salt. Give it a good stir and close the lid. Cook for about 40 minutes while stirring occasionally.
Once the curry is reduced and fruits are cooked, add first extracted coconut milk and cook for another 10 minutes. Press a piece of cooked wild guava fruit with the ladle and see if it gets well mashed. If so, it is time to remove the curry from the heat.
Serve the curry with brown or white rice. The Kahata Gedi curry is delicious with bread or roti too.