Sauces, pastes & condiments · Souring agents
Kachampuli (Coorg vinegar)
Dark, intensely sour vinegar made from Garcinia fruit in Coorg; the defining tang of pandi (pork) curry.
Also called: kachampuli vinegar, coorg vinegar, kodava vinegar, garcinia vinegar
Around the world: ಕಾಚಂಪುಳಿ (kn)
A kind of vinegar
What it is
A thick, almost black liquid made by extracting and reducing the juice of ripe Garcinia gummi-gutta fruit, a speciality of the Kodava people of Kodagu (Coorg) in Karnataka. It is much stronger than ordinary vinegar, so a teaspoon or two is enough for a pot of curry.
How it’s used
- Stirred into Coorg pandi curry
- Sour Kodava chicken and mushroom curries
- Pickles
Characteristics
- Taste
- Very sour, slightly smoky and fruity.
- Appearance
- Dark brown to black, syrupy.
- Sold as
- liquid
- Cooking uses
- Commonly cooked, Mainly a seasoning
- Common in
- Indian, South Indian
Storage
Pantry-stable. Keeps for years in a sealed bottle at room temperature.
Diet, allergens and safety
No major allergens in typical versions.
- Vegetarian
- Vegan
- Dairy-free
- Egg-free
- Gluten-free
- Nut-free
- Soy-free
- Caffeine-free
Nutrition per 100 g
- Energy
- 21 kcal
- Protein
- 0 g
- Carbohydrate
- 0.93 g
- Fat
- 0 g
- Fibre
- 0 g
- Sugars
- 0.4 g
USDA FoodData Central: Vinegar, cider (a close stand-in).
Substitutes
Optional — what works if you don’t have it, and how it changes the dish.
- Tamarind paste — About 1 tbsp tamarind plus 1 tbsp cider vinegar for 2 tsp kachampuli.
Related ingredients
Recipes with kachampuli (coorg vinegar)
Coorg pandi curry
South Indian · 1 h 35 min · 567 kcal