The Idli Project
Dudhe Kadamb
Konkani Specialty

Dudhe Kadamb

also called Dudde Kadamb · Pumpkin Idli

A pumpkin-and-coconut steamed cake wrapped in turmeric or banana leaves - the leaf perfume is half the dish.

Coastal Karnataka - Konkani Saraswat households

Image: AI generated · Generated asset · Original image generated for The Idli Project.

A seasonal Konkani steamed cake built on grated red pumpkin and coconut, bound with rice rava and just enough jaggery to round the squash without making it sweet. The cake is wrapped in turmeric leaves (when in season) or banana leaves and steamed in tied packets - the leaf perfume is genuinely half the dish, and stainless-steel idli moulds are a poor substitute.

A savoury cousin replaces the pumpkin with grated cucumber and skips the jaggery - that version, the Tousali / Cucumber Idli, is the more common day-to-day preparation. The pumpkin Dudhe Kadamb tends to come out for naivedyam and small festival meals.

The Recipe

Yield · 3–4 kadambs (each cut into wedges)

Effort profile

Soak4–5 hours
Ferment30-min rest only
Steam10 minutes
Steps4

Each axis is scaled against the longest example in the archive.

Soak4h 30mFerment30mSteam10mSteps4

Ingredients

Batter

  • 1 cup grated red pumpkin
  • ½ cup grated coconut (fresh or frozen)
  • ½ cup rice rava / sooji
  • 1 tbsp jaggery
  • ¼ tsp cardamom powder
  • Salt to taste
  • Banana or turmeric leaves for wrapping

Method

  1. 1.

    Combine all ingredients and rest 30 minutes - the pumpkin will release its own moisture and bind the batter.

  2. 2.

    Lay two leaves flat with the smooth side up; place a generous mound of the mixture in the centre. Fold the bottom leaves over, then the top, into a sealed packet.

  3. 3.

    Arrange the packets in a steamer (without a whistle if using a pressure cooker) and steam ~10 minutes.

  4. 4.

    Discard leaves before serving.

Serve with

a spoon of gheeasafoetida-coconut chutneychutney pudi

Notes

Turmeric leaves are the prized wrapper - the steaming releases a deep, fragrant aroma that no other leaf produces. Banana leaves are the practical substitute. Idli moulds work but lose the leaf perfume entirely.

Adapted from aayisrecipes.com.

Where it's from

Mangalore, Karnataka · 12.91°N, 74.86°E