Pothichoru

 

Pothichoru is a traditional Kerala lunch packed in a wilted banana leaf, literally translating to "packed rice". While in school, many of my classmates used to bring pothichoru daily , which consisted of boiled rice, chammanthi, and pickle. In our many years of train journeys, we used to pack pothichoru to eat while in the train, and children carry fond memories of this ritual. The items packed used to be boiled rice, pulissery (packing this liquid in a pouch made from banana leaf and banana tree thread is an art in itself, which I have mastered), green gram thoran, chammanthi, and omelette.

Recently, on our trip to Bangalore I packed pothichoru for our lunch. Since we were starting at 6 am, I kept the items simple – vegetable pulao and curd that was set in a container the previous evening.

The banana leaves were washed thoroughly, then wilted by carefully passing all parts of the leaf over a low flame, moving continuously. Then the midriff of the leaf at the back was carefully thinned out, so that the leaf could be folded.

The pulao was kept in the centre of the leaf.  

The leaf is first folded around the pulao from both sides longitudinally, then horizontally. 

Then it is packed in a news paper. 

The heat of the cooked food interacts with the leaf, which enhances the taste of the dishes, particularly over several hours.