Otturuli

A wedding with Kheer and making Payasam in an Otturuli

Six years ago, I attended a wedding at Cubbon Park in Bangalore. A few friends of the bride and groom got together under one of the majestic trees in Cubbon with a couple of flower garlands, a candy ring some Kheer my friend had made - which is the protagonist of this post.

She stood over the stove for hours slowly coaxing the milk to condense into the rich creaminess suffused with a hint of saffron. It tasted so divine that I felt she had poured all her love and warmth into this bowl of Kheer as we celebrated a special moment.

And I believe that’s the beauty of Indian Mithai. I feel there’s something intrinsically more ‘warm’ about all the goodies we make with oodles of ghee and jaggery and milk. It’s not that I don’t enjoy cakes and pies and what not - but something feels right when I take a bite of a Gulab Jamun, or Jalebi and Rabdi or Payasam, as we Malayalis call Kheer.

Anyhow, ever since I tasted this delicious kheer, I have tried to replicate it. Whenever I end up with surplus milk at home, we end up having some Payasam. Now I wouldn’t call it the kheer that my friend had made it anymore, but over the years I have reluctantly added bits of my mother’s touch with some crushed Elaichi and a garnish of Cashew nuts and black raisins fried in Ghee. I cannot call it anything but Payasam now. The key though, as I realized six years ago, was in the slow cooking. The richness comes through only with patience. So recently, I had this urge to get an Otturuli - a bronze dish, traditionally used for cooking in Kerala. They come in all varied sizes, the bigger ones called Varpu, big enough to make wedding feasts. I got a mere 10-inch diameter Uruli, and sadly, I had to get a polished one for easier use and maintenance. The unpolished or semi-polished ones get a natural patina in time. And I find them really beautiful then.

Urulis are wide-mouthed bronze vessels with low rims. They are typically hand crafted, but these days, like most other things, machine made too. They are ideal for dishes that require slow cooking since its wide base and shallow depth ensures even distribution of heat while cooking. And hence the Payasam!

Unfortunately, it’s quite heavy and unsuitable for everyday use in a kitchen, in spite of the health benefits of cooking in them. Much as I regret this, they do make elegant of pieces of home decor. They are often given a festive update with some flowers and candles floating on water inside. I, for one, prefer it in its original role.