Indian seeds - Castor Seeds/Amanakku/Arandi - (Glossary)- What is Castor seed?, Culinary uses, Flavour, How to purchase and store castor seeds?
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Inside The Post -
What is Kottai Muthu?/Amanakku Seed Uses/Arandi Seed/Kottamuthu Seed Uses/Kottamuthu Uses/Castor Seeds Uses
DISCLAIMER
Castor seeds/Kottaimuthu is considered to be extremely toxic. Do not ingest CASTOR SEEDS/KOTTAIMUTHU. Do read about castor bean poisoning 🔗here.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
ABOUT - "CASTOR SEEDS/KOTTAMUTHU"
Ricinus Communis, commonly known as Castor oil plant or Castor bean plant in English, Amanakku or Kottaimuthu or Kottamuthu in Tamil, Arandi in Hindi. The Castor bean plant is grown as a shrub or small tree and it belongs to the family of Euphorbiaceae.
The castor bean plants are commercially grown for their seeds. And these seeds contain an edible oil called CASTOR OIL.
Although they contain edible oil, a major issue with castor seed is it contains the poison RICIN, a water-soluble toxin. However, the extraction and heating process that castor oil undergoes deactivates it, allowing the oil to be used safely.
The whole castor bean plant (leaves, roots and seeds) has been used for thousands of years in Indian Ayurvedic medicine and is also used for various purposes including culinary use.
APPEARANCE OF CASTOR SEEDS/KOTTAMUTHU
There are many varieties of castor seed plants. Each variety produces a different colour of seed pod may be green, red, or pink, but gradually age to brown. Each castor seed pods are brown with a unique design in colours of black, grey, brown, yellowish-brown, black and white.
The castor seeds are thick and long-spherically shaped with a spongy caruncle at one end. Inside each brown seed, it contains one white seed and that’s the edible part of castor seeds.
FEW INDIAN REGIONAL OR VERNACULAR NAMES OF CASTOR SEEDS
Tamil name – Amanakku vidhai/Kottaimuthu/Kottamuthu.
Hindi name – Arandi.
Kannada name – Audala.
Malayalam name – Avanakku/Avanakkenna.
Telugu name – Amudham.
Gujarati name – Divela.
FLAVOUR OF CASTOR SEEDS/KOTTAMUTHU
The whole castor bean plant including castor seeds has a bitter taste and a distinctive aroma.
INDIAN CULINARY USES OF CASTOR SEEDS/KOTTAMUTHU/ARANDI
Castor seeds/Kottamuthu is a popular vegetable oil seed, which has been in use for thousands of years. They are primarily used as a natural medicine to treat various ailments in the form of oil.
The primary use of castor seed is the extrusion of oil from it. And those oils are called CASTOR OIL. Castor oil has a wide range of medicinal and industrial uses.
KOTTAIMUTHU IDLI RECIPE/IDLI RECIPE WITH CASTOR SEEDS
In Southern parts of India, particularly the Kongunadu region (The Western parts of the Tamilnadu state, comprising mainly of Karur, Erode, Tirupur, Salem and Coimbatore districts) use castor seeds while making IDLI recipe.
There are many variations of idli recipes in India. Each idli recipes are unique and tasty like KOTTAIMUTHU IDLI. Kottaimuthu idli is a popular idli variation from the Kongunadu region. The people from the Kongunadu region use a few castor seeds/kottaimuthu while making IDLI BATTER.
Castor seed/Kottaimuthu in an IDLI BATTER acts as a preservative and also produces soft and spongy IDLI.
The direct use of castor seed in Indian cooking is very limited. A very rare recipe like KOTTAIMUTHU IDLI uses castor seeds.
DISCLAIMER
CASTOR SEEDS can be extremely sensitive to some people. Use them with caution.
TIPS TO BUY AND STORE CASTOR SEEDS/KOTTAMUTHU
Castor seed is available in Indian Nattu Marundhu Kadai or Kirana store (country drug store) and also in the online market.
When buying castor seeds, look for freshness, and moisture-free, and always buy whole seeds and the recently dated product.
HOW TO STORE CASTOR SEEDS/KOTTAMUTHU/ARANDI/AMANAKKU?
Being an oilseed, castor seeds can easily go rancid. So, buy them in small quantities and use them immediately.
WARNING
Castor seeds can be extremely toxic. Keep them away from children and animals.
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