Mor Kuzhambu and Potato Curry

Buffet on Table: Week 1 -- Combos from Countries

Day 1: Mor Kuzhanbu & Potato Curry

We are starting our Mega marathon today and it's going to be a very very interesting September with lots of delicious International and Indian dishes. Theme for the first week is Combo dishes from different countries.
My first stop is in India, Tamil Nadu in particular. Ever since I saw this combo of mor kuzhambu with aloo/ potato curry in Sandhya's blog, I wanted to try it too. But since the husband is a yogurt-phobic, I was waiting for the right opportunity to make these dishes. Finally I made them while he was travelling and enjoyed all by myself :-)

My mom makes majjiga pulusu too but the method is slightly different from the Tamil Nadu version. Even with my very limited Tamil knowledge, I think even mor kuzhambu literally means majjiga (buttermilk), pulusu (stew). Correct me if I'm wrong my dear Tamil friends :-)

This recipe for Mor Kuzhambu is from Dakshin cookbook by Chandra Padmanabhan. There were 2 versions for this dish in the book and I picked the easier one that didn't involve soaking dals. The soaked dal version sounds like my mom's version, I will try and post my findings some time.
Yogurt is thinned out and simmered with a spice paste. Served with rice and papad this Mor Kuzhambu and Potato curry combo is comforting and delicious.

Ingredients:
Curd - 2cups, whisked
Turmeric - ¼tsp
Salt - to taste
Veggie of choice - ¾cup, chopped (ash gourd, okra, aubergine, green pepper, green peas, skinned and cubed potatoes or arbi)

For Spice Paste:
Chana dal - 1½tbsp
Urad dal - 1¼tbsp
Fenugreek seeds - 1¼tbsp
Coriander seeds - 1tsp
Dry red chilies - 6
Asafoetida powder - ½tsp
Fresh Coconut - 3tbsp, grated
Ginger - ½" piece, grated

For the Tempering:
Mustard seeds - 1tsp
Cumin seeds - 1tsp
Fenugreek seeds - ½tsp
Dry red chili - 1, halved
Curry leaves - 8~10

Method:

• For the Spice paste: Heat 2tsp oil in a pan, fry chana dal, urad dal, fenugreek seeds, coriander seeds, red chilies and asafoetida powder until fragrant and toasted. Cool for a little bit and grind into a smooth paste with coconut and ginger adding little water.
• To the ground paste add the whisked yogurt, turmeric and salt. Beat till mixture is smooth.
• Heat 2tsp oil and add the tempering ingredients. Once the mustard seeds start to splutter, add the veggie of choice and fry for a mixture. Add enough water to cover the vegetable, cover pan and simmer on low heat until tender.
• Add the prepared yogurt mixture to the vegetable and heat it on low heat. Remove from heat when the kuzhambu just begins to boil. Take care not to let it curdle.
• Serve hot with rice, potato curry and papad.

Check out the Blogging Marathon page for the other Blogging Marathoners doing BM# 56

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