Moru curry ( Buttermilk/curd curry )

Hello fellow bloggers, it has been a couple of months since I posted anything here. I was so occupied elsewhere that I did not have the time or energy or motivation to blog. All my friends have been inspiring and encouraging me all along to blog more and recently one of them has been motivating me so much to start posting again. So here I go!

Moru curry/ Moru kachiyathu is a favorite curry for malayalees to go with rice for lunch. 'Moru' means buttermilk or curd. In Tamilnadu, this dish is called 'moru kulambu', with a variation in ingredients and method of preparation. Even in Kerala, there are different variations of 'moru curry' as well. It can be made with or with out coconut and with or with out ash gourd. Ash gourd is 'Kumbalanga' in malayalam. It is also called white gourd or winter melon. It works well for stimulating easy digestion. I remember my mom saying this and she used to prepare this curry at least once a week. Sometimes I used to have pappadam and pickle along with it..ah! no words to explain how good it feels! I had a habit of giving thumbs up to my mom when I am having her food and she would laugh it off!! I love my mom's preparation and I cherish those beautiful moments in my life. Everyday was a wonderful experience for me with my mom cooking absolutely lip smacking good food that she used to serve with lot of warmth and love. 'Mothers are the most wonderful creation of God in this world'. I am sure everyone has to the say the same about their sweet mom.

 Soon I will be posting a simpler recipe of moru curry without coconut. The recipe given here uses coconut and ash gourd. Do try it out!

Ingredients:

• Ash gourd ...........................................................1/2 pound
• Shallots ............................................................... 4-5 thinly sliced
• Green chilly......................................................... 2 no.s (slit)
• Garlic pods........................................................... 3-4
• Dried red chilly.................................................... 2-3no.s
• Turmeric powder.................................................. 1/2 tsp
• Chilly powder....................................................... 3/4 tsp
• Fenugreek............................................................. 1 tsp
• Asefoetida............................................................. 1/4 tsp
• Curd...................................................................... 1cup
• Coconut( grated/shredded).................................... 1/2 cup 
• Curry leaves........................................................... 2 sprigs
• Oil.......................................................................... 1tbsp
• Water..................................................................... as required
• Salt......................................................................... as required

Method:

• Peel the skin off the ash gourd and cut into small cubes.
• Boil it in a pan along with water, salt and 1/4 tsp of turmeric powder. You can also pressure cook it up to two whistles.
• Grind grated coconut with a little water and turmeric powder till it become a smooth paste.
• Now heat a pan and add oil to it (coconut oil is preferred to retain the traditional taste)
• Once oil is heated, add mustard seeds. Let it splutter and then add fenugreek followed by dried red chillies and curry leaves.
• Add sliced garlic and saute. Add shallots and green chilly.
• Then add the asefoetida powder and salt followed by the cooked ash gourd.
• Let it  cook for a  few minutes.
• Now throw in ground coconut mixture and boil it.
• Reduce the flame and add the curd (Beat the curd in a blender to avoid any lumps, before adding it to the pan). Allow it just to boil. Immedietly remove it from the flame to avoid curdling.
• Serve it with hot rice. Enjoy!

Thanks to all my friends and fellow bloggers who have been so inspiring and encouraging. A special word of thanks to Kalyani for the following awards. It is a wonderful feeling to get appreciation from expert bloggers. 

I am virtually a nobody to be giving awards, still I would like to pass on these awards to the following bloggers who deserve much more!

• Hari Chandana (http://thecuisine.blogspot.com/)
• Sarah Naveen (http://www.vazhayila.com/)
• Deeksha (http://deeskitchen-deeksha.blogspot.com/)
• Aarthi (http://munchmunchcrunchcrunch.blogspot.com/)
• Kurry Leaves (http://kurryleaves.blogspot.com/)
• Aipi (http://usmasala.blogspot.com/)