Mor kulambu (Yoghurt curry) with cucumber

Mor Kulambu or mor kutaan is a savoury yoghurt dish from the south of India and similar to khadi from the north. It goes really well with khichdi

'Mor' is actually buttermilk and there are recipes that use buttermilk instead of yoghurt. However, in our family, it has always been made with yoghurt.

Ingredients

• • 2 cups natural yoghurt

  • 1 small cucumber, about 1 cup

  • 1/3 cup grated coconut

  • 15g fresh ginger

  • 1 tbsp channa dhal

  • 1 tsp raw rice

  • 1 tsp cumin seeds

  • 1/4 tsp fenugreek seeds

  • 2 dried red chillies

  • 1 - 1 1/12 tsp salt

  • 1 tsp turmeric

  • 1 stalk curry leaves, leaves picked

  • 1 small onion, sliced

  • 1or 2 green chillies (optional)

  • 1 medium tomato, cut into thin wedges or 1/2 cup cherry tomatoes

  • 1 tsp mustard seeds

  • 1 tbsp oil

Method

• 1. Soak the channa dhal, rice, dried chillies, cumin and fenugreek seeds in a little water for about half an hour. Drain and grind to a fine paste with the coconut and ginger.

  2. Slice the cucumber in half lengthwise and then cur into one in pieces.

  3. Whisk together the yoghurt, coconut paste, salt and half the turmeric.

  4. Heat oil in a saucepan over moderate heat. Add mustard seeds. Once the seeds pop, add the curry leaves, onions, chillies if using, and the rest of the turmeric.

  5. Stir for a minute and then add the cucumber and a splas of water. Cover and cook for a couple of minutes until the cucumber just starts to become translucent, but is still firm.

  6. Add the tomatoes and stir gently for a minute to heat.

  7. Add the yoghurt mixture. Bring to a gentle simmer, stirring occasionally. As soon as it comes to a simmer, remove from heat.

Notes

• 1. The chana dhal and rice are added to stabilise the yoghurt so it doesn't split or curdle when heated and they also act as a thickening agent. A shortcut vesion is to substitute the rice and dhal with about a tablespoon of besan (chickpea flour), use grated ginger and cumin powder, and replace the grated coconut with about 1/2 cup of coconut milk. No soaking and grinding required. Add the coconut milk towards the end, just before removing from heat.

  2. Use coconut oil instead of normal cooking oil to enhance the coconut flavour.

  3. Substitute the cucumber with one of the following:

     • 1 cup of diced taro - add about 1/4 to 1/2?cup of water and cook till done before adding the yoghurt mixture

     • 1 cup diced gourd

     • 1 cup pakoras (recipe coming soon) - skip step 5 and add to the yoghurt mixture just before removing from heat.