Kumbalanga Moru Curry | Kumbalanga Moru Kootan | Kumbalanga Pulissery | Kerala Style Kumbalanga Moru Kachiyathu | Onam Sadhya Recipes

So today's recipe is the quintessential yogurt based gravy that will feature atleast (often more than that) once a week in every Malayali's house :) It is none other than the 'Moru curry' or 'Moru Kachiyathu' or 'Moru Kootan' or 'Pulissery'.. The names are plenty. But the base is pretty much the same. A coconut paste and curd (yogurt) with or without veggies. I have already posted Pulissery and Chembu Kumbalanga Moru Kootan. This one is with only Kumbalanga (or Ash gourd/Elavan) and is more watery compared to the thicker Moru kootan. I make this with less sour curd as that is the way it is preferred here :) So let's see how this is made..

Recipe Source: Ma

I Took: 

Preparation Time: 15 minutes

Cooking Time: 30 minutes

Serves : 3-4 persons

I Used:

Kumbalanga/Ash Gourd/White Gourd/Winter Melon	-	200 gm piece (1 cup after cutting to pieces)
Red Chilly powder	-	1 tbsp
Turmeric powder	-	1 tsp
Salt	-	As Needed
Curd	-	1 cup

To Grind:

Grated Coconut	-	A handful
Green Chilly Ginger	- -	2-3 nos An inch piece
Cumin seeds	-	½ tsp

To Temper:

Coconut Oil	-	2 tbsp
Mustard	-	½ tsp
Fenugreek/Uluva Asafoetida Shallots	- - -	½ tsp ½ tsp 6-8 nos
Turmeric powder	-	½ tsp
Curry leaves Salt	- -	1-2 sprigs As Needed

The Way:

1. Clean the kumbalanga/ash gourd by peeling/cutting off the skin and then discarding the middle portion (with seeds) as well. Then cut them also into bite sized pieces. 

2. Now in a pressure cooker, add the ash gourd (kumbalanga) pieces along with salt, turmeric powder and water (around 1 - 1.5 cups) and cook them for 2-3 whistles in  medium flame or till they are cooked

3. Grind together the items under 'To Grind' by adding a little (about 2 -3 tbsp) water and keep aside.

4. Beat the curd (in a mixie or using a whisk or spoon) so that it is liquidy with no lumps. You may also add water as required depending on the consistency of the curd 

5. Now heat the coconut oil in a kadai. Splutter the mustard seeds and fenugreek

6. Then add asafoetida, shallots, curry leaves, turmeric powder, salt and saute

7. Once the shallots turn slight brown, add the ground coconut paste and saute till the raw smell goes off. This may take around 3-4 minutes

8. Then add the boiled ash gourd pieces (along with the water) and give a stir. Allow it on medium flame for 1-2 minutes

9. Now simmer the flame to low. Add the curd and stir. Do not allow it to boil. Once the curd has mixed well with the coconut paste, remove immediately from flame 

Serve hot with kerala matta rice and a stir fry and a yummy non-veg dry side dish of your choice.

Notes:

• I make this with less sour curd (family preference) and is made a little watery and not thick

• You can add any veggies like colocassia (taro root/chembu) or elephant yam (chena) or raw banana (raw plantain)

Cheers,
Chitz

Kumbalanga Pachadi | Winter Melon Pachadi | Ash Gourd Pachadi | Kerala Onam Sadhya Recipes

How are you beating the heat this year? This year (as I might have kept mentioning in my earlier posts as well ;)) it is slightly overwhelming for me. I am doing all that I can to keep hydrated as much as possible. While summer is fun with all the fruits and popsicles and cold treats and ice creams, it is also very difficult to have as well as cook a full fledged course. All you can think of is to eat watermelons and gulp down glasses of spiced buttermilk. But one has to eat as well right :D So I make many sorts of pachadi as well as it is light and also cold and very easy to make. Doesn't make life difficult in kitchen. You must have understood that by now, coz just last week I posted Vazhaithandu pachadi :D So this pachadi too fits the bill.. It is cold and refreshing with a stir fry and some matta rice :) Isn't it ! So let's see how to make this easy pachadi.

My other pachadi recipes are..

Beetroot Pachadi

Pineapple Pachadi

Mampazha Pachadi | Pazhutha Manga Pachadi

Vazhathandu Pachadi | Banana Stem Raita

Vellarikka Pachadi | Cucumber Pachadi

Preparation Time : 10 minutes

Cooking Time : 30 minutes

Serves : 3-4 persons

I Used:

Kumbalanga/Winter Melon/Ash gourd	-	A heaped ¾ cup
Green Chilly	-	2 nos - slit
Water	-	½ cup
Salt	-	As Needed

To Grind:

Grated Coconut	-	A heaped ¼ cup
Mustard Curd	- -	½ tsp 1 cup

To Temper:

Coconut Oil	-	2 tbsp
Mustard	-	½ tsp
Red Chilly	-	2 nos
Curry leaves	-	2 sprigs

The Way:

1. In a saucepan take the cubed kumbalanga (winter melon/ash gourd), slit green chilly & salt along with ½ cup water & cook them over medium flame

2. Meanwhile grind together grated coconut and mustard. When they are ground well add curd & give another pulse or two so that the curd is mixed well

3. When the kumbalanga is cooked well, check if there is too much water. If then keep only about 1/4 cup and discard the rest. If there is too much water, the pachadi will turn too runny

4. Now add the ground coconut mixture & stir well.  Make sure the flame is very low & it does not boil. This may take about a minute or two. Once mixed well, remove from flame. Do not allow it to boil much, else the curd will curdle

5. Heat oil in another pan. Splutter the mustard seeds. Add red chilly & curry leaves & saute. Take care that they are not burnt. Add this tempering to the pachadi & give a stir & serve

Notes:

• Can add ½ tsp cumin seeds and/or a ½ inch piece ginger also while grinding. Since my family does not prefer them I do not add

Cheers,

Chitz

Olan | Kerala Olan Recipe | Kumbalanga Mathanga Vanpayar Olan with coconut milk | Onam Sadhya Recipes

Ash gourd, Yellow pumpkin and Red Eyed Beans in coconut milk

Olan is one of my favourite Kerala recipes. It's a subtle dish that tastes mild and creamy. It can be made with or without coconut milk. I like both versions but I love the one with coconut milk more ! There can be many combinations of this recipe, with vanpayar (red eyed beans) and without it. You can also add both kumbalanga (ash gourd) and mathanga (yellow pumpkin) or either one.. It is a quintessential dish in an Onam Sadhya. 

When I make it on normal days mostly there will be some spicy side like a fish fry or chicken gravy. Else there will be pickles :) This time I had it with rasam and some tangy mango pickle. Another kinda comfort food for me :) If you use pressure cooker to cook this recipe, then it will be ready in less than 30 minutes. Slow cooking in a pan will time. So while making for an Onam Sadhya go with pressure cooker as it saves time for you. So let's see how to make this yummy and comforting Olan now..

Serves: 4-5 persons

I Took: 

Preparation Time: 15 minutes

Soaking Time: 8 hours

Cooking Time: 20 minutes

I Used:

Ash gourd/Kumbalanga	-	½ cup heaped (after cutting)
Yellow Pumpkin/Mathanga	-	½ cup heaped (after cutting)
Red Eyed Beans/Vanpayar	-	½ cup heaped (after boiling)
Green Chilly	-	2 nos
Coconut Milk	-	½ cup
Salt	-	As needed
Curry leaves	-	A sprig
Coconut Oil	-	1 tbsp

The Way:

1. Rinse and soak the vanpayar (red beans - I used ¼ cup of the beans to soak) overnight for around 8 hours. While making the olan, discard the water. Take the beans in a pressure cooker. Add enough water (around 2 cups) and salt and pressure cook till done. It took me 2 whistles in high and 2 in low. Keep aside

2. While they get cooked, extract the coconut milk and keep ready. I used around ½ cup of grated coconut and ¼ cup of water and ground it in a mixie till the coconut was smoothly ground. Then using a muslin cloth, extracted the milk from the ground coconut

3. Cut and discard the skin of the ash gourd and pumpkin. Discard the seeds along with the soft middle portion as well. Cut them into thin pieces as shown in the picture. The thickness should not be more than ¼ inch along both width and length

4. Now take the cut pieces in a cooker and add required salt and green chilly along with little water (¼ cup) and pressure cook it till done. I kept 1 whistle in high and 2 in low. Alternately you can cook in a pan as well, only difference would be that it would take time

5. Now once the pressure is released from the cooked veggies, open the cooker. Again switch on the flame. If there is excess water after cooking the veggies, I remove them. Else the coconut milk becomes very thin. Add the cooked beans (a heaped ½ cup) without water to the veggies. Give a gentle stir

6. Then add in the coconut milk and curry leaves and again give a gentle stir. Check the salt now. Add if required. Once the coconut milk is added, it should not boil. It should only get warm. And it would take about a minute or so. Switch off the flame. Add coconut oil and just swirl the cooker

Transfer to the serving dish and serve along with rasam and pickle or as a dish in your Onam Sadhya leaf !

Cheers,

Chitz

Chembu Kumbalanga Moru Curry | Kerala Style Chembu Kumbalanga Moru Kootan | Kerala Style Chembu Kumbalanga Pulissery

Taro & Ash Gourd in a coconut based yogurt gravy

In my last post, I talked so much about keeping up on your resolutions and chasing dreams and pursuing passions and what not (Though I didn't talk that much, that was what I had in mind while I was writing that post) And the foremost on them was to be a regular here and I had all things necessary for that too.. Like draft posts, step-by-step pics of recipes, edited photos... But, but, but.. My laptop went into a hibernation mode and would not connect to the internet.. All my other devices would but not my laptop :( Something or the other to deter you, right?? Sigh !! So you are asking me how it is working now? I don't know, seriously I don't :) As I mentioned before, it went on hibernation on it's own and when it felt the time was right, it again was up and running :D Maybe it's way of detox week ;)

And so what am I back with? It is a very regular kootan that is made at Deeps' place. Kootan is nothing but a gravy based dish that is had along with rice. Some call it curry, some gravy, some kuzhambu, some pulusu, some charu and so on. You must have got me now, right? So all gravy based recipes are called as Kootan at Deeps' place. And generally they have a kootan, kuthari choru (rice), upperi (dry sabzi or stirfry), meen varuthathu (fish fry), pappadam and kondattam molagu (deep fried sun-dried green chillies) for lunch. This is mostly a normal everyday menu there :) 

And this yogurt based moru kootan is made mostly twice a week and is a family favorite too.. We usually play with different combo of veggies here. Here today I have made with Chembu (Colocassia) & Kumbalanga (Ash Gourd). You can also use Vellarikka (Cucumber), Kaya (Raw Plantain), Chena (Elephant Yam), Manga (Mango) etc to make this. This can be made with a single veggie alone or a combo of two as well. Usually we do not use chembu alone as it is of sticky nature and can make the gravy very dense or thick. Hence usually when using chembu pair it up with kumbalanga or vellarikka. So do try out this easy recipe (Only the prep part takes lil time, I assure ;)) which will taste awesome with rice and a chicken varatiyathu (or any non veg dry side dish) and let me know how you liked it !

Other Sadhya recipes:

Beans Thoran

Beetroot Thoran
Cabbage Thoran

Mathanga Erissery

Mathan Erissery | Mathan Vanpayar Erissery

Mampazha Pachadi | Pazhutha Manga Pachadi

Mambazha Pulissery | Mambazha Kaalan

Pulissery | Kachiya Moru | Mor Kuzhambu
Sambar | Kerala Style Varutharacha Sambar with no Coconut

Homemade Ada for Adapradhaman

Recipe Source: Amma

I Took: 

Preparation Time: 30 minutes

Cooking Time: 15 minutes

Serves : 3-4 persons

I Used:

Chembu/Taro/Colocassia/Arbi	-	4-5 nos
Kumbalanga/Ash Gourd/White Gourd/Winter Melon	-	200 gm piece (1 cup after cutting to pieces)
Red Chilly powder	-	1 tbsp
Turmeric powder	-	1 tsp
Salt	-	As Needed
Curd	-	1.5 cups

To Grind:

Coconut	-	½ cup
Green Chilly	-	2-3 nos
Cumin seeds	-	½ tsp

To Temper:

Coconut Oil	-	2 tbsp
Mustard	-	½ tsp
Fenugreek/Uluva	-	½ tsp
Red Chilly	-	2 nos
Curry leaves	-	1-2 sprigs

The Way:

1. Soak the chembu/colocassia in water for 10-15 minutes. After that peel the skin off using a scraper/knife. Cut them into small bite sized pieces.

2. Clean the kumbalanga/ash gourd by peeling/cutting off the skin and then discarding the middle portion (with seeds) as well. Then cut them also into bite sized pieces. 

3. Grind together the items under 'To Grind' by adding a little (about 2 -3 tbsp) water and keep aside.

4. Then whisk the curd nicely using a whisk so that it becomes loose and no lumps are present. Alternately, you can take the curd in a mixer and give a quick pulse also.

5. Now in a pressure cooker, add the chembu/colocassia pieces along with salt, turmeric powder, red chilly powder and water (around 1 - 1.5 cups) and cook them for 2 whistles in medium flame or till they are half - cooked.

6. Once they are cooked, add the ash gourd/kumbalanga pieces and cook till done. This may take about another 2-3 whistles in medium flame.

7. Now heat oil in a kadai. Splutter the mustard seeds and fenugreek. Then add red chilly and curry leaves and saute for a minute.

8. Add the ground coconut paste and stir well for about 3-4 minutes till the raw smell goes off and moisture starts leaving the pan.

9. Add the boiled chembu-kumbalanga pieces along with the water and give a nice stir.

10. Now switch off the stove. Immediately add the whisked/beaten curd and give a nice stir. Take care that the curd does not curdle. You may have to remove it from stove after stirring for this. Serve with rice, upperi or a non-veg dry side dish of your choice :)

Cheers,
Chitz