Mor Kuzhambu (Buttermilk gravy)

Any Tamil movie fans out there? Do any of you remember that song, "Ada yennatha solvenungo? Vadu maanga oorudhungo... Thayir sadham ready pannungo!" from the movie Sivakasi? Well, anything to do with curd (curd rice, mor kuzhambu, etc) reminds me of this song and makes me laugh.Yeah, yeah, yeah. Major digression, I know. :)

Ok, ok. I'll get to the point now. This is another simple dish that you can make with water based vegetables (white pumpkin, chayote, bottlegourd, even zucchini!) or okra (fried in oil first) and makes for a light meal. Warm, tangy, and a little creamy, it's a great one especially in this cold weather. I used chow chow (chayote) here, but you can use the same method with any of the other veggies I mentioned!

Ingredients:

Chayote (chow chow) - 1 medium, chopped into bite size pieces
Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp
Buttermilk or beaten curd - 1/2 cup
Salt to taste

Grind to smooth paste:

Cumin seeds - 1 tsp
Green chillies - 8, or to taste
Coconut - 2 tbsp
Fried gram dal (dalia, pottu kadalai) - 2 tsp

For seasoning:

Oil
Whole red chillies - 2
Mustard seeds - 1 tsp
Curry leaves - 1 sprig

Method:

1. Place cut chayote in a pan with very little water, turmeric powder, and a pinch of salt. *Be sure not to add too much water, as the vegetables will let out water as they cook.*

2. Take the ground paste and mix the curds or buttermilk with it.

3. Once the chayote is cooked, add the buttermilk paste, salt, and lower the heat to low. When tiny bubbles are just starting to form on the surface, the gravy is done. **DO NOT let this boil because the mixture will separate (due to buttermilk and coconut combination), so be careful with this step. :)**

4. Do the seasoning and pour into the cooked gravy. Again, heat until tiny bubbles start to form and turn off the heat.

5. Enjoy with hot rice and pickle! My choice of pickle? Vadu mango, of course!

chow chow mor kuzhambu