6 min Mor Kulambu (OPOS©)

6 min Mor Kulambu (OPOS©) by DK on Sep 4, 2018

More Kulambu Recipe | Easy South Indian Recipes | OPOS Mor Kulambu Recipe

Mor Kulambu is a South Indian dish which basically translates to "Buttermilk Stew". Growing up, my mom made this during festive occasions. Though it can be enjoyed on a regular basis, it especially has an association with religious events. A delicious stew mostly made with a vegetable like Okra, Ash Gourd, Drumsticks, Winter melon, Colacasia (Taro Root) etc. Though I love them all, I am extremely partial to the one with taro root :) Its a fairly easy recipe without complicated steps. The only thing to keep in mind is not to overheat the yogurt - otherwise it curdles. The number of times I have curdled mor kulambu (during my beginner days) cannot be mentioned without me cringing to my roots! Of course, its still perfectly edible - but that texture? Naah - don't curdle it people!

If I only knew of OPOS those days! Different recipes for mor kuzhambu exists, all of them fairly taking an average 15 min of your time. This OPOS recipe today is going to be a child's play in comparison. It's practically hands free and that's a boon since Mor Kulambu demands your respect of constant stirring on low heat to avoid curdling. The number of times I have made this right before a meal is boundless and with chopped ash gourd/pumpkin and frozen coconut, this is a cinch to put together. As always, you don't have to take my word for it - you can easily check this out in your kitchen in - wait.. 6-8 min from the time you finished reading my post :)

Cook time: Under 15 min
Prep time: Under 15 min
Serves: 2-3 people
Yields: Around 2.5 cups

Ingredients

2 tsp Coconut oil, divided
1 cup chopped Ash Gourd, or see Tips for other options
1 cup whisked Yogurt
1/4 cup grated Coconut (frozen works equally well)
1 green Chili (or as per taste)
1 tbsp roasted Gram (Channa/ Dalia/ Pottukadalai)
1/2 tsp Cumin
1/4 tsp Turmeric powder
Salt to taste
1/2 tsp OPOS Tadka

Tips

1.Ash Gourd: You can easily substitute it with any vegetable of your choice like ladies finger, pumpkin, butternut squash etc. If using hardy vegetable like Taro root, I would suggest peeling the tuber and chopping them into uniformly small bite sized pieces for easy cooking. I would also cook this for an additional 1 to 2 whistles.

Method

1. Lets start by making the coconut paste. Add the coconut, roasted channa, chilli (optional), cumin, salt (about 1/2 tsp), turmeric along with 1 tsp coconut oil to a blender. Process to a smooth yet thick paste.

2. Adding water too much will make this paste watery leading to it getting burnt while cooking. So add just enough water (if at all) in order to make it into a smooth paste.

3. To a standardized 2L PC, add 1/4 cup water along with the remaining coconut oil.

4. Next layer the chopped vegetable in a layer. See Tips for other options.

5. Place the coconut paste last right on top. Make sure the paste is not touching the bottom.

6. Cook on HIGH flame for 2 whistles. Make sure the flame is covering the entire base of the pressure cooker but does NOT come up the sides. That causes burning of the handles. This would take 5-6 minutes. If you don't get a whistle by the 6th minute, switch off the flame. Your PC might be leaking steam.

7. In a few minutes you should see the pressure valve popping up.

8. followed by the whistle soon after.

9. Once done, switch off the flame and release pressure immediately using a spatula.

10. This is how it looks upon opening.

11. The gourd is cooked through yet not mushy at all.

12. Now add the yogurt and

13. mix to combine. Let it sit for few minutes in the cooker itself. The yogurt cooks well enough in the retained heat hence you do not have to switch on the heat.. You can add OPOS Tadka if you like at this point.

This is perfect with steamed rice ( few drops of ghee doesn't hurt either). On this day, we enjoyed it with Keerai Masiyal ( spiced spinach) and Cauliflower Curry (both OPOS'ed as well!). Hearty and nutritious lunch that took me under 15 minutes to put together in totality with almost no cleaning.