Mor Kuzhambu Recipe (Mor Kulambu)
Mor Kuzhambu (Mor Kulambu) is one of those dishes that feel like home the moment they touch the tongue. Soft, tangy, lightly spiced, and calming. This classic South Indian curry is made with spiced buttermilk, coconut, and gentle aromatics. It is light on the stomach, easy to cook, and perfect with hot steamed rice.
Here are some more South Indian recipes that you must try: Curd Rice, Ven Pongal, Lemon Rice, and Kerala Style Pineapple Pachadi.
A Quick Look At This Mor Kuzhambu Recipe
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Soaking Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Total Time: 65 minutes
- Serves: 4
- Cuisine: South Indian / Tamil Nadu
- Course: Main Course
- Diet: Vegetarian
- Skill Level: Intermediate
- Equipment: Blender, Saucepan, Ladle, Mixing Bowl
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Why You’ll Love This Family Favorite Recipe!
- Light and comforting: Tangy yogurt-based curry that’s easy on the stomach.
- Quick everyday meal: Comes together in about 35 minutes of active working time with simple steps.
- Great way to use vegetables: Works beautifully with ash gourd, okra, pumpkin, or spinach.
- No heavy spices: Mild flavors that pair well with rice and a simple stir-fry.
- Classic South Indian comfort food: Familiar, soothing, and deeply satisfying.
Table of Contents
One of my South Indian friends came to stay with us for a few days. I fed her a lot of my specialties, but then, one day, we decided to cook a South Indian meal together. She offered to make and teach me how to make a traditional Mor Kulambu recipe. It’s such a simple dish, but I just loved the flavors. We made it with pumpkin because that was what I had on hand, but you can use any veggies you have on hand.
About Mor Kuzhambu
Mor means buttermilk, and kuzhambu means curry in Tamil.
Mor Kuzhambu (More Kulambu) is a popular buttermilk-based curry recipe prepared in almost all South Indian households, especially in Tamil Nadu. It is the South Indian cousin of North Indian kadhi.
It’s slightly tangy and mildly spicy, with the tang coming from yogurt rather than tamarind, as in Sambar or Rasam. The curry is thin and silky.
It’s a summer recipe, as all the ingredients used in this dish are known to cool down the body.
You can add your choice of vegetables to make the kulambu more wholesome.
Serve it with steamed rice and applam (South Indian papad) for a comforting meal. It is also popularly served as a part of the Onam Sadya in Kerala.
Ingredients
For The Coconut Paste
To make the coconut paste, you will need raw yellow pigeon peas lentils (toor dal), raw white rice, cumin seeds, ginger, green chilies, fresh coconut, and curry leaves.
You can adjust the amount of green chillies as per your spice level.
To save time, buy grated coconut from the freezer section of an Indian grocery store.
For The Curry
To make a mor kuzhambu curry base, you will need sour plain yogurt (tangy dahi, curd), turmeric powder, salt, and vegetables.
I have used pumpkin in this recipe, but you can add other veggies like okra (ladies finger), white pumpkin, potato, arbi (taro root), brinjal, etc. You can also make this curry without any vegetables.
If your yogurt is not sour (tangy), let it sit on the counter for 1-2 hours. You can also use Greek yogurt in place of regular yogurt. If you want to make this curry vegan, then use coconut yogurt in place of regular yogurt. The remaining ingredients are vegan-friendly.
For The Tempering
To temper mor kulambu, you will need coconut oil, brown mustard seeds, asafetida (hing), dry red chilies, and curry leaves.
Coconut oil gives this curry a very authentic taste, but if it’s unavailable, use any cooking oil or ghee.
To make it gluten-free, avoid adding asafetida to the tadka.
You can add a little chana dal and white urad dal to the tempering if you wish.
How To Make Mor Kulambu
Preparation
Step 1: Soak 2 teaspoon toor dal and 1 teaspoon white rice in water for 30 minutes.
Step 2: Wash, peel, and cut the yellow pumpkin into ½-inch pieces. You need 1 cup of cubed pumpkin.
Cook The Pumpkin
Step 3: Add 1 cup of water to a saucepan and bring to a boil over medium-high heat.
Step 4: Add 1 cup of cubed pumpkin to the boiling water and cook until softened (6-8 minutes).
Step 5: Drain any remaining water and keep the cooked pumpkin cubes aside.
Note: You can save and use the water from the curry later. That’s what I always do.
Make The Coconut Paste
Step 6: Drain the dal and rice, then add them to the small jar of a blender along with the following ingredients.
- ½ teaspoon cumin seeds
- 1 teaspoon chopped ginger
- 2 whole green chilies
- 8-10 whole curry leaves
- ½ cup chopped fresh coconut
- ¼ cup water
Step 7: Blend to make a fine paste.
Make The Buttermilk
Step 8: Add 1 cup of sour yogurt to a medium-sized bowl. Whisk the yogurt using a wire whisk until smooth.
Step 9: Add the following ingredients to the bowl and mix well.
- 1 cup of water
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon turmeric powder
Note: You can use the water left over from cooking the pumpkin.
Note: If using ready buttermilk (chaas) in place of yogurt, add turmeric powder and salt, whisking until combined. Do not add any extra water.
Make The Kuzhambu Curry
Step 10: Add the freshly ground coconut paste to the bowl and mix well.
Step 11: Transfer the yogurt mixture to a cooking pan. Add the cooked pumpkin to the pan and stir to combine.
Step 12: Switch on the heat to low and cook the more kuzhambu for 15-18 minutes, until it comes to a gentle simmer. Stir frequently while cooking.
Note: Do not get tempted to increase the heat. The yogurt will split if the heat is too high.
Step 13: Check for salt and add more if needed.
Temper The Mor Kuzhambu Curry
Step 14: Heat 2 teaspoon coconut oil in a small pan over medium-high heat.
Step 15: Add the following ingredients once the oil is hot, and let them crackle for 4-5 seconds.
- ½ teaspoon brown mustard seeds
- ¼ teaspoon asafetida
- 2-3 whole dry red chilies
- 10-12 whole curry leaves
Step 16: Pour the tempering over the kuzhambu. Mix well and serve hot with rice.
Mor Kuzhambu FAQs
Replace fresh coconut with 2 tablespoon roasted gram flour to make it without coconut. Keep the rest of the recipe the same.
1. Bhindi (okra, lady’s fingers, or vendakkai) – It is one of the most commonly used vegetables to make mor kuzhambu. Wash the okra and wipe it well. Cut it into 2-inch pieces. Sauté in some oil until almost cooked, and then add it to the curry.
2. Brinjal (eggplant or kathirikkai) – Slice into thin slices or cubes. Sauté in oil and add to the curry.
3. Ash Gourd (white melon or petha) – Peel and cube. Cook in water just like a yellow pumpkin, then add to mor kuzhambu.
4. Potato (aloo or urulai kizhangu) – Peel the potatoes and cut them into cubes. Steam, boil, or pressure-cook until soft, then add to the curry.
5. Drumsticks (mruungakkai) – Cut the drumsticks into 2-inch pieces. Peel the hard skin and steam or boil until tender. Then add to mor kuzhambu.
6. Greens (spinach, amaranth greens, fenugreek leaves) – Wash the leaves and chop them. Sauté or steam before adding to the kulambu.
7. Chow Chow (seemai kathirikai) – Cut into cubes and steam.
8. Ripe Mango – Choose a firm-ripe mango for this dish. Peel and chop into cubes. Add to the curry. This version will have a sweetish, tangy taste.
9. Raw Banana (plantain) – Peel, slice, and steam before adding to the mor kuzhambu curry.
You can also use a combination of veggies instead of using any one.
Another variation of this dish is called paruppu urundai mor kulambu. In this dish, lentil fritters are added to the kulambu. You can check the recipe here.
Mix 1 teaspoon rice flour with 2 tablespoon water until lump-free. Add to the gently simmering mor kuzhambu. Cook 2–3 minutes, stirring continuously. It will thicken beautifully without changing flavor.
While Mor Kuzhambu and Kadhi are yogurt-based dishes with a tangy taste, the ingredients and flavors used in each dish are distinct. Kulambu has coconut added, while kadhi has chickpea flour (besan). The tempering ingredients are also different, which makes a lot of difference in their taste.
Storage Suggestions
Mor Kulambu can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 2-3 days. Reheat it in a pan or in the microwave on low heat until it’s hot enough to serve.
I do not recommend freezing this dish, as its texture may change after thawing.
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Mor Kuzhambu Recipe (Mor Kulambu)
Ingredients
For The Coconut Paste
- 2 teaspoons yellow pigeon peas lentil (toor dal)
- 1 teaspoon raw white rice
- ½ teaspoon cumin seeds
- 1 teaspoon chopped ginger
- 2 whole green chilies
- 8-10 curry leaves
- ½ cup chopped fresh coconut
- ¼ cup water
To Cook The Pumpkin
- 1 cup water
- 1 cup cubed yellow pumpkin (½ inch cubes)
For The Curry
- 1 cup sour yogurt (tangy curd, dahi)
- 1 cup water
- ½ teaspoon turmeric powder
- 1 teaspoon salt (or to taste)
For Tempering
- 2 teaspoons coconut oil
- ½ teaspoon brown mustard seeds
- ¼ teaspoon asafetida (hing) (skip for gluten-free)
- 2-3 whole dry red chilies
- 10-12 whole curry leaves
Instructions
Preparation
- Soak toor dal and raw rice in ½ cup water for 30 minutes.
Cook The Pumpkin
- Add 1 cup water to a saucepan and bring it to a boil over medium-high heat.
- Add the pumpkin to the boiling water and cook until softened (6-8 minutes).
- Drain any remaining water and keep the cooked pumpkin cubes aside.
- Note – You can save the water and use it in the curry later.
Make The Coconut Paste
- Drain the dal and rice and add them into the small jar of a blender along with cumin seeds, ginger, green chilies, curry leaves, coconut, and water.
- Blend to make a smooth paste.
Make The Buttermilk
- Add yogurt to a medium-sized bowl. Whisk the yogurt using a wire whisk until smooth.
- Add water, salt, and turmeric powder to the bowl and mix well.
- Note – You can use the water left from cooking the pumpkin.
- Note – If using ready-made buttermilk in place of yogurt, then just add turmeric powder to it and whisk until combined.
Make The Kuzhambu Curry
- Add the coconut paste to the bowl and mix well.
- Transfer the yogurt mixture to a cooking pan. Add the cooked pumpkin to the pan and stir to combine.
- Switch on the heat to low and cook the curry for 15-18 minutes, until it comes to a gentle simmer. Stir frequently while cooking.
- Note – Do not get tempted and increase the heat. The yogurt will split if the heat is higher.
- Check for salt and add more if needed.
Temper Mor Kuzhambu
- Heat coconut oil in a small pan over medium-high heat.
- Once the oil is hot, add mustard seeds, asafetida, dry red chilies, and curry leaves, and let them crackle for 4-5 seconds.
- Pour the tempering over the kuzhambu. Mix well and serve hot with rice.
How to thicken my mor khzoumbh if it is little thin
Thanks
Mix 1 tsp rice flour + 2 tbsp water (no lumps). Add to gently simmering mor kuzhambu. Cook 2–3 minutes, stirring continuously. Thickens beautifully without changing flavor. Hope this helps.
Looks very simple and yummy. FAQ and variations are a nice note.