Mor Kuzhambu Recipe

A bowl of yellow Mor Kuzhambu curry, topped with dried red chilies and black mustard seeds, garnished with fresh curry leaves, set on a rustic brown mat against a dark background.

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3.84 from 12 votes

Learn how to make authentic Mor Kuzhambu (Mor Kulambu), a tangy South Indian buttermilk curry with coconut and pumpkin.

Prep Time5

Cook Time30

Soaking Time30

Total Time1 5

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Indian

Diet: Vegetarian

Servings: people

Author: Neha Mathur

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 full-fat 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 black mustard seeds
¼ teaspoon asafetida (hing) skip for gluten-free
2-3 whole dry red chilies
10-12 whole curry leaves

US Customary - Metric

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.

Save the cooking water. It goes into 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.

You can use the leftover water from cooking the pumpkin here

If using ready buttermilk (chaas) instead of yogurt, add turmeric powder and salt, then whisk until combined. Do not add any extra water.

Make The Kuzhambu Curry

Add the freshly ground coconut paste to the buttermilk and mix well.
Transfer the buttermilk 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 kuzhambu for 15-18 minutes, until it comes to a gentle simmer. Stir frequently while cooking. Check for salt and add more if needed.

This step needs patience. High heat will curdle the yogurt, leaving you with a grainy, curdled curry instead of a smooth one.

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.

Video

Notes

Never boil the curry. Once it reaches a gentle simmer, turn the heat off immediately.

Use full-fat yogurt. Low-fat yogurt splits more easily and gives a thinner curry.

Adjust sourness with lemon. If your yogurt isn’t sour, a teaspoon of lemon juice fixes it instantly.

Thicken with rice flour, not cornstarch. A teaspoon of rice flour mixed with water, stirred in while simmering, thickens the curry without changing its flavor.

Nutrition