Poosanikai Mor Kozhambu (Ash Gourd in Spicy Buttermilk Curry)

Mor Kozhambu is a traditional buttermilk based curry of south India. It uses less oil and chilli. This gives a soothing feeling after eating and suits well for the summer season. The spices used in this curry vary region-to-region and home to home. You can add any veggie in this curry like okra, drumstick, taro and ash gourd. We love this with ash gourd or okra.

Here I have prepared Mor kozhambu using ash gourd. This is prepared with slight variation in north India and they call it as Khadi.

Ash gourd or white gourd is known as Neer Poosanikai in Tamil and as Petha in Hindi. Buttermilk is known as Mor(u) in Tamil.

Ingredients

• Curd – 1 cup
• Ash gourd pieces – 1 cup
• Turmeric powder – ¼ tea spoon
• Coriander leaves – few
• Salt – as per taste
• To soak and wet grind
  • Coriander seeds – 1 table spoon
  • Toor dal – 1 table spoon
  • Bengal gram – 1 table spoon
  • Cumin seeds – ½ tea spoon
  • Grated coconut – 2 table spoon
  • Green chilli – 1 no
  • Asafetida – peanut size
  • Ginger – small piece
  • Curry leaves – 2 no
• For seasoning
  • Mustard – 1 tea spoon
  • Curry leaves – few
  • Oil – ½ tea spoon

Method

• Soak Bengal gram, toor dal, asafetida, coriander seeds and cumin seeds for 1 hour in sufficient water; grind this with coconut, green chilli, ginger and 2 curry leaves to a smooth paste with soaked water; beat curd well and mix the ground item in that.

• Heat a pan do the seasoning; add chopped ash gourd pieces, pinch of salt, turmeric powder and mix well; add 1 cup of water and cook.

• When ash gourd is soft, add spice mixed curd and bring to boil; add sufficient salt now, let the mixture boil for one to two minutes and switch of fire; garnish with coriander leaves.

• Serve hot with rice.

Tips

• When thick curd is diluted it becomes buttermilk.
• If buttermilk is too sour, add one more green chilli.
• Adding salt finally in the dish helps to avoid it to be too watery.