Sambharam ~ Spiced and Flavoured Buttermilk to Beat the Heat!

Sambharam or spiced and flavoured buttermilk of Kerala holds an important place in the culinary history which dates back to centuries. The drink is popular in other Indian states as Chaas, Majjige, Neer mor etc. The uniqueness of Sambharam, compared to the above counterparts is that it's flavoured with lime leaves or Narakathila, authentically!

Now, what makes this an ideal summer drink?
Buttermilk, being a natural body coolant, compensates the loss of electrolytes during the day, resulting in tiredness and dizziness. The best and natural way to retain body fluids is to drink tender coconut water or buttermilk with salt. This also compensates the loss of sodium chloride in the body through sweat. Primarily, this is way superior to bottled and artificially flavoured carbonated drinks!

So, Bharathy, what are you waiting for? Peak summer, fresh flow of natural indoor lighting, garden fresh lime leaves should check your hibernation in this space of yours. Kick start with this easy to make drink. :)

Sambharam / Pachamoru
Fills 4 glasses


You need:

Yogurt or homemade curd -1 cup
Water - 3 cups
Green chillies - 2 small, slit lengthwise until half
Fresh Lime leaves / Narakathila - 2
Hing - 1/4 tsp
Salt- to taste

Minced ginger (as fine as possible)- 1 tsp
Minced shallots / ulli (as fine as possible)- 2 tsps
Minced curry leaves (as fine as possible)- 1 tsp
Minced cilantro/malliyila (as fine as possible)- 2 tsps

Method:



To begin with, wash the green chillies and lime leaves. Tear the leaves and crush them together with the slit chillies. I personally dislike biting into bits of chilly and opt this method to give the touch of heat to the drink. Lime leaves are crushed along with to impart the rejuvenating flavour.
Top them with a cup of thick curd (I used home made) and whisk for a few seconds until creamy. Top it with 2.5- 3 parts of chilled water.





Beat/whisk adding hing and salt. You may discard the lime leaves and chillies at this point. Add the minced ingredients; shallots, ginger and the herbs and mix gently to combine. Fill your glasses and enjoy the refreshing drink!

          Note:

• If you use fat free free yogurt, use 2.5 parts of water instead of  3. Use home made, if possible, for best results.

• If you do not get hold of lime leaves, you can use any variety of citrus leaves as long as they are fresh. You can also substitute a tsp of lime juice if you don't get the leaves too!

• You can use a metal hand whisk or a beater, instead of the traditional wooden one I use, as well.

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Kachiya Moru ~ The simple spiced up buttermilk curry from Kerala

In Central Kerala, or at least in the town I grew up, Kachiya Moru, is the seasoned spiced up buttermilk curry, a regular comfort side dish paired up with fried fish. Some refer the same as 'Moru Curry', though a few claim 'Moru Curry' demands the addition of ground coconut with spices. Kachiya means boiled and Moru, butter milk.
There are versions wherein tomatoes, garlic and chilly powder are added along with the ingredients, but somehow I stick the version to the one I had always savoured while growing up; the natural sourness of the organic buttermilk pepped up dominantly with tiny bits of ginger and green chillies!

 I had drafted the whole post past weekend and trying to publish with a click away, now, I got into this problem. Surprisingly the whole post had been replaced with my previous published post. I tried hard to retrieve but failed! Sigh! Instead of crying over the spilt milk, I am here preparing the post all over again, as I go by.....

Kachiya Moru
Serves a small family of 4
Total time needed - less than half an hour

Ingredients:

1. Beaten yogurt / buttermilk- 2 cups / 500ml

2. Coconut oil- 1 tbsp
    Mustard seeds- 1/4 tsp
    Fenugreek seeds / Uluva - 2 fat pinches
    Small Onions 3-4 minced fine
    Red chillies- 3 , broken into 3 pcs each
    Green chilles- 3 ,minced
    Cumin seeds / Jeerakam- 1/4 tsp
    Curry leaves -a sprig
    Turmeric powder-1/2 tsp




Heat oil in a kadai. Splutter mustard and brown the fenugreek seeds. Stir in red chillies, onions and ginger. Sauté for a while and add the crushed cumin seeds or powder, green chillies and curry leaves. When the chillies and sautéed, add the turmeric powder and salt. Switch off the flame and stir in the beaten curd and combine. Now, switch on the flame to medium and heat the curry stirring continuously. This part is tricky. You are not supposed to let the curry boil as it may curdle the buttermilk. So just see to it, it gets heated up well and does not simmer. Shh..I myself am not a perfectionist here ;) Since you keep on stirring you may not be able to notice the point just before boiling but keep this clue, you will see the steam emanating from the curry. :).

Goes well with steamed rice and mezhukkupuratti too :)

Notes:

• I use beaten curd. Buttermilk (diluted yogurt or curd) from my kitchen turns the curry watery. Hence I beat the curd and do not use water to dilute. The curry gets thinner as you serve.
• The final stage of preparation should be handled with care.
• Ashgourd is a common vegetable which can be used in this curry. I have already posted one with Ripe Kerala bananas here, which is slighly different from the above recipe, though the basics are the same. It's called Ethappazha (ripe bananas) Pulisseri (buttermilk curry).

                                        Thanks for the bowls, Jeyashri :)

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Bonda Morkuzhambu / Spiced Yogurt Curry with Soft melt-in-the-mouth Dumplings!

This is a dish I take much pride in! The traditional Morkuzhambu recipe is same in every house hold, length and breadth of T.N, especially in the kitchens of our community. 'Bonda Morkuzhambu' is a preferred delicacy dish which is served between sambhar and rasam in a full leaf meal course for weddings and traditional ceremonies.

This is a curry I can always claim to be an expert on. 'Morkuzhambu' and 'Paruppu Thuvaiyal' mostly falls under my Sunday brunch menu since it is the alltime family favourite!
I have posted our family version of 'Morkuzhambu' a long time back, during my earlier blogging days and the  recipe elaborated here is about how to make the 'melt-in-the-mouth bondas' or the soft dumplings that are soaked in the 'kuzhambu'.
As you can see, these 'bondas', which is popular in my circle, are 'vadai balls' made with whole urad dal and not a combination of lentils.

How to make the Morkuzhambu or the Spiced Yogurt Curry?

The recipe is here, as mentioned earlier.

How to make 'Bondas' (vada balls / dumplings) ?

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Mango Yogurt Smoothie

We did have unexpected 'summer showers', quite comforting past week but the sun is back with all its vigour from today..

The Cocktail Lady hosting the 'Mixed Drinks' theme for MBP wants to blog the same, adapted from a fellow bloggers recipe:).....Sig, by hosting this particular event, you played wise here with lazy bugs like me who would preferably dig out something from the drafts to contribute to any event ;)..
I am extremely happy that I could step in the last moment since you’d liberally extended the deadline..:)

Well, I did have Ashaji’s Masala Chai on my mind for quite some time and discussed this with my sis and alas!.. she sent me pics mentioning she was all set to blog the same Chai as her second entry!..Now, all I was left with, were a few over-ripe mangoes in my fridge which made her point out a wonderful link the very next moment….

Thus, this Smoothie is adapted from Sailu’s recipe-Aam ki Lassi.

Surprisingly the mangoes with me seemed to be the same ‘Suvarnarekha’ variety she’d used for hers!..

Again, her combination of the drink proved to be just perfect and I followed blindly that yielded a soothing creamy drink for my children, esp for my daughter who helped me with the topmost picture here, and myself soon after the photography sessions :).

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A Simple Kerala Lunch with Fish Fry.

A Simple meal a Keralite, who loves fish, would prefer.Rice with pulisseri, a couple or fried fish pieces and a pappadam to compliment.Mostly this would be his comfort food too.

Pulisseri, a yogurt based curry with ground coconut and spices prepared in a milder way contains fruits like a Kerala ripe banana, mango or pine apple or veggies like ash gourd etc.

Aethapazham /Ripe Banana Pulisseri

Ingredients:

Ripe Bananas -1
Green Chillies-2, slit lengthwise once and cut cross to make 4 pieces each
Turmeric powder -1\2 tsp
Thick sour curd-whipped -1 cup
Salt - to taste

To Grind to a fine paste:

Grated coconut -1\2 cup
Green chillies -2
Cumin seeds -1\4 tsp

To season:

Coconut Oil-1 tbsp
Mustard seeds -1/2 tsp
Fenugreek seeds/uluva-1/4 tsp
Shallots/Ulli-5-6-sliced to thin rounds
Curry leaves -1 sprig
Dry red chillies -2, each broken to 3 bits

Method:

Peel and Slice round the bananas to a thickness of 2 cms each.Cook them till just soft adding about 1 -11/2 cups of water adding the slit green chilly bits,turmeric and salt.Grind coconut,chillies and cumin to a smooth paste.Add this to the cooking banana pieces.Simmer for a few minutes.Add whipped curd next and mix along adding salt.Remove from fire when it ‘just” boils to avoid any curdling.

Heat oil in a small pan, splutter mustard seeds, lightly brown the fenugreek seeds and shallots,throw in the red chilly bits and the curry leaves.Pour over the hot curry, making sure the consistency as semi-thick.If the curry is too thick do not add water directly and boil again as it might curdle up due to the presence of curd in it; instead, boil water separately and add to the curry.

Fish Fry /Meen Varuthathu.

Fish slices-1/2 kg(the fish used here is Kanambu or Mullet)
Red Chilly Powder-2 tbsp-more or less as you prefer
Ginger-1” piece
Turmeric powder-3/4 tsp
Pepper powder-1 tsp
Curry leaves-A small sprig-(optional)
Salt-to taste
Oil-1/2 cup more or less-for deep frying

Clean the fish,wash and slice.Keep aside.
Grind ginger, red chilly powder, turmeric powder and salt altogether, with just enough water to a smooth paste.Pulse the curry leaves last.This is the marinade which is applied on the slices(let the pieces be not wet after cleaning).Apply marinade on the slices making sure it is coated all over the surface liberally.Arrange flat on a plate and let it stay for at least 30 minutes.


Heat oil in a shallow pan with high edges,Slide in the pieces,2-3 at a time, carefully.Close it with a lid to avoid any spluttering out due to the moisture content on the fish and the marinade.Check after 3-5 minutes whether done, esp the under side of the pieces which is in contact with the pan.Turn over carefully so as to let the other side to get fried as well.Keep the flame medium to facilitate a balanced sort of frying and avoid the marinade seeping into the oil or the slices getting burnt on surface and uncooked, inside.

While the just brown pieces are cooked and soft, a little more time makes the pieces crisper. The deepness of frying is purely according to ones own preference.A tsp of vinegar or lime-juice added to the marinade is to contribute a touch of tanginess and is optional.

Ayala Varuthathu or Fried Mackerel

Are you looking for Ayala Varuthathu or Fried Mackerel? Click here for the recipe!

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Morkuzhambu

When I happened to know about Lakshmi's RCI, Tamil Cuisine...as an interested new food blogger,I made up my mind to contribute to the great event.Mainly because I am married to Tamilnadu and soaked in Tamil Cuisine all the 3 times a day.As a proud daughter inlaw of Tamilnadu,I learnt the Unique recipes and cooking methods of the state.The teachers being my ma inlaw and her mother.
Morkuzhambu in Tamil,Moru Curry or Kachiya Moru in Malayalam,Majjiga Pulusu in Telugu,Majjige Huli or Saaru in Kannada,Kadi in Gujrathi, are all close to one another as the members of the same family,like we the food bloggers!.

This side dish is the most favourite rice accompaniment of my family and is a Definite Sunday Samayal.So here's the simple and tasty recipe of Morkuzhambu,I learnt from my husband's granma: my entry to RCI Tamil Cuisine.
Serves 4,cooking time-30 mins.

Ingredients:
2cups of decreamed thick and sour yoghurt
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
salt- to taste.

Soak-
2tsps coriander seeds
3tsps of thuvar dal
3tsps of raw rice in water for 20 mins...and:-

Grindwith-
1 tbsp of grated coconut
1"piece of ginger
1tsp cumin seeds
4 green chillies.

To Season-
1tbsp oil
1/4 tsp mustard seeds
1/4 tsp urad dal
4-5 redchillies,broken into 3 pieces each
A stalk of curry leaves.

Method:
1.Soak and grind the ingredients as mentioned above; keep aside.
2.Heat oil in a thickbottommed vessel(avoid iron kadai, as it may not tolerate the acidity in yoghurt),splutter mustards and urad dal,fry broken red chillies.Add curry leaves.
3.Immediately add the ground paste to avoid overfrying red chillies and boil carefully for 2 minutes in low flame to avoid any sticking to the bottom.Add turmeric powder.Add a little water if the paste gets too thick.
4.Whip yoghurt lightly to make it to a uniform consistency and add to the boiling paste.Add salt.The curry frothes up in a few minutes. Switch the stove off. (if overboiled the yoghurt gets denaturated into water).
5.The curry should be semi-thick and not too watery in the final stage.Serves well with boiled rice.




P.S-The photographed dish is 'Plain Morkuzhambu'.Variations can be made with added vegetables like ladies finger, ash gourd or even 'vada balls'.

Variation1) If you prefer adding vegetables,follow the recipe as above.The vegetable of your choice,should be cut a little big,say an inch piece and cook separately.they should not be let wholly cooked in the ground paste or after the addition of yoghurt.

Variation 2) If you want to try with vada balls,soak 1/2 cup whole(ball variety) urad dal for an hour and grind to a smooth paste.Add salt.Deep fry in oil as small gooseberry sized balls.Immerse one by one into the hot "morkuzhambu".Let the balls absorb the curry well and turn a little bigger in size.Check consistency & Serve.

--------------------------Poosanikkai/ash gourd Morkuzhambu-------------------

See also-Morkuzhambu-by Prema Sundar.

Poosanikkai Mor kozhambu-by Asha.

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