5 from 90 votes
Mor Kulambu Recipe | Easy Mor Kuzhambu
Mor Kulambu is a curd-based South Indian curry made with a ground paste of toor dal, coriander, cumin, rice, green chilies, ginger, curry leaves, and fresh grated coconut. White pumpkin (ash gourd) is cooked with turmeric and combined with this spiced buttermilk mixture, then tempered with mustard seeds, fenugreek, dry red chili, asafoetida, and curry leaves to finish.
Prep Time
10 mins
Cook Time
20 mins
Total Time
30 mins
Servings:
4
Calories:
114 kcal
Course:
Main Course
Cuisine:
Indian
Ingredients
For ground paste
- 1 tablespoon toor dal arhar dal, tur dal, hulled and split pigeon pea lentils
- 1 teaspoon coriander seeds
- ½ teaspoon cumin seeds
- ½ teaspoon rice raw
- ¼ cup water for soaking, hot
- 3 to 4 green chilies or add as required
- 1 inch ginger
- 5 to 6 curry leaves
- ¼ cup coconut - fresh and grated
For cooking white pumpkin
- 1.5 cups white pumpkin - chopped (petha, ash gourd, winter melon)
- 1 cup water or add as required
- ¼ teaspoon turmeric powder
Other ingredients
- 1 cup curd thick and slightly sour, beaten
- salt as per taste
For tempering mor kulambu
- 1 to 1.5 tablespoons neutral cooking oil sesame oil or sunflower oil or ghee or preferred neutral flavored oil, generic cooking oil
- ½ teaspoon mustard seeds
- ¼ teaspoon fenugreek seeds
- 1 to 2 red chili broken, stems and seeds removed, dry
- 1 generous pinch of asafoetida (hing)
- 7 to 8 curry leaves
Instructions
Making paste
- Take tuvar dal, coriander seeds, cumin seeds and raw rice in a plate or bowl.
- Using a fine tea strainer rinse them. You can use any type of white rice. If you do not have rice, then 1 to 2 teaspoons of rice flour can be added instead while grinding.
- Then take all of them in a bowl. Add ¼ cup hot water. Soak for 20 minutes.
- Then take the soaked tuvar dal, coriander seeds etc along with the soaked water in a small grinder jar or chutney grinder.
- Add chopped green chilies, ginger, curry leaves and grated coconut.
- Grind to a smooth and fine paste. Set aside.
Cup of Yum
Making buttermilk mixture
- Take the thick curd which is slightly sour in a bowl or pan. Beat or whisk it till smooth.
- Add the ground coconut paste. Then add 1 cup water. Mix very well. Keep aside.
Cooking ash gourd or white pumpkin
- Meanwhile when the rice and lentils are soaking, you can cook the pumpkin. Rinse, peel and chop ash gourd into 0.5 to 1 inch cubes. Take the chopped ash gourd in a pan.
- Add ¼ teaspoon turmeric powder and 1 cup water. Stir to combine.
- Cover the pan and keep it on a medium-low heat. In between do check and give a stir.
- Simmer till the pumpkin is almost cooked.
Making mor kuzhambu
- Reduce the heat to a low or you can turn off the heat. Then add the buttermilk mixture. Mix well.
- Season with salt as per taste. Mix again.
- Simmer the mor kuzhambu on a low heat. Do stir occasionally.
- The entire kuzhambu has to come to a gentle simmer. Once you see the kuzhambu simmering, then turn off the heat. Cover and keep aside.
Making tempering
- Heat 1 to 1.5 tablespoons oil in a tadka pan or small pan. You can use gingelly oil (oil made from raw sesame seeds) or sunflower oil or safflower oil or even ghee.
- Add mustard seeds.
- Let the mustard seeds crackle. When the mustard seeds crackle, add fenugreek seeds.
- Quickly add red chilies, curry leaves and a generous pinch of asafoetida (hing). Stir and turn off heat.
- Pour this tempering mixture in the More Kulambu. Cover with a lid for five minutes and let the flavors infuse.
- Serve Mor Kulambu with steamed rice.
Notes
- Omitting white pumpkin is possible; adjust water to maintain desired consistency.
- Use thick, sour, full-fat curd or yogurt for best results; low-fat or toned curd may separate.
- Adjust the quantity of green and dry red chilies to control curry spiciness.
- Adding rice or rice flour helps thicken the gravy and prevent curd splitting during cooking.
- This recipe’s proportions are not designed for scaling up or down.
Nutrition Information
Calories
114kcal
(6%)
Carbohydrates
9g
(3%)
Protein
6g
(12%)
Fat
6g
(9%)
Saturated Fat
2g
(10%)
Polyunsaturated Fat
0.2g
(1%)
Monounsaturated Fat
3g
(15%)
Trans Fat
0.003g
(0%)
Cholesterol
3mg
(1%)
Sodium
427mg
(18%)
Potassium
133mg
(3%)
Fiber
2g
(8%)
Sugar
3g
(6%)
Vitamin A
153IU
(3%)
Vitamin B1 (Thiamine)
0.1mg
Vitamin B2 (Riboflavin)
0.2mg
Vitamin B3 (Niacin)
35mg
Vitamin B6
0.05mg
Vitamin B12
0.3µg
(13%)
Vitamin C
65mg
(72%)
Vitamin E
2mg
Vitamin K
0.5µg
Calcium
109mg
(11%)
Vitamin B9 (Folate)
363µg
Iron
1mg
(6%)
Magnesium
16mg
(4%)
Phosphorus
106mg
Zinc
0.5mg
Nutrition Facts
Serving: 4 Serving
Amount Per Serving
Calories 114
% Daily Value*
| Calories | 114kcal | 6% |
| Carbohydrates | 9g | 3% |
| Protein | 6g | 12% |
| Fat | 6g | 9% |
| Saturated Fat | 2g | 10% |
| Polyunsaturated Fat | 0.2g | 1% |
| Monounsaturated Fat | 3g | 15% |
| Trans Fat | 0.003g | 0% |
| Cholesterol | 3mg | 1% |
| Sodium | 427mg | 18% |
| Potassium | 133mg | 3% |
| Fiber | 2g | 8% |
| Sugar | 3g | 6% |
| Vitamin A | 153IU | 3% |
| Vitamin B1 (Thiamine) | 0.1mg | |
| Vitamin B2 (Riboflavin) | 0.2mg | |
| Vitamin B3 (Niacin) | 35mg | |
| Vitamin B6 | 0.05mg | |
| Vitamin B12 | 0.3µg | 13% |
| Vitamin C | 65mg | 72% |
| Vitamin E | 2mg | |
| Vitamin K | 0.5µg | |
| Calcium | 109mg | 11% |
| Vitamin B9 (Folate) | 363µg | |
| Iron | 1mg | 6% |
| Magnesium | 16mg | 4% |
| Phosphorus | 106mg | |
| Zinc | 0.5mg |
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.