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    Home » South Indian Kuzhambu Varieties » Mor Kuzhambu | Majjige Huli | South Indian Buttermilk Curry

    Mor Kuzhambu | Majjige Huli | South Indian Buttermilk Curry

    Posted on July 9, 2020 · Last Updated on July 9, 2020 · By Srividhya G · Leave a Comment

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    mor kuzhambu image collage with text overlay for pinterest
    Mor kuzhambu or Majjige Huli – A famous South Indian curry with vegetables and freshly ground coconut spice paste simmered in buttermilk. Here is my family recipe with detailed step-wise pictures.

    overhead shot of mor kuzhambu placed on a black bowl on a black plate
    A Tamil Nadu style vegetarian thali always has vathal kuzhambu or mor kuzhambu in the Thali along with sambar. Even during festivals, weddings, we always make mor kuzhambu along with sambar. It is one of the popular recipes of South India. 
     
    I know I am repeating this again, but there is more than sambar in South Indian cuisine folks. Explore the world of South Indian kuzhambu/pulusu/huli and you will definitely fall in love with them. Given any day, I prefer kuzhambu than sambar. 
     
    This buttermilk curry in Tamil Nadu is known as Mor Kuzhambu (pronounced as Ku-lam-bu) Mor means buttermilk and kuzhambu mean curry or gravy or stew. In Kannada, we call it as majjige huli. Majjige means buttermilk, and huli means curry or gravy or stew. And in Telugu, they call it as majjiga pulusu or charu. In Kerala, you can find a lot of recipes with buttermilk and yogurt, like puliserry, and an exclusive one is called moru curry. I will share the recipe soon. 
     
    I don’t want to compare the dishes, but often mor kuzhambu is compared with North Indian Kadhi. While chickpea flour is the main ingredient in Kadhi, the freshly ground coconut spice paste forms the base of the South Indian buttermilk curry. 
     
    By now, you know there are different variations of this buttermilk curry, and today I am going to share my family version, which is more like the Karnataka style one popularly known as majjige huli. I have mentioned in my South Indian cookbook as well as on my blog that my ancestry traces back to Mysuru, Karnataka. I am a Kannadiga born and bought up in Tamil Nadu and my cooking/food is a mix of both these cuisines. 
    mor kuzhambu in a black bowl with a spoon inside
     
    So what’s so special in this mor kuzhambu. It is of course a dish without any onion or garlic. We usually add chana dal, coriander seeds, cumin seeds, along with coconut and green chilies for the spice paste. My MIL adds ginger and whole pepper and it adds a unique flavor and I add it as well. 

    How to serve this buttermilk curry- 

    Like any other South Indian curries and gravies, we serve this kuzhambu with rice. We eat this with rice and any spicy hot vegetable as the side. My favorite combo rice and mor kuzhambu are either stuffed brinjals or stuffed okra, or potato curry. 
     

    Other kuzhambu & yogurt-based recipes from my archives-

    • Coconut milk kuzhambu
    • Sodhi | Coconut milk stew
    • Kurma kuzhambu
    • Avial
    • Instant Mor kuzhambu
    • Mor kuzhambu without coconut
    • Plantain steam buttermilk curry
    • Chana madra | Chickpeas yogurt curry

    Brinjal mor kuzhambu recipe with detailed step-wise pictures-

    Now without any further ado, here is the detailed recipe for the mor kuzhambu with step-wise pictures. Please refer to the notes for using veggies other than brinjal.
    overhead shot of morkuzhambu in a black bowl with curry leaves on the side and with some coriander seeds sprinkled on the side

    Prepare the spice paste-

    • Grind all the ingredients given under “To Grind” by adding ⅓ to ½ cup of water and take it in a bowl.

    mor kuzhambu spice paste

    • To this ground paste, first, add the turmeric powder and salt.

    adding salt and turmeric to the ground paste

    • Then add the buttermilk and mix it thoroughly. The buttermilk spice paste or mix is now ready.

    buttermilk spice paste

    Preparing the mor kuzhambu | majjige huli-

    • Heat a pan or kadai and add 2 tsps of coconut oil.
    • When the oil is hot, add the mustard seeds, fenugreek seeds, curry leaves, and asafoetida. Let the mustard seeds splutter.
    • Now add the vegetable; in my case, I went with brinjal. Please refer notes if using other vegetables.

    sauteing veggies for mor kuzhambu

    • Saute for 3 to 4 minutes and add ½ cup of water and cook the brinjal until it is soft and tender (not mushy). Sorry I missed to click this step picture. 

    sauteed brinjal

    • At this stage, add the prepared buttermilk spice paste and reduce the heat to low.

    adding the mor kuzhambu spice paste

    • Let it simmer for 8 to 10 minutes or until it becomes frothy and comes to a boil like below. Keep stirring in between so that the buttermilk doesn’t curdle.

    majjige huli simmering

    • Turn off the heat and add one more tsp of coconut oil on top. You can add a few more curry leaves as well. Cover it partially and let the flavors infuse. (PS – Do no cover the mor kuzhambu fully) Initially, the kuzhambu will look pale yellow, but as it cools, it slows gets the bright yellow color. 

    adding oil

    • Serve hot with rice and any spicy dry curry or poriyal. 

    Recipe Notes-

    • As always, adjust the spices according to your preference. Ginger and whole pepper add unique flavor, so I always add them. But it’s optional.
    • Usually, you will find recipes that call for a tsp of rice while preparing the spice paste. I am using roasted gram instead of rice, and that is how my mom and MIL do, and I follow the same. Both rice and roasted gram help to thicken the kuzhambu. 
    • If you are looking for a quick version of mor kuzhambu then, check my instant mor kuzhambu recipe, and if you are looking for mor kuzhambu without coconut, then check my pathiya mor kuzhambu with spinach. 
    • I highly recommend coconut oil for this recipe. But you can use other oil as well. 
    • Sour buttermilk works well for this recipe, but I have tried making it with non-sour varieties and it comes out well. I usually take 1 to 1.5 cups of yogurt and dilute it with water and make the buttermilk. You can use either store-bought buttermilk or dilute the yogurt and use it. 
    • As we are using chana dal, the roasted gram is optional but as I like thick gravy, I always add it. 

    close up shot of mor kuzhambu

    Veggies used in mor kuzhambu-

    • We usually add veggies like chayote squash, white pumpkin or ash gourd, okra, brinjal, cucumbers, spinach, etc. After coming to the US, I started adding zucchini and broccoli and asparagus as well. You can add veggies of your choice, but I don’t add vegetables like radish, kohlrabi, etc. as it alters the taste completely.
    • For veggies like cucumber, zucchini, broccoli, okra, and brinjal, you can saute them and cook for 3 to 4 minutes until they become soft and tender. But for other veggies, you can either cook them separately or add more water and cook for 10 to 12 minutes until the vegetables are soft and tender. The cooking time of the mor kuzhambu varies depending on the veggies used. 
    • I don’t add more than one vegetable variety in the mor kuzhambu. Adding more veggies makes it like spicy avial. :-) 

    PS: Follow me on Instagram or join my Facebook Group for more gardening and recipe updates. If you try this mor kuzhambu, please don’t forget to comment and rate this recipe. If you have any questions, please leave a comment, and I will get to it asap.  Make sure to follow me on my Pinterest for more healthy and delicious ideas!

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    square image of majjige huli served in black bowl on a black plate
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    5 from 3 votes

    Mor Kuzhambu | Majjige Huli | South Indian Buttermilk Curry

    Mor kuzhambu or Majjige Huli - A famous South Indian curry with vegetables and freshly ground coconut spice paste simmered in buttermilk.
    Prep Time15 minutes mins
    Cook Time20 minutes mins
    Total Time35 minutes mins
    Course: Entree
    Cuisine: South Indian
    Servings: 6
    Calories: 120kcal
    Author: Srividhya G

    Equipment

    • Coffee grinder or mixer jar to grind the spices
    • Saucepan or kadai

    Ingredients

    Measurement Details: 1 cup=240ml; 1tbsp=15ml; 1tsp=5ml

    To grind-

    • 1 tbsp coriander seeds
    • 1 tbsp chana dal kadalai paruppu
    • ½ tsp cumin seeds
    • ½ tsp whole pepper optional
    • ½- inch ginger optional
    • 2 green chilies or to taste
    • 1 tbsp roasted gram pottukadalai (optional)
    • ¼ cup coconut shredded, if using frozen thaw it to room temperature
    • ½ cup water

    Other ingredients-

    • 2 tsp salt or to taste
    • 2 cups buttermilk thick, refer notes
    • ½ tsp turmeric
    • 2 small Indian eggplants chopped or ½ cup of vegetables of your choice. Refer notes
    • ½ cup water

    To temper-

    • 3 tsps coconut oil divided (2 tsp + 1 tsp)
    • 1 tsp mustard seeds
    • 1 tsp fenugreek seeds can reduce it to ½ tsp if you don't like the bite
    • ¼ tsp asafoetida
    • 10 curry leaves

    Instructions

    Prepare the spice paste-

    • Grind all the ingredients given under "To Grind" by adding ⅓ to ½ cup of water and take it in a bowl.
    • To this ground paste, first, add the turmeric powder and salt.
    • Then add the buttermilk and mix it thoroughly. The buttermilk spice paste or mix is now ready.

    Preparing the mor kuzhambu | majjige huli-

    • Heat a pan or kadai and add 2 tsps of coconut oil.
    • When the oil is hot, add the mustard seeds, fenugreek seeds, curry leaves, and asafoetida. Let the mustard seeds splutter.
    • Now add the vegetable; in my case, I went with brinjal. Please refer notes if using other vegetables.
    • Saute for 3 to 4 minutes and add ½ cup of water and cook the brinjal until it is soft and tender (not mushy). Sorry I missed to click this step picture.
    • At this stage, add the prepared buttermilk spice paste and reduce the heat to low.
    • Let it simmer for 8 to 10 minutes or until it becomes frothy and comes to a boil like below. Keep stirring in between so that the buttermilk doesn't curdle.
    • Turn off the heat and add one more tsp of coconut oil on top. You can add a few more curry leaves as well. Cover it partially and let the flavors infuse. (PS - Do no cover the mor kuzhambu fully)
    • Serve hot with rice and any spicy curry.

    Notes

    • As always, adjust the spices according to your preference. Ginger and whole pepper add unique flavor, so I always add them. But it's optional.
    • Usually, you will find recipes that call for a tsp of rice while preparing the spice paste. I am using roasted gram instead of rice, and that what my mom and MIL do, and I follow the same. Both rice and roasted gram help to thicken the kuzhambu.
    • If you are looking for a quick version of mor kuzhambu then, check my instant mor kuzhambu recipe, and if you are looking for mor kuzhambu without coconut, then check my pathiya mor kuzhambu with spinach.
    • I highly recommend coconut oil for this recipe. But you can use other oil as well. 
    • Sour buttermilk works well for this recipe, but I have tried making it with non-sour varieties and it comes out well. I usually take 1 to 1.5 cups of yogurt and dilute it with water and make the buttermilk. You can use either store-bought buttermilk or dilute the yogurt and use it. 
    • As we are using chana dal, the roasted gram is optional but as I like thick gravy, I always add it. 
      Veggies used in mor kuzhambu-
    • We usually add veggies like chayote squash, white pumpkin or ash gourd, okra, brinjal, cucumbers, spinach, etc. After coming to the US, I started adding zucchini and broccoli and asparagus as well.
    • You can add veggies of your choice, but I don't add vegetables like radish, kohlrabi, etc. as it alters the taste completely.
    • For veggies like cucumber, zucchini, broccoli, okra, and brinjal, you can saute them and cook for 3 to 4 minutes until they become soft and tender. But for other veggies, you can either cook them separately or add more water and cook for 10 to 12 minutes until the vegetables are soft and tender. The cooking time of the mor kuzhambu varies depending on the veggies used.
    • I don't add more than one vegetable variety in the mor kuzhambu. Adding more veggies makes it like spicy avial. :-) 

    Nutrition

    Calories: 120kcal | Carbohydrates: 13g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 6g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Cholesterol: 9mg | Sodium: 915mg | Potassium: 317mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 8g | Vitamin A: 212IU | Vitamin C: 37mg | Calcium: 112mg | Iron: 1mg

    I am not a nutritionist. The nutritional information is provided as a courtesy and is an estimate only. It varies depending upon the product types or brands.

    Tried this recipe?Mention @vidhyasvegetariankitchen or tag #vidhyasvegkitchen
    For Video RecipesCheck out My YouTube Channel

    Update Notes: This recipe was originally posted in 2012 but now updated with new pics, and recipe cards.

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    Filed Under: South Indian Kuzhambu Varieties Tagged With: no onion no garlic

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