Mor Kozhambu: Yogurt-based gravy dish with ash gourd

Recipe for Mor Kozhambu - South Indian Yogurt-based Gravy

Ingredients:

• 2 cups sour yogurt
• Spice paste:
  • 1 tsp yellow lentils/split chickpeas (chana daal in Hindi, kadalai paruppu in Tamil)
  • 1 tsp split pigeon peas/red gram lentils/red gram daal (toor daal in Hindi, thuvaram paruppu in Tamil)
  • 1 Tbsp vegetable oil
  • 1/2 tsp fenugreek seeds (methi in Hindi, vendhayam in Tamil)
  • 1 tsp split black lentils/split black matpe beans (urad daal in Hindi, uluththam paruppu in Tamil)
  • Pinch asafoetida
  • 3-4 dried red chilies
  • 3-4 Thai or Indian green chilies or serrano chilies
  • 4 Tbsp coconut
  • 1 tsp cumin seeds
• Vegetables:
  • 1/2 cup ash gourd or white melon, cut in to cubes ((alternately use chayote squash)
  • 1/2 cup green beans, cut in to 1 inch pieces
  • 1 medium potato, cut in to cubes
  • 1/4 cup shelled green peas
  • Pinch turmeric
• Tempering:
  • 1 Tbsp vegetable oil
  • 1 tsp mustard seeds
  • 2 sprigs of curry leaves
• Salt to taste

Method:

• Whisk the yogurt until smooth and set aside
• Wash and soak the yellow lentils and red gram lentils in water to cover for about an hour
• Heat oil in a small pan. When hot, add the fenugreek seeds and urad daal and cook on low heat until golden brown
• Grind together the soaked lentils, fenugreek seeds, urad daal, asafoetida, red chilies, green chilies, coconut and cumin seeds with a little water. Set aside
• Heat some water in a pot and add the vegetables, turmeric and a dash of salt. Cover and cook on low heat until the vegetables are soft but not mushy, ~10 - 15 mins
• Add the whisked yogurt and raise the heat to medium and let it froth a bit and switch off heat
• To make the oil tempering: Heat the vegetable oil in a small pan, add mustard seeds. Switch off heat when the seeds start popping and add the curry leaves
• Dump the tempering into the yogurt gravy, and adjust salt to taste
• Serve immediately with freshly cooked white rice and crisp appalams (also called pappadums)