Mor kuzhambu with steamed rice

Ingredients for 4 portions

• 1 tbspToor dal
• 1 tspRice, for the paste
• 500 gCurd, sour
• ≈ 250 mlWater, to whisk with the curd
• 300 gAsh gourd (winter melon), peeled, in 2 cm cubes
• ≈ 200 mlWater, to cook the ash gourd
• 3 mlTurmeric
• to tasteSalt
• 60 gGrated coconut
• 3Green chillies
• 10 gGinger
• 1 tspCumin, seeds
• 1 tspCoriander seeds (sabut dhania)
• 1 tbspCoconut oil
• 1 tspMustard seeds
• 1 mlFenugreek seeds
• 2Dried red chillies
• 1 sprigCurry leaves
• 1 mlHing (asafoetida)

On the side

• 350 gRice, sona masoori or ponni

Method

1. Soak the toor dal and the rice for the paste in a little warm water.
2. Wash the rice two or three times, put it in a pressure cooker with 2½ times its volume of water and cook for 3 whistles.
3. Let the rice cook, then leave it until the pressure drops by itself, about 20 minutes in all.
4. Peel the ash gourd, scoop out the seeds and cut it into 2 cm cubes.
5. Cook the ash gourd in a pan with its water, the turmeric and a pinch of salt, covered, for 8–10 minutes until translucent and tender.
6. Drain the dal and rice and grind them with the coconut, green chillies, ginger, cumin, coriander seeds and a little water into a smooth paste.
7. Whisk the curd with its water and a little salt until smooth.
8. Stir the paste into the ash gourd and simmer for 4–5 minutes until the raw smell goes.
9. Turn the flame to the lowest, pour in the curd and stir all the time until it just turns frothy at the edges. Don't let it boil or the curd will split. Switch off the flame.
10. Heat the coconut oil in a small pan and add the mustard seeds. When they splutter, add the fenugreek seeds, dried red chillies, curry leaves and hing and pour the tadka over the kuzhambu.
11. Serve with the hot rice.

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