Manakkum Morkuzhambu

Being married into an Iyengar family it is inevitable that I come across the Morkuzhambu parupusili combo. I was never a gr8 fan of Morkuzhambu :-) but the more I had it and the more I seemed to love it. After I started cooking, I thought let me try and do the Morkuzhambu and see how it comes. I made it first for our wedding anniversary last year and it came out quite well. Next thought was why not try parupusili as well and viola I was able to do both with gr8 taste!! There are different variations and ways in which you could do Morkuzhambu but the one I have mastered for now is as below -

Ingredients -
1. Thick Curd/Yogurt - 1 cup
2. Water - 1 and 1/2 cups (For those who like it watery feel free to add more water)
3. LadiesFinger/ Okra - 10 pieces (Other veggies like pumpkin, chow chow, Eggplant/Kathrikaai can also be used for thaan)
4. Curry Leaves
5. Mustard Seeds
6. Oil - 1 tbsp
7. Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp 
8. Mustard Seeds - 1/4 tsp
8. Salt to taste

To Grind - Soak in very little water for 5 to 10 min
1. Thoor Dhal - 2 tsp (thuvaram paruppu)
2. Chana Dhal - 2 tsp (kadalai paruppu)
3. Coriander Seeds - 2 tsp (dhania/kothamalli varai)
4. Cumin Seeds - 1 tsp
5. Red Chili - 3
6. Green chili - 1
7. Little bit of ginger for taste and digestion

Method -
1. Add water to the curd and make it into Mor which is the base for our kuzhambu, based on the consistency you want to have. Add the turmeric powder to the Mor
2. Fry the Okra until they shrink and become dark drown in color.
3. Grind the soaked thoor dhal, chana dhal, coriander seeds, cumin seeds, red, chili, green chili and ginger into a fine paste.
4. In a small saucepan add a little oil, mustard seeds and curry leaves. Once the mustard seeds start popping, add the Mor, fried Okra, salt and the paste and Mix well.
5. Take it off from the stove once it starts to boil. Delicious Mor Kuzhambu is now ready to be served.

Now coming to the Beans Parupusli which goes very well with the Vendekaai Morkuzhambu :-)

Ingredients -
1. Chopped Beans - 2 cups (Other veggies like green pepper/capsicum, vaazhaipu, kothavaranga can also be used)
2. Oil - 1 tbsp
3. Mustard Seeds - 1/4 tsp
4. Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp
5. Salt to taste

To Grind -
1. Thoor Dhal - 3/4 cup (Soak in luke warm water for an hour)
2. Red Chili - 8

Method -
1. Boil the beans in water containing salt and turmeric powder in stove or microwave.
2. Grind the Thoor dhal and Red chili with salt.
3. Place the ground paste in idli plates and steam it in cooker for 20 minutes.
4. Wait for the steamed dhal to cool down them crumple it into as many small pieces as possible.
5. In a sautepan/kadai heat the oil and add the mustard seeds. Once the mustard seeds start to pop, add the crumpled dhal and beans and fry for 5 minutes.
6. Hot parupusili is now ready to be served.

Mor kuzhambu and parupusili combination is one of those superb delights for the tongue and pretty good from the health part as well as u don't use tamarind as the base. So Relish and Enjoy!!!