Morkuzhambu, better known to the others as “Kadi”, is a typical kerala gravy thats very fabulously easy to make as well as bursting with flavours. It can be made with any vegetable in it, typically with ash gourd or plantain, and definitely seasoned with “manathangalikka vethal” or “sundakkai vethal” but I vary the vegetables  with mango, spinach etc. I don’t for the life of me understand whats with me and mangoes….I love to add it to any dish for a kick of flavour and fun.

In those days, when I was in school, Madaurai amma would make Morkuzhambu and that day typically the best side would be Ulundhu Appalam or better still Ambika Appalam Depot`s Marachini Appalam. We would take the appalam and crush it in the rice completely and mix  it in to find little specks of appalam soaked in the gravy……Still YUM!!! These days on account of health, I have saved Appalam days to probably 5-6 times a year like Avani Avittam, Vishu and the likes. This is still Madurai amma`s method of making it and it never fails to remind me of her healthy wholesome cooking when I was a student….Without further delay,here goes the recipe…

INGREDIENTS:

Half a Mango cut in to big pieces say in to 8 -10 pieces.

3 spoons of bengal gram soaked in water for 20 minutes.

1/3 cup of dessicated /fresh coconut.

4 -6 green chillies.

Salt

Curry Leaves.

Manathangalikka Vethal.(Optional)

A pinch of Hing.

2/3 cup of thick buttermilk or slightly diluted curd.

PREPERATION:

• In a copper bottomed vessel, place the mango pieces and add a little water and boil with some salt and turmeric. Switch off for a few seconds.
• Grind the coconut, green chillies and  soaked bengal gram to a smooth paste.
• Add this groound paste to the cooked mango. Add salt, hing, curry leaves, buttermilk and switch on the stove on medium low.
• Be very careful as the buttermilk might curdle.
• At the first boil, switch off the stove. In a kadai, add 2 spoons on coconut oil and when hot add mustard, manathangalikkai vethal and curry leaves and pour it on the morkozhambu.
• Serve with rice and appalam. It`s also an excellent side for Coconut Sevai.

HINT:

Manathangalikka Vethal is a completely optional seasoning. If not available, you can also use “Mor Molaga” or “Thayir Molaga” or even any spicy vethal.