Mor Kuzhambu/Buttermilk Kulambu/Buttermilk Soup

This dish was developed purely out of necessity as a utilitarian dish in our villages when they had plenty of milk and yogurt without much of a distribution or refrigeration system. Typically, when yogurt was getting old, they needed to utilize it rather urgently. The result was a superb, and yet a simple dish. By design, they used only sour yogurt that gave the dish its characteristic taste and its lingering tang. However, the biggest problem is that when the yogurt is heated, it curdles and separates as the denatured milk protein starts to separate from the liquid (whey). This can be prevented using a combination of slow (low heat) cooking, a high fat yogurt, and by adding some starch. The Instant Pot (IP) is fantastic for low heat cooking and this recipe is guaranteed to keep the yogurt intact!

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Mor Kuzhambu/Buttermilk Kulambu/Buttermilk Soup

Course

Vegetable Stew

Cuisine

Indian

Prep Time

10 minutes

Cook Time

40 minutes

Passive Time

5 minutes

Servings

people

Ingredients

• 2 Chayote/Chow chow Peeled, seed removed and cut into small cubes 1 cup.
• 3 cups Yogurt Whisked and diluted
• 3 tsp Salt to taste
• Water – see directions below

For Grinding

• 3 Green chile Serrano pepper medium size
• 2 tsp Toor dhal Pigeon pea
• 2 tsp Chana dhal Chana dhal/Bengal gram/split chickpeas
• 2 tsp Cumin seeds Jeera
• 1.5 tsp Raw rice
• 1/2 tsp Ginger
• 1/2 cup Shredded Coconut

Dry Spices

• 2 Red chile Whole dried
• 1 tsp Mustard Seeds
• 1.5 tsp Urad Dhal Urd dhal/black gram/white lentil
• 1/4 tsp Hing /asofoetida powder
• 4 Curry leaves washed
• 1 tbsp Vegetable oil

Course Vegetable Stew Cuisine Indian Prep Time 10 minutes Cook Time 40 minutes Passive Time 5 minutes Servings people Ingredients 2 Chayote/Chow chow Peeled, seed removed and cut into small cubes 1 cup. 3 cups Yogurt Whisked and diluted 3 tsp Salt to taste Water – see directions below For Grinding 3 Green chile Serrano pepper medium size 2 tsp Toor dhal Pigeon pea 2 tsp Chana dhal Chana dhal/Bengal gram/split chickpeas 2 tsp Cumin seeds Jeera 1.5 tsp Raw rice 1/2 tsp Ginger 1/2 cup Shredded Coconut Dry Spices 2 Red chile Whole dried 1 tsp Mustard Seeds 1.5 tsp Urad Dhal Urd dhal/black gram/white lentil 1/4 tsp Hing /asofoetida powder 4 Curry leaves washed 1 tbsp Vegetable oil

Instructions

1. Wash and soak the ingredients for grinding (without the coconut) for at least an hour. Grind them into a paste and add the shredded coconut and grind them all together for a few more seconds. Set the paste aside.
2. Plug in the IP, press ‘sauté’ and ‘adjust’ to change the digital display to ‘more.’ This is the high setting for sauté.
3. Pour the contents (except the curry leaves) of the dry spices into the IP Inner Pot (put the spices in one small area of the pan). Pour the vegetable oil over the spices (just enough to soak the spices plus a little more).
4. When you first hear the sound of the mustard seed "popping," add the curry leaves. Add the cut chayote into the inner pot, add salt and add ¼ cup of water to moisten the mixture. Cook the vegetable until it is partially cooked (until it is just starting to get soft) and press ‘cancel’ to shut down the heating. Turn on the IP to ‘slow cooking’ high and set the time for 30 minutes.
5. Add the paste and three cups of water and mix them well with the other contents of the pot. Finally, add the yogurt and gently stir all of the contents well once. Close the IP and ensure the steam release to the venting position. Periodically check to see if the chayote is cooking well.
6. Once the time runs out, press ‘cancel’ and unplug the IP.
7. Garnish the soup with cilantro.