Growing up this used to be one of my favorite meals that Amma would make. She would make this mor kozhumbu and we would have it with rice and a side of parupu usilli. This is such a refreshing meal!
I don't usually tend to make it on my busy weeknights. Since it involves soaking and grinding. But even on my non busy days, I have come up with some shortcuts by using my Instant Pot (IP). Traditionally one would boil the veggies and cook them that way. But to save time I just cook the veggies in IP, for ZERO minutes! I will suggest some other tips to save time as we go along!
You will need:
Ground Paste:
1 tbsp toor dal
1 tsp coriander seeds
1/2 tsp cumin seeds
1/2 tsp raw rice
2 green chillies
1 inch ginger
1/4 cup desiccated coconut (I used frozen)
1/4 cup water
Tempering
1 tbsp oil
1 tsp mustard seeds
1/2 tsp asafoetida/hing
1-2 red chillies
3-4 curry leaves
Seasonings:
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
salt per taste
Veggies:
2 cups winter melon/white pumpkin diced
You could use other veggies like chayote squash, okra, eggplant. You can even use balls of ground steamed lentils (check out recipe for parupu usilli in my blog) instead of any veggies.
Curry base:
1 cup yoghurt, whisked to a smooth consistency
Method:
We will start by soaking the toor dal, coriander seeds, raw rice in water for 30 minutes.
TIP:
If use hot water to soak then you could soak for just 20 minutes!
While that is soaking, heat oil in IP in saute mode. Add the tempering ingredients and wait for them to splatter. Add the veggies, saute with the turmeric. Add 1/2 cup water to this. Close the lid of IP. Set the valve to sealed position. Cook at manual high pressure for "0" (ZERO) minutes. Wait for natural pressure release.
Once the above mix is soaked, add the green chillies, ginger, coconut and grind all these to a smooth ground paste.
Mix this paste with the yoghurt to form a uniform paste.
Add this paste to the cooked veggies in the IP. To adjust the consistency you can add 1-2 cups of water. Add salt per your taste. Let this curry/kozhumbu come to a boil.
Serve this with rice and a side of parupu usilli.
ENJOY!
