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Majjiga pulusu
Buttermilk curry with ash gourd
మజ్జిగ పులుసు: Andhra buttermilk curry with ash gourd and a coconut, chana dal and ginger paste
Majjiga pulusu is the cooling yogurt curry of Andhra Pradesh, cooked in summer when the buttermilk at home turns a little sour. Unlike Gujarati kadhi, it isn't thickened with gram flour: soaked chana dal is ground with coconut, ginger, green chillies and cumin, stirred into the curd, and simmered gently with soft pieces of ash gourd (or okra, or chayote). It's mild, tangy and creamy, and eaten mixed into rice with a fried vegetable or fritter on the side, especially at Telugu wedding meals. Chef's tip: whisk the yogurt until completely smooth before it goes near the heat; lumpy yogurt splits much more easily.
- Total time
- 30 min
- Difficulty
- easy
- Serves
- 4
Ingredients
For the paste
- 1 tbsp chana dalsoaked for 20 minutes
- 1 ⅜ oz fresh grated coconut
- ¾ in fresh ginger
- 1 tsp cumin seeds
- 1 tsp raw ricesoaked with the dal
- ¼ cup water
For the curry
- 9 oz ash gourd (white pumpkin) or chayotepeeled and cut into 2 cm cubes
- 1 ¼ cups water
- ¼ tsp ground turmeric
- 14 oz sour plain yogurt
- 1 ¼ tsp salt
- 2 tbsp fresh corianderchopped
For the tempering
- 1 tbsp groundnut oil
- ½ tsp mustard seeds
- ¼ tsp fenugreek seeds
- 2 dried red chilliesbroken
- ¼ tsp gluten-free asafoetida
- 10 curry leaves
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Method
0/6 doneStep 1: Drain 1 tbsp chana dal and 1 tsp raw rice and grind with 1 ⅜ oz fresh grated coconut, 3 green chillies, ¾ in fresh ginger, 1 tsp cumin seeds and ¼ cup water to a very smooth paste.
Step 2: Simmer 9 oz ash gourd (white pumpkin) or chayote with 1 ¼ cups water and ¼ tsp ground turmeric in a pan over a medium heat for 8–10 minutes until it turns translucent and a knife slides through easily.
10 minStep 3: Whisk 14 oz sour plain yogurt in a bowl until completely smooth, then whisk in the coconut paste and 1 ¼ tsp salt.
Step 4: Turn the heat to low and pour the yogurt mixture into the pan, stirring all the time. Heat gently for 5–6 minutes, still stirring, until it's steaming, frothy at the edges and thickened slightly. Common mistake: letting it boil hard; the yogurt curdles into grainy specks. Take it off when the first small bubbles appear.
6 minStep 5: Heat 1 tbsp groundnut oil in a small pan over a medium heat. Add ½ tsp mustard seeds; when it crackles, add ¼ tsp fenugreek seeds and 2 dried red chillies and fry until the fenugreek turns reddish, then add ¼ tsp gluten-free asafoetida and 10 curry leaves. Pour over the curry.
1 minStep 6: Stir in 2 tbsp fresh coriander and serve warm with rice.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 170 kcal
- Protein
- 7 g
- Carbs
- 13 g
- Fat
- 10 g
- Fibre
- 2 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does majjiga pulusu take?
- About 30 minutes in total: 10 minutes to prepare and 20 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 4 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegetarian?
- Yes. It has no meat or fish.
- Is it gluten free?
- Yes, as written. Check the labels on stock, sauces and spice mixes, which sometimes contain gluten.
- What can I use instead of fresh ginger?
- ¼ tsp ground ginger per tbsp fresh (add it with the spices).
- What can I use instead of cumin seeds?
- Ground cumin, three quarters of the amount (add it with the other ground spices, not to hot oil first).
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