Morekali (a savory pudding with buttermilk)

We have moved to http://www.ruchikacooks.com. Check our latest posts and recipes Here

I came back from my classes yesterday and I was really hungry as I did not have a proper lunch. I was not in the mood to eat dinner at 6 pm or to munch a  heavy snack. Yet I wanted something filling and light. And in times like these, my choice is morekali. More in tamil means buttermilk and kali is a mushy-pudding like dish which can be sweet or savory.

Frankly speaking, morekali is something you can make even if you dont have any ingredients. It can be prepared in 5-7 minutes and the tangy taste of buttermilk with chilies and curry leaves makes it unique . Sometimes I make morekali for a quick breakfast around 10 am or so if I have missed the regular breakfast time and still want to eat something.

For people who are worried about table manners..I am sorry, you are not lucky enough to taste morekali. Because, the best way to enjoy morekali is to spread the steaming kali onto the plate and to scoop it with your fingers and slowly chew it, tasting the spicy oil and feeling the warmth of the morekali. The red chilies would release their juices into the buttermilk-flour mixture  giving it a nice color and adding its kick of spice. Its a ooey-gooey dish so dont keep cooking the morekali till its stiff 🙂

Ingredients (Fills up one full 200ml cup)

Yogurt- 1/4 cup

Rice flour- 3/4 cup

Water- 1.25 cups

Salt to taste

For tempering:

Finely chopped green chilies- 2

Red chilies-2

Chopped ginger- 1 tsp

Curry leaves a few

Sesame oil- 1 tsp

Mustard seeds- 1/2 tsp

Chana dal- 1 tsp

Asafoetida- 1 pinch

Method:

Whisk yogurt, water, salt and rice flour together.

Heat  sesame oil in a non stick kadai and add asafoetida and mustard seeds. When the mustard seeds splutter, add chana dal, curry leaves, red chilies, chopped ginger and green chilies. Quickly saute them for a minute. Now pour the yogurt-riceflour mix into this pan and keep stirring.

Reduce the flame to a low-medium and make sure that the yogurt-flour mixture is not sticking to the sides of the pan. If it sticks, lightly scrap the pan and add it back to the bubbling mixture. Wait till you can see a shiny gloss on top and you cannot smell the raw flour( wait till flour is cooked through).  This usually takes about 5 minutes.

Switch off. Spread the morekali on to a plate. Morekali tastes good when its warm so eat it as soon as possible. There is no need for any side dish or pickles. You can get the spice from the oils released by the chilies.