Friday, August 3, 2018

I know a shortcut



So I am a little (ok a lot) schizophrenic when it comes to my comfort food choices...one day it might be me craving  Dalma + Quinoa ( Dalma Bhato - the quintessential Oriya comfort food of Dal Chawal), the next I would be absolutely craving Dahi+ Quinoa (Thayir Sadaam - the universal south indian comfort food of Yogurt and Rice with a dash of pickle)...but for me one of the hands down favorite foods that I crave at all times is Kadhi in any form - Punjabi Kadhi, Dahi Kadi Oriya Style or  Mor Kuzhambu ( better known as South Indian Kadhi). I tried making Mor Kuzhambu from scratch multiple times and honestly my end product didn't remind me of what I ate in my friend Lal's mom's kitchen. Then my friend Pri suggested the Grand Snacks Mor Kuzhambu mix and there has honestly been no looking back for me.




What you need

  1. 1 Cup Thick Yogurt or 1.5 Cups Kefir ( I use Trader Joe's organic European style non-fat or 1% Plain Kefir)
  2. 2 Tablespoons (or to taste) - Grand Snacks Mor Kuzhambu Mix (I found this at my local indian store)
  3. 1 Cup - Peeled and Chopped Opo Squash (from the farmer's market)
  4. 1 Cup Water
  5. Salt or Liquid Aminos to Taste ( I used Salt today!)
To Cook 
  1. In your Instant Pot - add the Chopped Opo Squash, Water and the Mor Kuzhambu Mix. Stir Well
  2. Now turn the IP to Manual, High Pressure for 4 minutes NR (no release)
  3. Open the IP and add in the Kefir/Yogurt and Salt to taste. 
  4. I garnished my mor kuzhambu with curry leaves (from my garden) that I microwaved with a spray of coconut oil (45 seconds)
I add more water/kefir/ yogurt depending on thickness I want - I found out it's a personal preference. Some people like it thinner while others like it thicker. I enjoy my bowl of Mor Kuzhambu with cooked quinoa and some stir fried Kothavarangai Poriyal (it's the season right now for this vegetable cluster beans in our Farmer's Market but it's on the expensive side at $6/pound :-) - Ask me about the time I got almost 2 lbs of it and really messed up the recipe...now I stick to my tried and tested Poriyal recipe).

This recipe took me less than 10 minutes to execute and tastes so much better than my stove top version which takes me at least 20-25 minutes to make (might be 15 minutes if you add in chopping the Opo Squash but I do my food prep in advance to make my week easier).

So are we going to take this short cut together?

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