Pulissery or Moru Curry is served in a typical Kerala sadya or Onam sadya towards the end of the meal. While the more popular Pulissery recipe is Mambazha Pulissery, made with ripe mangoes giving the curry a sweet-sour flavour, my favourite kind uses a gourd of some kind or yam (chena). I really wanted to make a Kerala meal for lunch this weekend and specifically shopped for ingredients to make Pulissery recipe since it’s so easy and oh so Keralan.
Pulissery is a spiced buttermilk curry with a coconut base. The coconut is ground with spices much like for thoran but the curry is sour (puli=sourness) due to the yogurt we add in. I have seen many variations of Pulissery depending on the region and community in Kerala one comes from and I have made this based on my memories of last eating it and what ingredients I had in hand.
You can make pulissery with ripe mangoes (mambazha pulissery), yam, raw banana or vazhakka pulissery, any type of gourd like ash gourd, taro or chembu, which is what I used. Depending on the type of chillies you use, your pulissery can range in colour from a mild yellow to a dark orange. I absolutely love this curry with rice and can’t imagine why I don’t make it more often.
Here’s our lunch plate on Sunday. I made pulissery, kovakka thoran, Kerala-style potato roast or mezhukkupuratti, and we had it with store-bought banana chips. Delicious!
Here’s a list of Onam Sadya Recipes for to make your Onam preps easier.
Pulissery recipe
Ingredients
- 1/3 cup of peeled washed, and cubed taro (chembu)
- 1/2 cup of yogurt or plain curd the more sour it is, the better
For grinding:
- 1/2 cup of fresh or frozen coconut
- 1/2 tsp of cumin seeds jeerakam
- 1 shallot ulli, chinna vengayam
- 1/2 tsp of red chilli powder
- 1/4 tsp of turmeric powder
For tempering:
- 1 tsp of coconut oil
- 1/2 tsp of black mustard seeds
- 4-5 grains of fenugreek seeds or uluva optional
- 1 red chilli torn into pieces
- A few curry leaves
Instructions
- Cook the taro in about 1 cup water until soft.
- Meanwhile, grind the coconut+cumin+shallot+turmeric+chilli powder to a smooth paste adding water
- When the taro has cooked (check if it breaks apart easily when you press with the back of a spoon or your fingertips), add the ground coconut paste to it and simmer for 3-4 mins.
- Meanwhile, beat the curd with 1/2 cup water until smooth. When the taro-coconut mixture has simmered for about 4 mins, turn off flame and add the beaten curd. Mix well.
- Heat oil in a small pan for tempering. Add the mustard seeds, fenugreek seeds (if using), red chillies, and curry leaves.
- When the mustard seeds pop, add the tempered ingredients to the curry. Mix well, add salt, and keep closed for the flavours to mingle until serving time.
Step by Step Pulissery Recipe:
1. Cook the taro in about 1 cup water until soft.
2. Meanwhile, grind the coconut+cumin+shallot+turmeric+chilli powder to a smooth paste adding water
3. When the taro has cooked (check if it breaks apart easily when you press with the back of a spoon or your fingertips), add the ground coconut paste to it and simmer for 3-4 mins.
4. Meanwhile, beat the curd with 1/2 cup water until smooth. When the taro-coconut mixture has simmered for about 4 mins, turn off flame and add the beaten curd. Mix well.
5. Heat oil in a small pan for tempering. Add the mustard seeds, fenugreek seeds (if using), red chillies, and curry leaves.
6. When the mustard seeds pop, add the tempered ingredients to the curry. Mix well, add salt, and keep closed for the flavours to mingle until serving time.
NOTES:
- You can grind 1 or 2 green chillies with the coconut instead of chilli powder. This will give your pulissery a milder colour
- You can grind ginger or garlic (or both) with the coconut mixture
- Add some sliced shallots or ulli along with the ingredients while tempering. This will give your pulissery a nice flavour. It’s up to personal taste though
- Pulissery is one of the components of an Onam Sadya you can make ahead or even the day before. Make sure to refrigerate as soon as it has cooled down and don’t reheat it (or the curd will curdle). Just leave it out an hour or two before serving and let it come to room temperature
- If you don’t have sour curd, the pulissery won’t have an authentic taste. It will still taste great though
- Adjust the amount of water to get a thicker or thinner pulissery. I like mine on the runny side
- You can use ash gourd, pumpkin, raw banana, raw papaya, ripe mangoes, taro, yam, etc to make pulissery
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