Chembu Moru Curry - Taro Root Yogurt Curry

This Chembu Moru Curry also called Chembu Pulissery makes an appearance in the traditional Kerala feast called Sadya!

Tangy and creamy with just a touch of spice, Moru Curry or Pulissery, the mallu land (slang for Kerala) version of a kadhi / yogurt curry is a favorite comfort food of mine. The Northern Indian version of this, Kadhi, uses besan / garbanzo bean flour to thicken the yogurt sauce, where as the Southern Indian version uses freshly grated coconut ground to a fine smooth paste along with some spices, to thicken the yogurt sauce.

All in all, the tanginess of the yogurt and the mild spices play really well together, with such harmony, that makes you wanna get a second, third or even fourth helping.

Pulisseri is a favorite summer curry, as the yogurt acts as a coolant. A variety of vegetables can be used to make this curry, including mangoes, raw bananas / plantains, ripe plantains, cucumber, tomato, winter melon or taro, making it such a versatile and easy to make dish.

You can also try this Mambazha Pulisseri / Ripe Mango Curry or this Pazham Pulissery / Ripe Plantain Curry. I have a cucumber + tomato version coming up soon too!

You could also check out my collection of 35+ Kerala Sadya Recipes, all vegetarian!

Do you make moru curry at home? What is your favorite kind to make?

📖 Recipe

Cucumber Tomato Pulisseri - Vellarikka Thakkali Pulissery - Cucumber Tomato Yogurt Curry

Manju

A tangy and slightly spicy curry, packed with a ton of flavors from the coconut, cumin and chilies and the tomato and Indian yellow cucumber, this Cucumber Tomato Pulisseri / Vellarikka Pulissery with Tomato is a quick side to make to go with rice.

5 from 1 vote

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Prep Time 10 minutes mins

Cook Time 15 minutes mins

Total Time 25 minutes mins

Course Side Dish, Vegetable Curries

Cuisine Indian, Kerala

Servings 4 people

Calories 178 kcal

Ingredients

  

• 1 cup peeled and cubed yellow cucumber substitute with white pumpkin / ash gourd
• 1 ½ cups water
• 1 roma tomato chopped
• 1 teaspoon turmeric powder
• ½ teaspoon cayenne / red chillie powder
• salt to taste
• 2 cups sour yogurt

To grind to a smooth paste

• ½ cup grated fresh coconut (I buy the freshly frozen grated coconut from the local Indian store)
• 3 Thai green chillies
• 1 teaspoon cumin seeds

For tempering

• 1 tablespoon coconut oil
• 1 teaspoon brown mustard seeds
• 10 curry leaves
• 3 dried red chillies
• ½ teaspoon roasted and crushed fenugreek seeds

Don't forget to check out Step-by-step instructions with photos in the body of the post above

Instructions

 

• Cook the cucumber in water with the turmeric powder, cayenne and salt, till it gets just cooked. Add the tomatoes and cook for a couple of minutes, till it softens.
• While the cucumber and tomato is cooking, grind the coconut, green chillies and cumin to a very fine paste with a little water.
• Once the cucumber and tomato is cooked, add the coconut paste to it and bring it to a boil.
• Meanwhile, beat the yogurt well and keep it ready. Once the coconut - cucumber mixture comes to a boil, reduce the heat and add the yogurt to this, stirring constantly. Cook till steam comes from the pan and don't let the curry come to a boil or else the yogurt will separate. 
• Switch off the heat. In a smaller pan, heat the coconut oil and add the mustard seeds to it. Once the mustard seeds splutter, add the curry leaves, dried red chillies and the fenugreek powder. Switch off heat and pour this over the taro root curry. Close the pan with a lid, to let the curry absorb the flavors from the tempering.
• Mix well before serving and serve with hot rice and a side of vegetables.

Notes

The yogurt used has to be sour for the curry to be delicious. Keep the yogurt out from the refrigerator for a couple of hours for it to become a little sour.

📖 Recipe

Chembu Moru Curry

Manju

Chembu curry is taro root cooked with spices and simmered in a yogurt and coconut sauce and is a wonderful tangy and cooling accompaniment to rice, especially on hot summer days.

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Prep Time 5 minutes mins

Cook Time 20 minutes mins

Total Time 25 minutes mins

Course Vegetable Curries

Cuisine Indian - Kerala

Servings 8 servings

Calories 98 kcal

Ingredients

  

• 3-4 medium taro root / arbi / chembu
• ½ teaspoon turmeric powder
• ½ teaspoon red chili powder
• ½ cup grated coconut
• ½ teaspoon cumin seeds
• 2-3 green chillies
• 2-3 cups full fat yogurt
• salt to taste
• 1 tablespoon coconut oil
• ½ teaspoon mustard seeds
• 2 dried red chillies
• 7-8 curry leaves
• ¼ teaspoon fenugreek seeds roasted and crushed

Don't forget to check out Step-by-step instructions with photos in the body of the post above

Instructions

 

• Peel and wash the chembu well. Cut into one inch thick pieces.
• In a saucepan or a kadhai, add the cut chembu, turmeric powder and red chile powder along with 1 - 1 ½ cups water. Cover and cook for 10 mins or so, till the chembu is fork tender.
• While the chembu is cooking, add the grated coconut, cumin seeds and green chillies to a blender or mixie jar. Add a ¼ cup of water and grind to a smooth paste.
• Add this paste to the yogurt in a medium sized bowl and whisk well to combine.
• Once the chembu is cooked, add the coconut yogurt mixture to the pan. Add salt and mix well.
• Let it cook for a couple of mins on medium heat. Keep the heat low to medium so that the yogurt does not separate. Turn off the heat.
• Heat oil in a small saucepan or a tadka pan. Add the mustard seeds to it. Once it splutters, add the dried red chillies and the curry leaves. Turn off the heat and add the crushed fenugreek.
• Pour this over the chembu curry and close the pan right away for the flavors to steep into the curry.

Keyword chembu moru curry, taro root yogurt curry