A year ago, I became very intrigued by the many traditional recipes which are a part of the cuisine of Kongunadu. Summer, back in the day was a time meant for long afternoon naps, vetiver visiris and to teach children how to swim in the fresh water wells.
A year ago, I became very intrigued by the many traditional recipes which are a part of the cuisine of Kongunadu. Summer, back in the day was a time meant for long afternoon naps, vetiver visiris and to teach children how to swim in the fresh water wells. Fuss free meals helped the body acclimatise to the soaring temperatures without needing an air conditioner.
The enterprising women folk also came up with novel ways of turning the same ingredients into dishes which looked and tasted different. The mor kali (kazhi) is a prime example of one such dish. It is a simple dish, made with humble ingredients but is packed with flavour.
The authentic way of making this is to soak par boiled rice for a few hours and grind it to a fine batter. After allowing the batter to ferment overnight, water and curd are mixed in to accentuate the sourness. Any sort of kool or kazhi is like a porridge that is cooked until it thickens and comes away from the sides of the pan. The technique when done right allows the mixture to retain a soft bounciness while not being sticky.
So while I was very familiar with ragi kool or kazhi (ragi porridge) while growing up, I hadn’t heard of a mor kali which is regularly cooked in the households of Tamil Nadu. My mother had eaten it often at the home of a relative but hadn’t tried making it.
Anyway, the first time I made it was as a starter with a dollop of thick spiced curd, topped with a fried vendaikkai (ladysfinger) vatthal. We served it in these small bio-degradable curved bamboo containers. When people asked me what it was and I explained the concept of the mor kali, they were truly fascinated but also found the process time consuming.
Fermentation which is a huge part of our cooking traditions is instrumental in helping the gut bacteria thrive and thereby keeping the digestive system in optimum working condition. That’s why curd is such an important part of our daily diet !
Since my articles primarily aim at getting people to cook, tasty, simple and healthy meals for the family, I decided to look for an easier alternative to making the mor kali. My research involved not just thumbing through books or searching the internet but also talking to home cooks who were experts in typical Tamil cuisine.
I was quite surprised to hear that many of the home cooks had indeed found a quicker method of making the mor kali by substituting rice flour for the fermented rice batter. Some were also making the mor kali using millet flour. There were a few things I had to consider before opting for this alternative.
If one is to choose the easier option how do we retain the the nutritive properties ?
After some thinking, we thought the best way to make this “quick mor kali” was to use an organic rice flour made with an indigenous rice grain like mapillai samba, thuya malli etc. The use of home made buttermilk to make the mor kali batter was also another positive. Another ingredient that is special to this recipe is the mor molagai. (buttermilk cured and sun-dried chillies)
I also like to add generous portions of lentils and spices when making the mor kali. The texture they add to this buttermilk and rice batter makes it a lot tastier. My mother even asked me why the mor kali I make is peppered with so many bits instead of looking stark white, I simply nodded and asked her to taste. She would have preferred less of the mor molagai, she said but thought it was tasty.
It can be eaten as is warm or allowed to cool and cut into squares. This simple unpretentious snack is perfect for mid-morning and tea time and the youngest in my home is also in agreement (for once !!!)
Recipe for Mor kali (kazhi)
Rice flour-1 cup
Buttermilk-2 Cups
Curry leaves-a few
Mor molagai-2/3
Mor molagai fried and crushed into a powder-2 (optional)
Kadalai paruppu (Bengal gram)-1 tsp
Mustard seeds-1/4 tsp
Dried red chillies (gundu milagai)-3
Nallennai (cold pressed sesame oil)-2 Tbsp
Method
Whisk the rice flour and buttermilk in a bowl until the batter is smooth
Take a large pan and add the oil.
Set on low heat. Add the mustard seeds.When they crackle, add the Bengal gram, dried red chillies, mor molagai and curry leaves and saute’.
Add the rice and buttermilk batter to the pan and stir to mix.
Keep stirring until the batter thickens and starts coming together, away from the sides of the pan.
To check if it’s well cooked, wet the hands and touch the mixture with damp fingertips. If the batter does not stick to the fingers, it’s done.
Take the pan off the heat and pour into a greased dish. Let it cool before cutting into squares.
Sprinkle the fried and crushed mor molagai on the top before serving.