Mor (or Moar or More) Kuzhambu is a yoghurt based dish of South India, forming a wonderful spiced yoghurt gravy that is delicious served over rice. In this recipe, ladyfingers (okra) are sauteed until crisp and then added to the yoghurt sauce. It is a flavoursome use of okra, and the crispiness contrasts beautifully with the silkiness of the yoghurt sauce.

The yoghurt is flavoured with a coconut flavoured spice paste which also contains rice flour. The rice flour helps to stabilise the yoghurt so it doesn’t split, and will slightly thicken the yoghurt sauce.

Find out what Kuzhambu is here.

Are you after similar dishes? Try Mor Kuzhambu with Lentil Dumplings, Moar Kuzhambu with Vatral or Vegetables, and another version of Mor Kuzhambu with Lentil Dumplings.

Similar Okra dishes include Sri Lankan Okra Curry.

Or browse all of our Kuzhambu recipes, and all of our Indian dishes. All of our Okra dishes are here, and our Yoghurt recipes are here. Or spend some time browsing our Mid Winter collection of dishes.

Vendakkai Mor Kuzhambu | Okra in a Spicy Yoghurt Sauce

ingredients

250g okra

2 cups yoghurt, beaten with 0.5 cups water

pinch asafoetida

8 – 10 curry leaves

sea salt to taste

2 Tblspn ghee

spice paste/ masala

1.5 Tblspn rice flour

0.75 cup coconut, grated (use frozen if you can’t find fresh)

1 Tblspn coriander seeds

1 Tblspn cumin seeds

2 – 3 green chillies, or to taste

0.25 tspn brown mustard seeds

0.5 tspn red gram (toor dal)

1 tspn Bengal gram (channa dal)

tadka

0.5 tspn brown mustard seeds

1 tspn ghee

method

To make the spice paste, first soak the spices with the toor dal and channa dal in 1 cup hot water for 30 minutes.

While the spices are soaking, rinse the okra and dry each one individually. Trim the tops and bottoms, and cut each one into 2 – 3 pieces, depending on size.

Heat the ghee in a kadhai or heavy pan and saute the okra for 3 or 4 minutes. Sprinkle a little water over the okra and put the lid on for 30 seconds. Now remove the lid, gently stir the okra, and cook for another 3 -4 minutes until they are crisped and browned. Remove to a plate and keep aside.

Now blend the soaking spices with the coconut and rice flour, grinding to a fine paste.

Add this to the yoghurt and heat gently in the kadhai over a medium flame for 3 – 4 minutes, stirring gently. Add the okra without stirring yet.

Make the tadka. In a small pan heat the tspn ghee and add the mustard seeds. Pour onto the okra and yoghurt sauce. Add the wet and crushed curry leaves and mix together gently.

Serve over hot rice as a meal, or as a vegetable side dish.