Mulaku curry/pickle

Mulaku curry/pickle

Another nostalgic curry/pickle preserved during hostel days. While my buddies celebrate home-made dishes for Sunday night meal, I would have my Amma’s special mulaku curry. What I know is a highly skilled recipe of amma which she recollects it back to her grandmother copied from a brahmin neighbour while they were in vaikom.

Till the knot tied around my neck, I refrained from chopping for this mulaku curry. Actually it is preserved as a pickle but for my foodie it’s one-time recipe. Oooh! It burns!

Ingredients:

Onion – 2 chopped

Shallots /small onion – 5 chopped

Green chillies – 5-7 chopped

Chilli powder – 1 tsp

Turmeric powder – 1 tsp

Dosa podi – 1 tsp

Jaggery – a small piece (if required)

Tamarind – lemon size (soak and extract the juice)

Mustard seeds – ½ tsp

Salt – as required

Water – if required

Coconut oil – 2 tbsp

Curry leaves – a sprig

Method:

Heat coconut oil in a pan and add mustard seeds. Allow it to be tempered and add chopped chillies. Toast and mix well for few minutes. 

Now add chopped onion on medium heat. Be patient... stay with it... don’t allow it to burn. Sprinkle salt water. Toast until it gets light brown colored.

Now reduce the flame - add chilli powder and dosa podi, mix well. Add tamarind juice to the mixture and stir well. Taste it to get the proportion of chilli, tamarind and salt is equal to your taste buds. Add turmeric and allow the mixture to boil. Add curry leaves and serve with Rice, Dosa and Idili.

Note: coconut oil reduces the extreme level of ‘hotness’ of chilli. Add jaggery if required. This can be preserved in air tight containers for long travel meals.