Majjige HuLi With Mangalore Southekayi

Majjige HuLi, steamed rice, a blog err blob of pickle, Corn and Carrot Kosumbari and Chili bhajji, that's a Bangalore Mini Meal!

Majjige HuLi has been on the wedding menu of almost all the weddings I have attended so far here in Blr.

With the 7-day recipe marathon hosted on One Hot Stove I knew it was time to give it a try.

Majjige HuLi translates to Buttermilk Sour, the sour refers to the curry ofcourse. I used this recipe. It turned out really tasty.

I started off with plans of a Majjige HuLi with Madras cucumber in my earlier post on that special Sambhar with the cucumber. Then D, my dear friend tells me this Madras cucumber is also called Mangalore Southekayi. Thought this post would sound more authentic with the Mangalore Southekayi. No fusion brought in even in the name by moi Maharashtrian. Essentially like GOD with all possible names is still the same. Call it Madras cucumber or Mangalore southekayi it is the same form. Don't know if they worship it in these individual regions ;)!

She went on to educate me that it is one of the few vegetables which stays good in the tropical climate of Mangalore and is used widely in many preparations besides Sambar. By now I needn't say she hails from Mangalore, you got it!

This curry is a good change from the dals & Kadhis that I am used to. It is going to be made often in my kitchen now with different vegetables. I have eaten one with Ridge gourd at our friend Ashwath Narayan and Parimala aunty's home.

Most of the traditional cooks chop the vegetables into large chunks on the pretext that the gourds which are so popular for this may crumble into the curry. I infact disagree with that. The curry is just about brought to a boil. So there is no chance of vegetables loosing their identity in there. So I gave the Anjali touch to it. The HuLi stands out with 1/4 inch slices of the cooking cucumber. It is a delicately flavored curry and a little more delicate handling of veggies will only enhance its beauty when plated.

See I told you!

I did not want to repeat the recipe here but this little procedure is important so I'll go all the way enumerating my tweaking. I skipped the turmeric in the original recipe as I have never seen turmeric or tasted it in any Majjige HuLi I have eaten so far.

Ingredients

1/2 Madras Cucumber/ Mangalore Southekayi
300 ml sour curd
2 teaspoon oil
4-5 curry leaves
handful chopped fresh cilantro
1/4 teaspoon asafoetida
1/2 teaspoon mustard seeds
salt to taste

For the masala

1/2 cup grated coconut
1 green chili
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
1 teaspoon coriander powder
2 teaspoons Roasted split chickpeas/ Kadale bele/ DahaLe in Marathi
1 inch piece of ginger
2-3 pepper corns

Prepare the masala first. Grind together all the items with a bit of water to get a smooth paste. Keep aside.

Beat the curd in a bowl and add enough water to get buttermilk of medium consistency fit for a curry.

Now in a pot, heat 1 teaspoon oil. Add the sliced cucumber. Stir for a min. Add water just to cover it and let it cook until pale. Now add the masala paste. Follow in with the buttermilk. Stir to homogenize. Leave it on heat for 10 mins. and just as it starts boiling put it off.

Make the seasonings with mustard seeds, asafoetida, curry leaves. Pour over the boiling curry and cover.

The aroma of fresh ground ginger, cumin and coriander powder permeates the entire home. People are pulled in to the kitchen like a magnet. "Something different today?" Yes a white curry. Hope you like it!