Padavalanga mooru curry (Snake gourd and yoghurt curry)

We love yoghurt. Period.

We almost always have a stash in the fridge and can easily go through a pot in two days. That said, I have never tried making yoghurt at home and have to depend on the store bought ones (which is not bad at all)

So when YoghurtDirect sent me the Easiyo yoghurt maker to review, I was excited. I'd never tried making yoghurt  at home and this was going to be fun. The yoghurt maker promises fresh yoghurt with three easy steps and makes use of the finest quality New Zealand milk powder, available in a range of plain and flavoured varieties (of course with varying or lower fat contents as well). The instructions were really easy to follow and on a cold night I set about making my first yoghurt.

From the two sachets I ordered, I tried the Full Fat Greek Yoghurt and kept the Sweet Forest Fruits sachet for another day. Followed the manual to the dot, kept it to set overnight and by next morn I had a kilo of perfectly set Greek yoghurt. The yoghurt turned out exceptionally thick and creamy and the slight sourness reminded me of the curds you get back in India, perfect for those south Indian curries. 

Its a no mess, no fuss system and I would think, much more economical than buying store bought yoghurt. The fact that the sachets can only be picked up online is a bit of an issue for me- the non planner that I am, I would invariably end up forgetting to order them and will have to head over to the nearest store to buy yoghurt when in need. If the online store is not an issue, I think Easiyo is a really good addition to your kitchen. 

We enjoyed half of the yoghurt on its own, and the other half, I used for a "mooru" curry (yoghurt based curry) which turned out really nice. 

Recipe adapted from here

Yoghurt- 1 1/2 cups (beaten well)

Water- as required

Salt- to taste

Snake gourd (padavalanga)- 1 cup, peeled cleaned and diced

Turmeric powder- 1/4 tsp

Chilli powder- 1/2 tsp

Water- 1/2 cup

To grind

Dessicated coconut- 1/2 cup

Green chilli- 1, roughly chopped

Cumin seeds- 1/2 tsp

Tadka

Oil- 1 tbsp

Mustard seeds- 1/4 tsp

Fenugreek seeds- 1/4 tsp

Curry leaves- a large sprig

Dry red chillies- 2 to 3

Beat the yoghurt with enough water and salt to make it lump free. It shouldn't be too thin. Keep aside.

In a saucepan mix together the diced snake gourd, turmeric powder, chilli powder and water and cook covered over medium heat till the vegetable is done. A fork should easily break through the flesh. 

While that's taken care of, grind the coconut, green chilli and cumin seeds in a coffee grinder to a coarse paste. Add a tsp or two of water if required.

Once the snake gourd is done, reduce heat to low and add the ground coconut mix.

Stir it all together and cook for a further 5 minutes.

Take the pan off heat and keep aside to cool for a couple of minutes (around 7 to 10 mins).

Add the beaten yoghurt and stir well to combine. 

Do a taste test and add more salt if required.

Do a tadka by heating oil and adding all the ingredients to it once the mustard starts to crackle.

Pour over the curry, give a good mix and serve warm with some rice, pappad, fish fry and pickle :)

Notes: The snake gourd can be replaced with the Indian cucumber or ash gourd.

Of course you can omit the coconut mix and instead just add some chopped onions and ginger to the tadka and pour over the curry for a different, but just as good, version.

With thanks to YoghurtDirect for sending me the Easiyo yoghurt maker to review.