Majjige Huli: Bottle Gourd Yogurt Curry

Kadhi Karnataka-style – that’s how I would describe majjige huli to folks back home. Like kadhi, majjige huli is made of yogurt and spices, with a thickening agent – besan it is in kadhi, rice generally in majjige huli. Majjige huli is sourer and lighter than kadhi – no fried pakoras but boiled vegetables, the dish is a slimmer’s delight.

Other than puliogare, majjige huli is one of the nicest new dishes I have become acquainted with since moving down south. Thanks to my friend’s Kannadiga cook who taught me her way of making it.

You Need:

• Plain yogurt – 2 cups
• Curry leaves – 8
• Turmeric powder – 1/3 teaspoon
• Bottle gourd – 250 gms
• Peanut oil – 2 teaspoons
• Mustard seeds – 1/2 teaspoon
• Salt – to taste

For the masala:

• White rice – 1 tablespoon
• Cumin seeds – 1 teaspoon
• Ginger – 1/2-inch piece
• Fresh coconut – 2×1-inch sliver
• Green chilies – 2
• Coriander leaves – 1/4 cup when plucked

How To Make Majjige Huli:

1. Prepare the yogurt

Take the yogurt out of the refrigerator a few hours before using it for this dish. Allow it to come to room temperature.

Beat the yogurt thoroughly with salt.

2. Boil the bottle gourd

Peel and cut the bottle gourd into large chunks.

Boil the bottle gourd chunks in salted water till almost cooked.

Tip: Do not throw away the water used for boiling the bottle gourd. It comes in handy when cooking the masala paste in step 4 or in thinning out the curry in the end. If you still have some water remaining, use it as stock in sambar or for kneading chapati dough.

3. Make the spice paste

Soak the rice and cumin seeds in a cup of water for an hour. Drain the water and place the soaked ingredients, along with chopped ginger and broken green chilies, in a blender. Grind to a thick paste. Top with coconut cubes and chopped coriander leaves. Grind again…

…till it combines into an evenly-blended spice paste.

4. The last lap: bring it all together

Heat peanut oil in a pan. When hot, splutter mustard seeds and pop in curry leaves, turmeric powder and the masala paste soon after. Cook the paste, stirring regularly, till the rawness of the rice goes away. (Add a little water to the masala paste if it sticks to the pan – use the water the bottle gourd was boiled in for added flavor.)

Slide in the boiled bottle gourd chunks and cook for another few minutes so that the bottle gourd gets fully cooked.

At this stage, on low flame, very gently, slide in the beaten yogurt. Keep stirring gradually and continuously.

When the dish comes to a boil, take it off the fire.

Majjige huli is ready.

To Serve:

Serve majjige huli hot with rice and a dry vegetable fry on the side.

Notes:

Majjige huli is not rigid about the vegetable that goes into it. My recipe uses bottle gourd; okra is another popular alternative.

If food from Karnataka interests you, you might enjoy this write-up about Bangalore street food at VV Puram.

If bottle gourd recipes interest you, check out lauki raita, lauki kofta, lauki peel chutney.