MOR MILAGAI RECIPE | SUMMER SPECIAL

I love love mor milagai as side dish for curd rice and mainly pazhaya sadam . In my childhood days, during summer, my mom purposely keeps extra rice in the night for the next day’s pazhaya sadam. And some times, if its less and only for one person, me and my mom will try to sneak and have it without each other’s knowledge. That much we love it. And my mom has sundakkai vathal, kothavarangai vathal, mor milagai, chinna vengayam, fresh cut raw mango and any pickle. Atleast 3-4 side dishes will be there. Mostly mom makes mangai thokku. Those days, pazhaya sadam – we call it as pazhayadhu, will be so flavorful. I really miss it these days. Even I keep pazhaya sadam and try eating next day, but it never matches those good old day’s taste . I am not sure why. Is it because of the rice? or there is some other factor. Even my mom says its not the same these days.
Its best for beating the heat in summer as its a great body coolants and has lots of goodness in it. So do not waste the rice or refrigerate it for next day. Make it as pazhaya sadam. How to make it? I was wondering if I have to make a separate post for it. No need, its very simple and easy as a child’s play. Just break roughly the cooked left over rice if its caked, add lots of water so that the water level is 2-3 inches above the rice. Keep covered overnight and taraaa… Pazhaya sadam. Next day, you can just mix the rice with your clean hands and drain water, add salt and a dash of buttermilk, drink the water too alone. Or eat it as such thanniyum sadhamum (with salt, buttermilk added). Sometimes, me and my mom drain and save the water for drinking as mentioned above and make curd rice with pazhaya sadam. My mom sometimes keeps in clay vessels/ containers and it will be so cool and goes through the food pipe so cool and comforting. And next to mor milagai, my best side dish is chinna vengayam for pazhaya sadam. I love the part of cutting the onion in the rim of the bowl/ plate by pressing against it and make it small pieces and eat it with rice. Forger about the thing that you smell like onion after that.

I took all the steps for this post when I made it this time before in laws came. Since I was bit busy with them and we went to lot of places, I saved the pictures somewhere safe and now couldn’t find it. Too bad I was cursing myself for that when I heard that maami(MIL) making mor milgai. I was happy that I got a chance to get pictures, but wait, who will take pictures and send me. BILs both hold DSLR, but I was bit hesitant to disturb them in their busy schedules. But thanks to my younger co-sis and  BIL, when I said I want pictures, they took many pictures, more than I would take, in different angles and sent it to me. How sweet. But then when I saw all the pictures, I realized that what I made was with the oosi milagai (a thin long variety of the chilli) but maami made with the short stout ones (which is called koda milagai in Thanjavur). I thought I would take the dried chilli what I made here is there for taking final clicks. So I got these as packed parcel, through someone ;) I was so happy that I could make a post. I will sure update if I find my version of steps for this post in future.

Mor milagai recipe

Recipe Cuisine: Indian  |  Recipe Category: Side dish
Prep Time: 20 mins + drying time 10 days    |  Cook time: 5 mins    |  Makes: 2 cups

Ingredients

Chilli	4 cups
Curd	4 cups
Salt	4 tblsp or  as needed

Method

1. Clean the chilli well and if you want you can cut the stalk of it, not fully though but leaving a little as shown in the picture. When I did, I left the whole stalk in it as I like too. Just slit a little along side or at the bottom of the chilli. This is for salt and buttermilk to get inside easily while soaking. Beat curd (you can use the sour left over curd for this and add water if too thick) and mix salt and these chillies well.
2. Keep closed overnight and next day, take out the chilli alone and dry in hot sun in a large, broad plate or a muram, spread well. Let it dry for the whole day.
3. By evening, again put the chillies back in the buttermilk, mix well and keep closed overnight. Next day, repeat the process. Likewise, repeat drying until all the buttermilk gets into the chilli and then just keep drying the chilli alone in sun for few days in hot sun until the chillies are dried up completely.
4. Store in a closed container and fry when every needed. Heat enough oil and fry the chillies until deep dark brown. I like mine even if its blackened but it tastes great in both ways.

Notes

• If the sun is super hot, 10 days is enough I think to dry, but it took some time for me when I made it here in Singapore, so it depends on the hot sun.
• When you dry the chillies, do not keep the buttermilk in hot sun full day.
• Salt quantity is purely your choice, but atleast it whould be enough to take out the spiciness of the chilli.
• When I made here, since its indoor, the smell will not be so pleasant, Aj started complaining. But my MIL and mom says, it smells nice even while its soaking and drying. :)

Goes perfectly well with curd rice or pazhaya sadam. Also you can use this for tempering mor kuzhambu.

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