Pulissery

Ingredients

• 1 ripe mango or pineapple cubed
• 2 cups thick yogurt
• 1 cup grated coconut
• 2 green chillies
• Cumin seeds
• Turmeric
• Mustard seeds
• Dried red chillies
• Curry leaves
• Coconut oil
• Salt

Method

1. Whisk yogurt: Whisk 2 cups thick fresh yogurt until completely smooth. Add half tsp turmeric and half tsp red chilli powder.
2. Prepare vegetable: Cube 200g ash gourd, raw banana or yam into 1-inch pieces. Cook in salted water until just tender. Drain.
3. Make coconut paste: Blend 1 cup fresh grated coconut, 1 tsp cumin, 4 green chillies and 2 garlic cloves with a little water to a smooth paste.
4. Cook coconut paste: Add coconut paste to cooked vegetables. Cook on medium heat 5 minutes until raw coconut smell disappears.
5. Reduce heat: Turn to the very lowest setting — yogurt must be added only on very low heat or it will curdle.
6. Add yogurt: Add whisked yogurt, stirring gently and continuously.
7. Heat without boiling: Stir on very low heat 4-5 minutes until warm and slightly thickened. Never allow to boil.
8. Make tempering: Heat 2 tbsp coconut oil, add 1 tsp mustard seeds. When they pop add 2 dried red chillies and curry leaves.
9. Add tempering: Pour tempering into the pulissery and mix gently.
10. Serve: Adjust salt. Pulissery should be creamy and tangy — serve immediately with steamed rice as part of Kerala sadhya.