This is a very popular dish from South Karnataka, Mangalore Udupi regions somewhat closer to our own Mor Kuzhambu from Tamil Nadu.,
Majjige Kayi Huli with any vegetables like pumpkin, ladies fingers, beans is prepared more or less the same way we prepare the mor kuzhambu.

Majjige means buttermilk in Kannada, huli is tamrind and kayi means coconut.
This is a mildly spiced , coconut based dish made with green chillies and pinch of tamrind in the authentic version.

As I have had the pleasure of living for a good no of years in Karataka, I am including some popular cuisine from this state besides Kerala again influenced from my Palakkad based mom and a good many dishes from states of Gujarat and Maharashtra as I have spent some years in these states too.

Ingredients:

3 cups of Ash gourd , peeled and cubed

3/4 cup fresh coconut grated

1 cup sour yogurt or churned sour buttermilk of 1 to 1 1/2 cups

3 green chillies

1 tsp cumin seeds

small piece of ginger

sprigs of curry leaves

Pinch of turmeric powder

salt to taste

For tempering

1/2 tsp mustard seds

1 dry red long chilli

1/2 tsp fenugreek seeds

1 tsp coconut oil

Method

• Cook the peeled, cubed ash gourd pieces in little water with a pinch of turmeric powder and salt.

• While it is cooking, grate the coconut and grind with green chillies, cumin seeds, ginger in the mixie with little water to get a paste.

• When the pumpkin pieces have cooked tender, add the ground paste to it, and add little water if it gets too thick.

• Churn the sour buttermilk or the thick yogurt , which ever you are using and add to the gravy while simmering and keep the flame on a low. Let it not boil over and remove as soon as it starts to boil a bit.

• Make a tempering with coconut oil, mustard seeds, fenugreek seeds, and 1 red dry chilli, fenugreek seeds.

• Add sprigs of curry leaves to the dish after done.

• In the authentic version of kayi huli, a small piece of tamrind is used to give a sour taste , as we are using sour buttermilk you can skip that,also cumin seeds are not used in the authentic version while grinding, but we like the taste of the cumin seeds ground with green chilies and coconut, hence am adding it to my dish.

• This is such a pleasant , mild dish which even young children can have to mix with rice and have papad .