Moru Curry, also called Moru Kachiyathu or Kachiya Moru, is a Kerala-style buttermilk curry ready in just 15 minutes. Light, tangy, and refreshing, it is loved in daily meals and festive feasts like Onam Sadhya.
This homely curry is prepared by gently simmering buttermilk with a fragrant spice tempering in coconut oil. It is quick to make, easy to digest, and uses only everyday kitchen ingredients.
You can make it at home using basic ingredients. Keep reading for ingredients, step-by-step method, tips, swaps, storage, and serving ideas.
Jump to:
- What is Moru Curry?
- Why You'll Love This Recipe?
- Recipe Ingredients
- Variations to Try
- How to Make Palada Payasam (Step-by-Step Guide)
- Tips And Tricks
- Serving Suggestions
- Storage Instructions
- Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
- More Kerala Onam/Vishu Sadhya Recipes to Try
- Moru Curry (Moru Kachiyathu/ Kerala Style Seasoned Buttermilk)
What is Moru Curry?
Moru Curry is a Kerala-style buttermilk curry made by whisking curd with water or using buttermilk. It is then simmered with a tempering of curry leaves, mustard seeds, ginger, garlic, green chilli, dried red chilli, and spices in coconut oil.
This curry has a pale yellow color from turmeric. It is often speckled with green curry leaves, black mustard seeds, and dried red chillies on top. The consistency is slightly runny, unlike Pineapple Pachadi, another yogurt-based dish served in Sadhya that is sweeter, creamier, and thicker.
The taste is mildly sour from buttermilk, balanced by the heat of green chillies and the warmth of ginger and garlic. Turmeric gives earthiness, while fenugreek adds a touch of bitterness. Overall, it is savory, refreshing, and soothing, making it perfect for hot weather.
The aroma rises first from the tempering. Mustard, fenugreek, garlic, ginger, shallots, curry leaves, and chillies fried in coconut oil release a fragrance that comes ahead of the buttermilk itself.
In North India, a similar dish is Kadhi, made with curd and chickpea flour. Across regions, every state adapts sour curd or buttermilk with local spices, showing how this humble curry is deeply rooted in Indian food culture.
Why You'll Love This Recipe?
Kachiya Moru is loved for its comfort and simplicity. It comes together in just 15 minutes using basic Kerala pantry staples.
A bowl of rice with this curry feels wholesome. It is light on the stomach, cooling, and gut friendly, making it the perfect choice after a heavy Sadhya or rich meal.
Many enjoy sipping it by hand after a festive Sadhya, as it helps digestion and leaves a soothing finish.
It is also the best curry for hot summers, keeping the body hydrated, refreshed, and deeply satisfying with every sip.
If you’re planning a full sadya spread, explore God’s Own Feast – Kerala Sadhya Guide for more side dishes to pair with this avial.
Recipe Ingredients
- Indian Curd (Yogurt)
Whisked with water to make buttermilk. This is the base of the curry, giving it a mildly sour taste and smooth texture. Slightly sour curd is preferred for the most authentic flavor. If curd is not available, plain unsweetened yogurt works as a substitute. - Other Ingredients
Mustard seeds, dried red chillies, curry leaves, shallots (small onion), ginger, garlic, fenugreek powder, turmeric powder, chilli powder, and coconut oil.
You’ll find exact quantities and step-by-step instructions in the recipe card below.
Along with Moru Kachiyathu, you can explore our Mathanga Erissery, a mild and comforting pumpkin curry often made for Sadhya meals.
Variations to Try
- With Coconut (Pulissery): Grind coconut with cumin, green chilli, and garlic into a paste. Add it to the buttermilk before heating for a creamier, festive version called Pulissery.
- With Vegetables: Add cooked ash gourd (kumbalanga), cucumber, or raw plantain for a heartier curry. This style is often called Kumbalanga Moru Curry.
- With Asafoetida (Hing): Add a pinch of asafoetida during tempering. It gives a unique aroma and also supports digestion.
For another yogurt-based side on the Sadhya plate, try our Vendakka Kichadi.
How to Make Palada Payasam (Step-by-Step Guide)
- Prepare buttermilk - Mix curd and water in a mixi using pulse mode. Water quantity depends on the thickness of the curd and the consistency of moru curry that you need. For the set curd or thick curd of 2 cups, you might need around ½ cup water. It's the best if yogurt has sour taste.
STEP 1: Heat oil in a pan. Splutter mustard seeds. Following that, add dried red chilli and then curry leaves.
STEP 2: dd chopped shallots, ginger, and garlic.
STEP 3: Once it's sauteed, add fenugreek powder, turmeric powder and chilli powder. Mix well and saute for a minute. Add oil if needed.
STEP 4:Add the buttermilk with salt on low flame. Heat gently for 5 minutes, stirring in between. Do not boil, as buttermilk may curdle. Use at room temperature.
No Sadhya is complete without a thoran. Alongside Kachiya Moru, serve our Cabbage Thoran or Beans Thoran for that essential coconut-crunch element on the plate.
Tips And Tricks
- Use slightly sour curd for the best flavor. If the curd is too fresh, leave it out for a few hours before cooking.
- Whisk the buttermilk well until smooth. This prevents lumps and keeps the curry light in texture.
- Strain the buttermilk if it looks grainy. This gives the curry a silkier finish.
- Cook on a low flame after adding buttermilk. Stir gently and never let it boil hard, as high heat can cause curdling.
- Balance the seasoning carefully. Adjust salt according to the sourness, add more green chilli for heat, and use turmeric for color.
Once you’ve mastered these prep and cooking tips, put them to use in other Sadhya classics like our Achinga Payar Mezhukkupuratti (Long Beans Stir Fry) or Beans Mezhukkupuratti .
Serving Suggestions
Serve Kachiya Moru hot or at room temperature over steamed Kerala red rice (matta rice) for a classic meal. Pair it with papadam, mango pickle, and a simple thoran for balance.
It also works as a cooling curry when served with spicier dishes, bringing lightness to the plate. Its runny consistency makes it easy to pour and mix with rice.
Kachiya Moru is also served in Onam and Vishu Sadhya along with curries like Avial, Kerala Style Sambar, and other traditional side dishes. The feast always ends with Palada Payasam, the sweet finale.
Storage Instructions
Moru Curry can be stored in a clean, dry, airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 2 days. As it rests, the buttermilk may separate slightly, so stir well before reheating on a low flame to bring back its smooth texture.
Avoid boiling, as it can cause curdling. Moru Curry is best enjoyed fresh, as even in the fridge the sourness slowly increases and alters the taste.
Freezing is not recommended since it changes the texture and makes the buttermilk split after thawing.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Moru Kachiyathu, also called Moru Curry, is a thin, light buttermilk curry without coconut, flavored only with a quick tempering. Pulissery is the richer version. It always includes ground coconut paste, which makes it thicker and creamier. Pulissery can be made plain or with vegetables and fruits like ash gourd, pumpkin, or ripe mango.
Buttermilk is rich in probiotics that support gut health and digestion. It is light, cooling, and keeps the body hydrated in warm weather. The spices in tempering, such as ginger, curry leaves, and turmeri, add digestive and anti-inflammatory benefits.
More Kerala Onam/Vishu Sadhya Recipes to Try
I’d love to hear your thoughts if you have tried this! Please leave a ⭐️ rating and a comment below. Don’t forget to share your photos on Instagram and tag @a_little_bit_of_spice.
Moru Curry (Moru Kachiyathu/ Kerala Style Seasoned Buttermilk)
Ingredients
- 2 cups Indian Curd (Yogurt)
- ¼ teaspoon mustard seed
- 5 Dried Red Chilly
- 1 sprig curry leaves
- 6 Shallots (Small Onion)
- ½ tablespoon ginger (chopped)
- ½ teaspoon garlic (chopped)
- ¼ teaspoon fenugreek powder
- ½ teaspoon turmeric powder
- ½ teaspoon chilli powder
- coconut oil
Instructions
- Prepare buttermilk - Mix curd and water in a mixi using pulse mode. Water quantity depends on the thickness of the curd and the consistency of moru curry that you need. For the set curd or thick curd of 2 cups, you might need around ½ cup water. It's the best if yogurt has sour taste.
- Heat oil in pan. Splutter mustard seeds. Following that, add dried red chilli and then curry leaves.
- Add chopped shallots, ginger and garlic.
- Once it's sauteed, add fenugreek powder, turmeric powder and chilli powder. Mix well and saute for a minute. Add oil if needed.
- Add the buttermilk with salt on low flame. Heat gently for 5 minutes, stirring in between. Do not boil, as buttermilk may curdle. Use at room temperature.
Notes
- Use slightly sour curd for the best flavor. If the curd is too fresh, leave it out for a few hours before cooking.
- Whisk the buttermilk well until smooth. This prevents lumps and keeps the curry light in texture.
- Strain the buttermilk if it looks grainy. This gives the curry a silkier finish.
- Cook on a low flame after adding buttermilk. Stir gently and never let it boil hard, as high heat can cause curdling.
- Balance the seasoning carefully. Adjust salt according to the sourness, add more green chilli for heat, and use turmeric for color.
all time favorite
Yes Suji, mine too. Especially with brown rice :)
must side dish when I eat rice!
I totally agree, Indu :)
The dish which I regularly prepare and the demand for it never goes down in my fmly!
Perfect Malayalee :)
just now tried it out and turned out very very yummy....thank u so much <3
Thanks for trying it out, Nikitha! Happy to hear that you liked it.