Till the covid lock downs came i never realised my food tastes really good coz amma send the bases needed for the nice meal. So the sambhar podi, rasam podi, vattals and vadams needed to make a south Indian meal all were perfect as amma made them. This lack of skill really was a big gap that I couldn’t help learning to bridge. With ammas guidance vattals were the first try, then the sago vadams and then slowly trickier ones like mor milagai. This year as I was making some of these recipes I remembered to take images of mormiliagi to share with you.
What is mor milagai?
Sundried chilli pickle made in south Indian homes and served with lunch or dinner. These chillies literally are translated as buttermilk chillies. The chillies are marinated in traditional buttermilk. This infuses the flavours of the yogurt, tenderises it and reduces the heat of the chillies. The marinated chillies are sundried and the stored. To add to a meal, these are deep fried.
Ingredients to make mor milagai
The mor milagai vattal doesn’t require much, just three ingredients.
Chillies: green chillies are the main ingredient of this recipe. Ideally slight plump but spicy chillies are used for the recipe. However, you can use jalapeno or Serrano peppers too to make this recipe. Slightly plump thin walled chillies are the best as they dry fast and are delicious.
Traditional yogurt :natural set yogurt is what makes this recipe best. Ideally slightly sour yogurt is preferred as it makes the chillies less intense after marinating. Churn the yogurt with a bit of water to aid in the marination.
Salt: crystal salt or table salt is best to use here. You don’t need anything fancy.
Let’s make yogurt cured chilli
This is probably the part that is going to test your patience and bit.
- Wash and clean the chillies and pat them down with a kitchen towel.
- Trim the stalks with a scissors so you a centimeter above the stalk.
- Slit the chillies and set them aside.
- In a jar mix together yogurt water and salt.
- Shake it up till it becomes evenly incorporated.
- Soak the slit chillies in this mix. Shake up the mix well and leave it overnight to soak.
- Drain the chillies the next day morning and dry the chillies in sun. Place the remain liquid in fridge.
- In the evening, place the partially dried chillies back in the buttermilk solution.
- Dry them again the next day.
- This process repeats t0 about 3 to 4 days till the buttermilk milk mix is almost over. And the chillies semi dry.
- For the next couple of days, sun dry the chillies till they are crisp.
- Once well dried, store in air tight bottles.
- To deep fry, heat oil in a small wok. Once the oil is hot or sizzles when a small piece of the chilli is dropped in it, place 3 to 4 chillies at a time and roast till it us crispy.
- Drain from the oil and the chillies are ready for your meal.
Storing the sundried chillies
Sun dried vattals and vadams are best stored in a dry box with a tight lid and away from moisture. When removing some for use, ensure your hands are dry. In about 3 to 4 months it is best to sun the vattal again so it remains crisp and moisture free.
How to use the mor milagai vattal?
Once the yogurt cured chillies are completely dry, you can prep fry them in hot oil as needed for the meals. Alternatively you can airfry them too.
Serving ideas for mor milagai
Fried mor milagai can be served with papads in any South Indian meal. Commonly paired with Thair saadam, koozhu , or ulundhu saadam, it provides a crunch and a heat kick to these nutrients dense lunches.
The mor milagai vattal is a perfect addition to the South Indian tempering when making poriyal too as it is slightly less pungent than the dried red chillies.
Mor milagai vattal
Ingredients
- 1 cup Green chillies plump ones
- 1 cup buttermilk traditional ( cultured )
- 1 tbsp Rock salt
Instructions
- Wash and pat dry the chillies.
- Slice the stalk about a centimeter above each chilli
- Slit the chillies and set them aside till the soaking mixture is ready.
- Into a clean bottle add the butter milk and salt and shake together till the salt dissolves well.
- Add the prepared chillies into the mix and shake well.
- Let this soak over night or for up to 24 hours.
- Remove the chillies and spread on a plate.
- Sun dry for the day.
- In the evening, place the chillies back in the marinating butter milk mix.
- Remove from the mix and dry again in sun.
- Repeat this process for 3 to 4 days.
- The sundry the chillies, till they are completely dry and crispy.
- Store this in an airtightbox till needed.
For using the chillies
- Deep fry a few chillies in hot oil. Drain when the colour changes and the chillies stop sizzling.
- Drain the chillies from the oil and serve with meals.
Other sundried vattals from our blog
Stay connected
Mor milagai vattal is a traditional South Indian recipe that few make at home. It is not hard, but a slow task so keep up the patience and try atleast once. Let us know in the discussion below how your batch turned out with our recipe. Share the idea with friends and family.
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