Morkali - MorKoozh - Mor Upma - South Indian Breakfast Recipe

Morkali is one of the traditional recipes originating from south India and can be made easily in under 20 mins. These Savory cakes are made by adding sour curd to the rice flour and cooking on a low flame.

Planning & Pre-Preparation: 10 mins
Cooking time: 10-15 mins.

Ingredients

• Sour curd - 1/2 Cup 

• Salt - per taste

• Rice flour - 1 Cup

• Water – 1.25 Cup 

• Oil – 2.5 Tsp. (2 Tsp at the initial stage and 1/2 Tsp. after the liquid gets absorbed)

• Mustard/ Kadugu - 1 Tsp.

• Urad Dal/ Uluttam Paruppu – 1 Tsp.

• Asafoetida/Kayam/Hing – 1 Tsp.

• Red Chilli/ Sigappu Milagai – 2-3

• Curry Leaves/ Karuveppilai

Directions

a. Preparing Rice batter mixture:

• To a bowl add sour thick curd and salt. Beat the curd thoroughly using a beater until a smooth texture is attained.

• Once a smooth texture (thick buttermilk) is obtained start adding Rice flour and mix well.

• Now add 1 cup of water to form smooth lump-free thin batter consistency. Do not add water at once. If needed, add ¼ cup of water to form thin batter consistency.

b. Preparing Morkali:

• To a Kadai add oil, then add Mustard/ Kadugu, Urad Dal/ Uluttam Paruppu, Asafoetida/Kayam/Hing, Red Chilli/ Sigappu Milagai, and Curry Leaves/ Karuveppilai. 

• When dal turns golden brown add the prepared rice batter mixture and mix well on low flame.

• After a few mins, the mixture will start to solidify. Stir well and in another few mins, the liquid would get absorbed. 

• Once the liquid has got absorbed, add ½ Tsp. oil and cover and cook on low flame for about 5 mins.

• After 5 mins, the bottom of the mixture would have got roasted. Stir well and cover and cook on low flame again for 3 more mins.

• After 3 mins the morkali will be completely cooked and tasty morkali is ready to serve.

Points to be noted

• During the olden days, Morkali was made by soaking and grinding rice into the thin batter and fermented properly before preparing morkali. 

• While preparing the rice batter mixture add water little by little. The consistency of the rice batter should be thin. If the batter is too watery, it may take more time to absorb the liquid.  

• If needed you can also add 1-2 Tsp. of oil instead of ½ Tsp. of Oil to enhance its taste and avoid burning the dish.

• Covering and cooking the dish helps in preventing the burning of the dish. 

• The consistency of morkali is a perfect non-sticky texture.