Vegan More Kozambu (Buttermilk Gravy)

More Kozambu (pronounced More Koyambu) is a typically South Indian gravy that is usually made with More (Buttermilk). It is a spicy, sour mix of buttermilk and red chilli with vegetables.

This one is made with Peanut Buttermilk. It sounds complicated, but its's worth the effort.

So to start off, you need a cup of peanuts. Soak it in water over night. The next morning, drain it and put it in a blender with 2 cups water. Strain this pulp and what you get below is Peanut Milk. You can put the pulp back in with 1/2 cup water, blend it one more time and strain it out.

The Peanut milk now has to be set like you usually would set cow's milk. You could use dairy yogurt as a starter, but strict vegans prefer not to. So I set it with Rejuvelac. I'd suggest you soak the peanuts and the wheat at the same time, so the next morning you can use the rejuvelac to set the milk into curds. You might not get the same consistency as dairy curds the first time around. But if you continue to use this as a starter to set further trials of peanut or soy milk even, the end result will get thicker as time passes.

Since we are going to use it for a buttermilk type preparation, it's okay if the milk sets into a watery state. It takes about 8 hours for the peanut milk to set. I still get some curds that look like it's set on top but when you stir it there's only a watery mess below.

Seems like a lot of work! Anyway, once you have your (somewhat) set curd you can stir it up if you're going to use it as a buttermilk.

The buttermilk can also be made into a vegan Masala Chaas (Buttermilk with Masala)

Just add some Asafoetida, grind curry leaves and some green chillies together, salt and water. Chill it and have it after your meal. It's really really good!

For the More Kozambu, you need:

Any vegetable (carrots, red pumpkin, capsicum, drumstick) I used White Pumpkin which was steamed earlier

2-3 Red chillies

a little Tamarind

1 tsp rice flour

1/2 teaspoon Fenugreek Seeds (Methi)

1/2 Teaspoon oil (optional)

1 cup Peanut Buttermilk (recipe above)

Salt

Curry Leaves

Grind the Red Chilli, Tamarind, Fenugreek seeds and the rice flour. In a saucepan, add this mixture to some oil or just add it in the hot saucepan. Stir it around a bit. Add the Peanut Buttermilk, the vegetable, salt and water.

Let it simmer for about 6 minutes. Garnish with curry leaves. And it's ready to be served!

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Rejuve... WHAT?!

Rejuvelac is what you get when you add water to whole wheat berries/ grains and let it ferment for 12 to 16 hours. Sometimes it takes longer depending on the season. The warmer it is, the faster it ferments.

What is it used for?

1. As a drink. Many people on raw food diets drink this because it's rich in eight of the B vitamins, E & K vitamins and also a variety of proteins, carbs, phosphates and so on. It also helps in digestion of food and growth of friendly bacteria.

2. As a starter for vegan curds made with soy milk or peanut milk.

3. As a starter for vegan nut cheeses (which I will be putting up soon).

It can be made with other grains like whole rice, barley (jav), oats and millet. I have only tried wheat and been successful using it. Many people with gluten or wheat allergies have tried whole rice though I haven't and I will soon.

For the Rejuvelac you need:

1 glass jar

1/2 cup whole wheat grains (for your first try)

drinking water

Put the wheat in the jar and rinse it once and remove any grains/ bugs that float to the top. Add the drinking water in such a way that when you look at it, if the jar has 1/3rd wheat the rest should be water.

Let it uncovered for 24 hours outside. I usually keep it in a cupboard. The next day it should look like this...

Don't fret if it is all clear after 12 or 16 hrs. Just stir is and watch it bubble. This water can be removed and stored in another bottle while the same wheat can be used to make more rejuvelac in about 10 hours.

It should smell sour and sweet. It should taste like fermented unsweetened grape juice with lemon.

Store this in the fridge and drink it / use it as a starter for curds or vegan cheese.

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