This Moru Milagai alias buttermilk chili is made by the oven drying method.
This spiced chili pepper recipe is best for people in cold countries or those with rare sunshine days and for the apartment lifestyle, where continuous 8-hour sunshine is impossible.
Moru milagai is a traditional South Indian condiment served along with food. Whether marriage or feast, this will be served after the sweet and papad.
Do you know it also has a specific place for serving? Authentically, food will be served in banana leaf, and the extreme left-hand side will be served with pickles, moru milagai, and papad.
The oven-drying method is the same recipe but overcoming Grandma's process of the sun-drying method. Though we get bright sunshine days here, predicting them for continuous 3-4 days is impossible.
I have got chilies in batches from our friend's garden. After using them for cooking, I left with a huge pack. I processed them and stored them for the entire year.
Along with pickles, we always stock this moru milagai at home. Nowadays, I fry and store in a ziplock bag for the entire week in the refrigerator.
More milagai tastes good, along with Tomato Rasam Rice.
This recipe can be made with any variety but tastes good with these round chilies. Buttermilk needs to get sour for this recipe. In the colder region, try storing mild, hot, humid places.
How to make Moru milagai
1. Wash and clean the chilies. Give them a gently slit so that the seeds should stay intact. The slit should be in the middle, leaving the chili's top and bottom.
2. Add sour buttermilk, salt, and chilies in a bowl. Soak them in the sour buttermilk for 3 days, stirring them at least twice daily.
3. On the third day, it should turn pale and leave a chili aroma. Line the baking tray with parchment paper. Take the chilies out from the buttermilk and keep the buttermilk aside. Spread Chilies in the tray. And bake it at a minimum temperature of 175° F for about 3 hours.
4. Once the chilies come to room temperature, drop them in the same buttermilk. Allow it to soak for another 12 hours.
5. Repeat the same process: take the chilies and outspread them on the baking tray. Bake them for 3 hours at 175°F. Again, soak in the same kept-aside buttermilk.
6. Repeat the same process for the third time. After the third time, the buttermilk should have been minimized very much. Test fry them in the oil. If you are not satisfied with the moru milagai, repeat the process.
Other condiments you may like,
- Indian lemon pickle
- Sriracha aioli sauce
- Roasted green tomato salsa
- Spicy mango sauce
- Banana pepper sauce
- Spicy condiments
Printable recipe card
Moru Milagai
Ingredients
- 4 cups chili round veriety-rinsed and slited
- 6 cups buttermilk sour in taste
- â…™ cup salt
Instructions
- Gently slit the chili, so that the seeds should stay intact. The slit should me in the middle, leaving the top and the bottom of the chili.
- In a bowl, add sour buttermilk, salt, and chilies.
- Soak them in the sour buttermilk for 3 days. By stirring them at least twice in a day.
- On the third day, the chili should turn pale and starts fragrant.
- Line the baking tray with parchment paper. Take the chilies out from the buttermilk and arrange them in the tray. And set the buttmilk bowl aside.
- And bake it in the minimum temperature of 175° F for about 2 hours.
- Allow it to cool down.
- Once the chili reaches the room temperature, toss them to the same buttermilk bowl. And allow it to soak for another 12 hours.
- Repeat the same process, baking them again for 2 hours in 175°F. Again soak in the same kept aside buttermilk.
- Repeat again the same process for the third time. After the third time, the buttermilk should have minimized very much.
- Heat oil in the pan, and fry few chilies and serve with rice.
Notes
Nutrition
Serving Suggestions:
Serve as a condiment, like a pickle, along with rice.
Tips and Variations moru milagai:
1. Each chili variety and oven are different, so decide accordingly by keeping up with the basic concept.
2. Buttermilk needs to get moderately sour; remember to store it in a hot and humid place in the home.
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Linsy Patel
Didn't know about this, love to try it in a small batch first.