The restraint of sun-dried curd chillies

Don’t troll me for this, but if there’s one ingredient I will happily omit from my cooking, it is the green chilli.

Needlessly pungent, angsty and vengeful toward anyone who accidentally bites into it, it quite literally bites back, leaving tears and regret in its wake. When people casually crunch into whole green chillies alongside their meal, I can’t help but marvel at their bravery. To me, it feels like the culinary equivalent of walking barefoot on burning coal, a voluntary suffering at the dining table.

And yet, there is one glorious exception: Mor molagai or sun-dried curd chillies. With just four ingredients—salt, buttermilk, sunlight and time—some kind of alchemy happens. The chilli I try hard to avoid turns into something I love.

Medium-sized plump green chillies are slit and marinated in salted buttermilk overnight and dried in the sun. This is typically done in peak summer when you can expect 6-7 hours of strong sun.

While some recipes proceed to completely sun-dry the chillies after the first soak, the original recipe calls for repeated marinating in salted buttermilk at night and sun-drying in the day time for 4-5 days. This way, the chillies absorb more salt, get tangier and the lacto-fermentation process deepens the flavour. The colour also changes from bright green to pale and then light brown. They are ready to be packed when thoroughly dried and brittle.

For someone who has not tried these sun-dried chillies before, the salt, umami and spice hit (way milder than fresh green chillies) in a crunchy texture will blow your mind.

Packets of these are usually available in the papad sections of supermarkets, especially in the south, or in stores carrying south Indian food items. You can also find them on quick commerce apps. But this process is worth trying out on hot summer days, which are just round the corner.

Long before refrigeration, this was climate-smart cooking. Harnessing peak summer heat to ferment and preserve, creating something that would elevate the simplicity of curd rice on sweltering afternoons.

Variations of sun-cured chillies exist across Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and Maharashtra, each tasting slightly different depending on chilli varieties, salt levels, or additions like fenugreek or asafoetida. The strains of lactobacilli involved in fermentation subtly influence flavour, giving each household batch its own personality.

Once these chillies are ready, what do you do with them? They are typically deep fried—easily done in a small tadka ladle with a little oil.

I’ve discovered that rubbing a drop of ghee on a dried chilli and microwaving it for 30-45 seconds produces a surprisingly good, crunchy version to serve alongside curd rice. A small bite of this crisp chilli followed by a spoonful of cold curd rice is one of summer’s simplest pleasures.

But curd rice is only the beginning. Crush a fried chilli into plain cooked tur dal or over dal-rice for an instant flavour lift. Scatter it over a koshimbir or kachumber of cucumber, onion and tomato. I’ve even crushed it over a watermelon and feta salad for a distinctly desi edge.

Combine roasted cumin powder with well-crushed fried mor molagai to create a smoky topping for bowls of chilled raita—pineapple, boondi or onion.

Perhaps that is why I forgive this particular chilli and even have a soft corner for it. It has endured sun and salt and patience. It has softened, learnt restraint, and emerged transformed—a far cry from the impulsive, tear-inducing green chilli I heartily avoid.

SMOKEY SMASHED CUCUMBER SALAD

Serves 4

Ingredients
4 European cucumbers
1 small onion
1 clove garlic
2 tsp extra virgin olive oil
2 tbsp Greek yogurt
Handful of fresh herbs (choose from parsley, coriander, basil, oregano), finely chopped
Half tsp salt
2 mor molagai (fried or microwaved)
2 tsp mixed seeds

Method

Slice off the ends of the cucumbers. Chop them into quarters and crush into chunks. The rough surface area of smashed cucumbers offers space to absorb the flavours. Layer this on a platter.

In a small bowl, combine thinly sliced onions, garlic, extra virgin olive oil, Greek yogurt, herbs and salt. Mix well and pour over the cucumbers. Toss until the cucumbers are well coated. Chill for 1-2 hours.

Just before serving, top with crushed mor molagai and mixed seeds.

MOR MOLAGAI PEANUT PODI

Makes 1 cup

Ingredients
1 cup peanuts
1 tbsp white sesame seeds
2 tbsp flax seeds
2 Byadgi red chillies (dried)
3 sprigs curry leaves
1-2 small pieces of tamarind
3-4 mor molagai (fried or microwaved)
Half tsp asafoetida
Half tsp salt

Method

Roast the peanuts in a kadai on a medium flame for 10-12 minutes until crisp. Remove to a plate to cool. In the same kadai, toast the sesame and flax seeds. When the seeds start popping, transfer to the plate. Dry roast the red chilli and curry leaves for 2-3 minutes until they are crisp. Add the tamarind pieces and roast for another 2 minutes.

Combine all the ingredients with the mor molagai, asafoetida and salt and grind to a coarse powder. Check for salt. Remove and store in an airtight jar. Use with idlis, dosas, as salad topping or have with jowar/ragi rotis. You can also grind this to a fine powder and thin it with water as required to make a liquid chutney for idlis and dosas.

Double Tested is a monthly column on vegetarian cooking, highlighting a single ingredient prepared two ways.

Nandita Iyer (@saffrontrail) is a doctor, wellness advocate and author.