Idli Pulao Recipe / Masala Idli Upma

Idli Pulao

Ingredients
Leftover Idli ( at least a day old) - 6 nos
Onion chopped - 1 no
Tomato chopped - 1 no
Mixed vegetable finely chopped - 1 cup
Fried Cashew nuts - 10 nos
Curry leaves - few
Coriander leaves chopped - 1/4 cup
Pulao masala / garam masala - 1 tsp
Red chilli powder - 1 tsp
Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp
Salt to taste
Oil - 2 tbsp
Water to sprinkle
Cumin - 1 tsp
Cinnamon stick - 1" piece

Masala Idli Upma

Method
1. Break the Idli into crumbs with fingers.
2. Heat oil in a pan, add cumin, cinnamon stick, curry leaves and onion, sauté until onions are soft.
3. Add mixed vegetables to the pan and sauté for a minute.
4. Next add the chopped tomato and cook tomato until soft.
5. Now add red chilli powder, pulao masala, turmeric powder, salt to the pan and stir well for a minute.
6. Reduce pan heat to medium and sprinkle little water to the pan to get slight gravy.
7. Add the crumbed Idli to the pan, stir well, cover pan with lid and cook on low heat for 3 mins.
8. Finally garnish with chopped coriander leaves and fried cashew nuts, serve hot.

Oats Upma - Healthy Breakfast Recipe

Oats Upma

Ingredients
Quick oats - 1 cup
Rava / Sooji - 1/2 cup
Onion chopped - 1/2 no
Mixed vegetables - 1 cup
Green chilli slit - 2 nos
Curry leaves few
Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp
Salt to taste
Water - 1 cup
Oil - 4 tsp
Chana dal - 1 tsp
Urad dal - 1 tsp
Mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp

Upma Recipes

Method
1. Roast rava and oats until aroma rises and set aside.( or use roasted rava instead of normal rava).
2. Heat oil in a pan, add mustard seeds, chana dal and urad dal, sauté until mustard crackles and dals turn brown.
3. Add curry leaves, chopped onion, green chilli and mixed vegetable, sauté until vegetables are tender.
4. Add turmeric powder and water to the pan, bring water to boil and season with salt.
5. Add the roasted rava and oats to boiling water, stir well so no lumps are formed, reduce to medium heat, cook until water is absorbed by the rava and oats and Upma is dry.
Serve hot with chutney and sambar.

Kootanchoru Recipe / Kalavai Sadam / Healthy One Pot Meal

Kootanchoru Sadam

This is a popular Tamilnadu recipe, kootanchoru means combining rice, country vegetables, lentils and dried beans together and cooked in one pot. Now days we use pressure cooker to make things easier. You can use any kind of country vegetables, any kind of dried beans you prefer.

Ingredients
Rice - 1 cup
Toor dal - 1/2 cup
Mixed country vegetables chopped - 1 cup( like brinjal, drumstick, broad beans etc)
Dried beans - 1 cup( like mochai kottai, konda kadalai, pattani etc)
Small Onion chopped - 10 nos
Country tomato chopped - 1 no
Tamarind extract
Curry leaves - few
Coriander leaves chopped - 1/4 bunch
Sambar powder - 2 tsp
Red chilli powder - 1 and 1/4 tsp
Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp
Grated coconut - 1/4 cup ( grind to smooth paste) ( optional)
Mustard seeds - 1 tsp
Asafetida - few pinch
Oil - 4 tbsp

Kootanchoru Recipe

Method
1. Soak the dried beans overnight, boil in water adding pinch of cooking soda for 7 minutes or until beans are tender, drain cooked beans and set aside.
2. Wash dal and rice together, pressure cook for 12 mins with 3 cups water until rice and dal are cooked. Once dal and rice is cooked mash it with a ladle.
3. Heat oil in a kadai, add mustard seeds and asafetida, when mustard splutters add chopped onion and curry leaves, sauté until onions are soft.
4. Add the chopped vegetables to the kadai and sauté for a minute.
5. Now add the chopped tomato to the kadai and cook until soft.
6. Now add the tamarind extract, 1/2 cup water, red chilli powder, sambar powder, turmeric powder and required salt to kadai, bring to boil and simmer on low heat for 5 mins until vegetables are cooked.
7. When the vegetables are cooked and some gravy remains in kadai, add the ground coconut paste and mashed dal & rice mixture to the kadai and stir well until everything is combined well.
8. Garnish with coriander leaves and serve hot with Applam.

Kalavai Sadam

Pottukadalai Chutney / Roasted Gramdal Chutney for Idli and Dosa

Pottukadalai Chutney

Ingredients for chutney
Roasted gram dal / Pottukadalai - 1 cup
Green chillies - 2 nos
Ginger chopped - very small piece or 1/4" piece
Salt to taste
Water to grind chutney

Tempering ingredients
Urad dal - 1 tsp
Mustard seeds - 1 tsp
Curry leaves - few
Oil - 1 tsp

Roasted Gramdal Chutney Recipe

Method
1. Grind ingredients give under for chutney to a fine paste.
2. Add water, stir well and loosen chutney as required.
3. Heat oil and add tempering ingredients to the hot oil, when mustard splutters add the tempering to the chutney and mix well
Serve with hot idlis and Dosas

Curd Vadai / Thayir Vadai

Curd Vadai

Ingredients

Medhu Vadai( click here for the recipe) – 6 nos

Curd – 1 cup

Warm milk – 1  cup

Curry leaves ( chopped) – 10 nos

Green chilli ( chopped) – 1 no

Ginger ( minced) – 1 tsp

Mustard seeds – ¼ tsp

Urad dal – 1 tsp

Chana Dal – 1 tsp

Asafetida / hing – pinch

Salt to taste

Minced coriander leaves – few tbsp

Thayir Vadai

Method

1.     Prepare medhu vadas as per my medhu vadai recipe and set aside.

2.     Soak fried medu vada in warm water for 5 mins, drain vadas, squeeze excess water from vadas and set aside to make vadas soft.

3.     In a large shallow dish combine curd, warm milk and salt, mix well.

4.     Heat oil in a tadka pan, when oil is hot add mustard seeds, chana dal, urad dal, fry until dals are browned.        Add curry leaves, green chilli, ginger and hing to the pan, fry for few more seconds and add this tempering    to the curd mixture in the bowl.

         Soak the vadas in this curd mixture for 1 hour and serve garnished with chopped coriander leaves.

Curd Rice / Thayir Sadam

Curd Rice

Ingredients

Curd / Yoghurt – 1 cup

Cooked rice – 1 cup

Warm Milk – 1 cup

Curry leaves ( chopped) – 10 nos

Green chilli ( chopped) – 1 no

Ginger ( minced) – 1 tsp

Mustard seeds – ¼ tsp

Asafetida / hing – pinch

Salt to taste

Thayir Sadam

Method

1.     Sprinkle salt to the rice and mash rice with potato masher or dal masher.

2.     Add curd to the mashed rice and mix well, add warm milk little by little to the rice and mix well until required creamy consistency is reached.

3.     Heat 1 tsp oil in a tadka pan or small pan, when oil is hot add mustard seeds, curry leaves, green chilli, ginger and hing. Fry for few minutes and add this tempering to the curd rice. Mix well everything and serve.

Appalam Kuzhambu

Applam Vathakuzhambu

Ingredients
Appalam - 2 nos ( torn into small pieces)
Mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp
Whole dry chilli - 2 nos
Toor dal - 1 tsp
Channa dal - 1 tsp
Methi seeds -  tsp
Curry leaves - few
Asafetida - few pinch
Tamarind - Gooseberry size( soaked in water and extracted)
Red chilli powder - 1 tsp
Coriander powder - 3 tsp
Salt to taste
Oil - 1 cup

Applam Kuzhambu Recipe

Method
1. Heat oil in a pan, add mustard seeds, whole dry chilli, toor dal, channa dal, methi seeds and torn applam pieces.
2. Saute for few seconds, add red chilli powder and coriander powder to the pan and stir well.
3. Now add tamarind extract, salt and a cup of water to the pan, bring gravy to boil.
4. Once gravy starts boiling add curry leaves and asafetida, reduce heat simmer gravy for few minutes.
Serve hot Applam Kuzhambu with steamed rice and poriyal

Applam Vathakulambu

Bonda Mor kuzhambu Recipe.

Learn how to make bonda more kulambu ( Lentil dumpling in yogurt curry) in few simple steps.

Bonda Mor Kuzhmabu

Ingredients for making Bonda

Urad dal/ Ulundhu paruppu - 1 cup

Rice flour - 4 tbsp

Curry leaves chopped - 2 tbsp

Black peppercorns - 2 tsp

Cumin seeds - 2 tsp

Ginger minced - 1 tsp

Green chilli chopped - 1 no( optional)

Cooking/ Baking soda - few pinches

Salt - 1/2 tsp

Oil to deep fry

Ingredients for making More Kuzhambu

Curd/Yogurt( beaten) - 3 cups

Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp

Salt to taste

Hing/ Asafetida - pinch

Whole red chilly( broken) - 3 nos

Mustard seeds - 1 tsp

Curry leaves - few

Oil- 2 tsp

Coconut paste

(Grind the below ingredients to fine paste)

Toor Dal - 1 tbsp ( soak in few tbsp water for 10 mins)

Raw Rice - 1 tbsp ( soak in few tbsp water for 10 mins)

Coconut shredded -1/4cup

Ginger - 2" piece

Green chilly broken - 5 to 6 nos

Bonda More Kulambu

Method

1. First make Bondas by soaking urad dal in water for 2 hours. 

2. Drain the dal and grind to smooth batter by adding very little water( a well ground urad dal batter will look like butter and should not stick to your wet finger). 

3. To the urad dal batter add salt, cooking soda, curry leaves, pepper corns, cumin seeds, minced ginger and mix well. 

4. Heat oil in a pan to deep fry, when oil is hot, wet you fingers with bowl of water, take a good amount of urad dal batter and shape it into small lemon sized ball. 

5. Drop the ball into hot oil carefully and continue with rest of the batter. 

6. Once required amount of bondas are dropped into hot oil, reduce the heat and cook the bondas on low heat for 4 to 5 mins turning them all sides. 

7. Fry the bondas until golden brown in color and make sure inside is cooked well. Drain the bondas on a paper towel and set aside.

8. Now prepare the More Kuzhambu by whisking beaten curd, turmeric, ground coconut paste and salt in a deep heavy bottomed pan.

9. Mix well the curd mixture and add 3/4 cup water.

10. Place the pan on heat and bring the curd mixture to boil, allow to boil for 5 mins. 

11. In a tadka pan heat oil, add the whole red chilly, mustard seeds, curry leaves and asafetida. 

12. When the mustard seeds crackels, add this tadka to the More kuzhambu and mix well.

13. Add deep fried bondas to the more kuzhambu before serving. 

Mor Kuzhambu with Bonda

Tip

Bonda should not be soaked in more kuzhambu for too long.

Bonda will absorb the more kuzhambu and will get soggy and no gravy will be left.

Mutton Drumstick Curry / Murungakkai Mutton Kuzhambu

I love this Murungakkai Mutton Gravy very much. This is one of my mom's excellent preparation. Though I'm not fond of drumstick, I like to have it along with succulent mutton and gravy. Try this mutton drumstick gravy and will be big hit in your lunch.

Murungakkai Mutton Kuzhambu

Ingredients

Mutton pieces with bone- 1/2 kg

Drumstick- 2 nos( cut into 2" pieces)

Onion medium( sliced)- 2 nos

Tomato large( chopped)- 1 no

Curry leaves- few

Ginger and Garlic paste- 2 tbsp

Red chilli powder- 2 tsp

Coriander powder- 2 tbsp

Cumin powder- 1 tsp

Turmeric powder- 1/4 + 1/4 tsp

Salt to taste

Water required

For coconut paste

Fennel seeds- 2 tsp

Garlic cloves- 2 nos

Freshly grated coconut- 1/4 cup

For tempering

Cinnamon- 1" piece

Cloves- 4 nos

Cardamom- 4 nos

Bay leaf- 1 no

Oil- 4 tbsp

Mutton Drumstick Curry

Method

Grind the ingredients given under coconut paste to smooth and fine paste adding water. 

Clean, wash and cut mutton into bite size pieces. 

Pressure cook mutton pieces along with 1/4 tsp turmeric powder, 1 tbsp ginger and garlic paste and 1/2 cup water until tender.

Heat oil in a kadai, when oil is hot add the whole spices given under tempering and fry until aroma rises.

Add the chopped onion, curry leaves and ginger-garlic paste to the pan and fry until onions are slightly browned. Now add the drumstick pieces and chopped tomatoes, stir well until drumsticks are well coated with oil and cooked.

Next add the cooked mutton pieces to the drumsticks along with the juice in its cooked. Add red chilli powder, turmeric powder, coriander powder, cumin powder, fennel powder and ground coconut paste to the mutton and stir well. Add required salt and water to the mutton, mix well and bring the gravy to boil. Cook the gravy covered for 5 minutes on medium heat and remove from heat once gravy thickens and drumstick is cooked. Serve hot mutton drumstick curry with steamed rice.

Mutton Drumstick Gravy

Parotta / Lacha Paratha / Flaky Paratha

Learn how to make flaky easy parotta - flaky layered Indian flat bread

Lacha Paratha

Ingredients

Maida flour/ All purpose flour- 2 cups

Sugar- 1 tsp

Curd- 1 tbsp

Oil- 4 tbsp

Ghee- 1 tbsp

Milk- 1/2 cup

Water to knead

Salt to taste

To make layers

Oil- 1/4 cup

Rice flour- 1/4 cup

Parotta

How to mix parotta dough

In a wide bowl add maida, sugar, salt, oil, milk and required water. Knead dough for 15 mins until soft and smooth. Set aside for 1 to 2 hours( the long you rest the parotta dough it becomes soft, elastic and flaky).

How to make layers in parotta

Divide the dough into equal lime sized portions. Roll out each lime sized dough into chapati( round discs) as thin as possible. Spread one tsp oil on the rolled dough and sprinkle 1/2 tsp rice flour on top of rolled and oiled dough. Starting from one end make fleets like doing for saree or fold like making paper fan till u reach other end. Gather the fleets made with dough. Hold one end of gathered fleet in center and roll like a wheel( clockwise) and tuck the other end below the wheel. Do the same process with rest of dough until fleeted and wheeled. Cover these prepared parotta dough with damp cloth and rest it for 30 mins.

How to cook parotta

After 30 mins roll out each prepared dough wheel into thick parottas( into circle).

Heat tawa or griddle, when hot, lay each rolled thick parottas on tawa and cook on both sides on medium heat for 5 mins, smearing oil around parotta if needed. Fry parotta until cooked and golden brown on both sides.

How to bring flakes in cooked parotta.

Place upto 5 to 6 cooked parotta on top of another. Cover piled parotta with clean cloth( since its too hot) use both hands and dab on sides of parotta, by dabbing vigorously on the sides the layers in parotta will open up and become flaky. Remove parotta from cloth and serve hot with chicken curry or veg curry of your choice.

Click here for Chettinad Soya Curry recipe

or

Click here for Chicken Kurma recipe

Flaky Paratha

Spicy Egg Korma / Muttai Kurma

Spicy Egg Korma

Ingredients

Eggs- 6

Onion large- 2 nos

Tomato large- 2 nos

Ginger and Garlic paste- 2 tsp

Red chilli powder- 1 and 1/2 tsp

Turmeric powder- 1/4 tsp

Garam Masala powder- 2 tsp

Coriander powder- 2 tsp

Cumin powder- 1 tsp

Oil- 4 tbsp

Water required

Salt required 

Coriander leaves and curry leaves to garnish

To grind into paste

Coconut freshly grated-1/4 cup

Roasted Kuskus/ Poppy seeds- 1 tbsp

Cashew nuts- 6

Green Chilli- 1 no

For tempering

Cinnamon- 1" stick

Cloves- 4 nos

Cardamom- 2 nos

Fennel seeds/ Sombu- 1/2 tsp

Egg Kurma

Method

Hard boil, shelled the eggs and set aside.

Mince the onions and tomatoes separately.

Grind the ingredients given in the "to grind paste" to smooth paste adding little water.

Heat oil in a pan when oil is hot add tempering ingredients and fry until aroma rises. Now add minced onion and curry leaves, saute until onion turns transparent. Add ginger and garlic paste to onion and fry till raw smell leaves. Add red chilli powder, turmeric powder, garam masala powder, coriander powder, cumin powder and salt, saute for few seconds. Next add chopped tomatoes and fry till tomatoes are mashed. Add ground paste, boiled eggs and required water to the pan, mix well and bring gravy to boil. Cover pan with lid and cook gravy on medium heat for 5 mins until gravy slightly thickens. Garnish with chopped coriander leaves and serve hot with Idli, Dosa, Parotta or Chapati.

Muttai Kuruma

Ven Pongal / Ghee Pongal

 Wishing everyone a very happy and prosperous pongal 2013

Ven Pongal Recipe

Ingredients

Raw rice- 1 cup

Moongdal- 1/4 cup

Cashew nuts- 20

Ginger( chopped)- 1" piece

Curry leaves- few

Ghee- 4 tbsp( optional)

Oil- 1/4 cup( more oil added pongal will be non sticky)

Cumin seeds/ Jeera- 2 tsp

Black peppercorns- 2 tsp( slightly crushed)

Water- 4 cup

Salt to taste

Ghee Pongal Recipe

Method

Clean, wash and soak dal and rice together in 4 cups of water for 30 mins. Transfer soaked dal and rice along with the water in which it was soaked to a pressure cooker. Add chopped ginger, required salt to the rice, mix well and pressure cook rice for 15 mins or until rice is mushy. In meantime make tadka by heating 1/4 cup oil in a pan, fry the cashew nuts until golden brown and set aside. To the same hot oil add cumin seeds, peppercorns, curry leaves and turn of the heat( cumin seeds will splutter in hot oil). Once pressure releases from cooker, remove its lid and mix well the rice until mushy, immediately add the tadka along with oil, fried cashew nuts and ghee to the rice. Mix well and Serve hot.

Serve ghee pongal with 
Coconut chutney 
Hotel style sambar.

Ven Pongal

Nethili Meen 65/ Nethili Meen Varuval

Nethili Meen 65

Ingredients

Nethili Meen/ Anchovies fish- 1/2 kg

Ginger and Garlic paste- 1 tbsp

Red chilli powder- 2 tsp

Turmeric powder- 1/4 tsp

Garam masala powder- 1 tsp

Lemon juice- 1 tsp

Salt to taste

Corn flour- 1 tsp

Maida/ All purpose flour- 1 tsp

Oil to shallow fry

Nethili Meen 65

Method

Clean and wash the fish pieces. In a large bowl combine all the ingredients except oil to a smooth paste, marinate the fish pieces in masala paste for at least 30 mins

Heat oil in a pan to shallow fry, add the marinated fish pieces and fry until crisp. Serve hot nethili 65 as starter or with steamed rice and sambar.

Chicken Kurma.

This is an south Indian Chicken Korma recipe for parotta, idli, dosa and idiyappam

Chicken Kurma

Ingredients

Chicken pieces- 500 gms

Onion medium minced- 2 nos

Tomato medium finely chopped- 1 no

Ginger and Garlic paste- 2 tbsp

Red chilli powder- 2 tsp

Coriander powder- 2 tbsp

Turmeric powder- 1/4 tsp

Cumin powder- 2 tsp

Fennel powder- 2 tsp

Salt to taste

Oil required

Water required

Curry and Coriander leaves

Cinnamon- 1" piece

Cloves- 4 no

Cardamom- 2 nos

Masala to grind

Coconut shredded- 1/4 cup

Cashew nuts- 6 nos

Roasted Kuskus/ Poppy seeds- 2 tbsp

Kozhi Kurma

Method

Heat oil in a pan, when oil is hot add cinnamon, cloves, cardamom and fry for few secs. Next add minced onion and curry leaves, fry till onions turn pink. Add ginger and garlic paste fry till raw smell leaves.

Now add the chicken pieces and fry till chicken pieces turns pale. Add tomatoes to the chicken and cook till tomatoes are mashed. Add red chilli powder, turmeric powder, coriander powder, cumin powder, fennel powder and salt to the chicken and saute for few secs. Now add the ground masala paste and required water. Bring the gravy to boil and cook the chicken on low heat until chicken is tender and gravy is slightly thickens. Garnish Chicken Korma with coriander leaves and serve along with parota, idli, dosa, idiyappam etc.

Chicken Korma

Verkadalai Kathirikai Poriyal/ Chettinad Peanut Brinjal Poriyal

Peanut Brinjal Curry

Ingredients

Dried Peanuts- 1 cup

Purple brinjal- 250 gms

Onion small chopped- 1 no

Tomato small chopped- 1 no

Garlic cloves sliced- 2 nos

Curry leaves- few

Red chilli powder- 1 tsp

Coriander powder- 2 tsp

Turmeric powder- 1/4 tsp

Salt to taste

Water- 1/4 cup

Oil- 2 tbsp

Vadagam/ Mustard seeds- 1/2 tsp

Grated coconut- 4 tbsp

Kathrikai Kadalai Poriyal

Method

Soak the peanuts overnight, boil until tender and set aside. Trim the stems of brinjal and chop. Heat oil in a pan, add vadagam, chopped onion, garlic and curry leaves, saute for few secs. Add chopped brinjals and saute for few secs. Add red chilli powder, turmeric powder, coriander powder and salt. Add water and bring mixture to boil, now add the cooked peanuts to the boiling gravy. Reduce heat and cook until the brinjals are tender and water is dried up. Finally add grated coconut to poriyal, mix well and remove from heat. Serve hot with steamed rice.

Arachuvitta Chicken Kuzhambu/ Traditional Chicken Curry

As the name of the recipe says its a traditional village style chicken curry made from scratch.

Arachuvitta Chicken Kuzhambu

Ingredients

For marinade

Chicken pieces with bones- 250 gms

Red chilli powder- 1 tsp

Turmeric powder- 1/4 tsp

Ginger and Garlic paste- 1 tsp

Lemon juice- 1 tsp

For kuzhambu( curry)

Onion medium chopped- 2 nos

Tomato medium chopped- 1 no

Curry leaves- few

Ginger and Garlic paste- 1 tsp

Red chilli powder- 1 and 1/2 tsp

Turmeric powder- 1/4 tsp

Salt to taste

Oil required

Water required

Bay ( brinji) leaves- 2 nos

For masala paste

Coconut shredded- 1/4 cup

Cashew nuts- 5 nos

Roasted Kuskus( poppy seeds)- 2 tsp

Fennel seeds- 1 tbsp

Cloves- 2 nos

Cinnamon stick- 1/2"

Kozhi Kulambu

Method

Marinate chicken pieces in marinade ingredients for atleast 10 mins.

Grind masala paste ingredients to smooth and fine paste by adding few tsp water.

Heat oil in a pan when hot add brinji leaves and fry for a second. Add chopped onion, curry leaves and fry until onion turns transparent.

Next add ginger and garlic paste and fry until raw smell leaves, now add the chopped tomatoes and fry until tomatoes are mashed and cooked. Add the marinated chicken pieces and fry until chicken turns pale in colour. Now add the ground masala paste to the chicken and fry until oil seprates on the sides of pan. Add about 1 cup of water to the chicken and cook covered on low heat for 20 mins or pressure cook chicken along with masala for 1 whistle. Once chicken is cooked and tender, boil the curry until required consistency of kuzhambu is obtained. Garnish arachuvitta chicken kuzhambu with coriander leaves and serve along with rice.

Village Style Chicken Curry

Spicy Chettinad Poondu Kuzhambu/ Kaara Kulambu

Chettinad Poondu Kuzhambu

This another traditional and authentic Chettinad recipe from my family. Normally we prepare all kuzhambu recipes with kuzhambu milagai thool for easy and quicker preparation. But in this traditional Poondu Kulambu recipe we prepare everything from scratch for more aromatic and delicious taste. These full process Kara kuzhambu recipes are made during functions and for family lunch.

Ingredients

Garlic cloves( peeled and halved)- 15 nos

Small onion/ Shallots( minced)- 10 nos

Tomato medium( chopped)- 1 no

Curry leaves- few

Mustard seeds- 1 tsp

Fenugreek seeds/ Venthayam- pinch

Whole dry red chilli- 2 nos

Vegetable oil- 3 tbsp

Gingelly oil- 3 tbsp

Salt to taste

Water- 1 and 1/2 cups

Tamarind extract- 1/4 cup or Tamarind paste- 1 tbsp

Masala to grind

Garlic cloves- 5 nos

Whole dry red chilli- 5 to 6 nos

Coriander seeds- 3 tbsp

Cumin seeds- 1 tbsp

Fennel seeds/ sombu- 1/2 tbsp

Fenugreek seeds/ Venthayam- pinch

Peppercorns- 1 tsp

Kaara Kulambu

Method

Dry roast the masala to grind ingredients and grind to smooth paste with few tbsp water.

Heat both oils in a pan, when hot add mustard seeds and fenugreek seeds, allow to crackle. Add garlic cloves, minced onion and curry leaves, fry for few secs until garlic turns light brown. Now add the ground masala paste, chopped tomato and tamarind paste. Fry in low heat until the oil seprates on the sides from masala paste. Add water and required salt, mix the kuzhambu well and bring to boil. Once starts boiling reduce heat and cook kuzhambu on low heat for 10 mins or until the kuzhambu thickness and oil floats on top. Serve hot.

Garlic Kara Kuzhambu

Tips

I used Kashmiri dry red chilli instead of whole dry chilli to get vivid red color kuzhambu.

You can add few tsp of sugar or jaggery to the kuzhambu to make it slightly sweet.

If you dont have time to grind masala ingredients, try using 3 tbsp kuzhambu millagai thool instead.