Kuzhambus - Gravies of South India!

Small Onion Vathakuzambu: - Unsurpassable taste, a dish of South Tamil Nadu.

Peeled small onions - ! cup (small sized onions to be used whole)

Tomatoes - 2 medium – deskin, chop & blend

Tamarind paste - 2 tsp

Sambar Powder - 3 level tsp

Salt, haldi

To temper:

Oil - 4 tsp

Mustard seeds - ½ tsp

Methi seeds - ½ tsp ( ¼ tsp more, if you prefer)

Tur dhal - 1 tbsp

Red chillies - 2, 3

Curry leaves - few

Mix blended tomatoes, tamarind paste, 1 cup of water & salt.

In a pressure pan, heat oil, add all the the tempering ingredients.

Finally add the peeled onions & fry till glossy.

Add sambar powder & fry for a few secs.

Immediately add tomato – tamarind mixture.

Close the cooker & keep the weight.

When 1 whistle comes, switch off.

Allow the pressure to drop on its own, cool & open.

Serve with rice, a green vegetable curry with coconut or a kootu.

Fried appalam goes very well with this.
It is served here with a curry.

 

Kovilakathu Sambar - a challenge to prove that sambar minus dhal is very tasty also!

This is a recipe all the way from Kalpathi, in Kerala !
In olden days in Kerala royal family, they used to make this sambar for feeding the crowd in bulk. Even in temples in Kerala in ancient time they used to make this sambar and give this to the devotees with vellai nevidhyam (rice as prasadam) In “ kavu “, devotees will eat this with with the prasadam rice when they come to visit their adima kavu. For bulk feeding they use this as coconut is cheap in Kerala and no tur dhal is added. But I have used grated carrot completely instead of coconut & found that the taste is very good, just like arachu vitta sambar. The absence of tur dhal is not felt at all !
All vegetables usually used for sambar are used. I have introduced tomatoes in this recipe. You can omit it and use only tamarind paste.

Vegetables cut into 2 cm cubes - 2 cups

Tomatoes - 2 ( deskin & blend )

Tamarind paste - 2 tsp

Salt, haldi

To roast in 1 tsp oil


Red chillies - 5, 6 ( or to taste )

Dhaniya - 3 tsp

Gram dhal - 1 ½ tsp

Methi seeds - ½ tsp

Curry leaves - few

Hing - ½ tsp

And grind to a paste with


Freshly grated carrot - ½ cup

To temper in 1 tsp oil:

Mustard seeds - 1 tsp

To garnish

chopped coriander leaves - 1 tbsp

In a pressure pan, take 1 cup of water, add haldi & the vegetables.

Close the cooker, keep the weight & cook for one whistle.

Cool, open, add the ground paste, tomato puree, tamarind paste & salt.

Add enough water to get the desired sambar consistency.

Close again & cook for one whistle.

Cool, open & temper.

Garnish with chopped coriander leaves.

 

Nenthrampaza Morkuzambu: - Sweet & Sour dish from Kerala.

Very ripe nenthrampazam - 1

Medium sour curds - 1 cup

Grated coconut - ½ cup ( heaped)

Green chillies - 2

Red chillies - 2

Tamarind paste - ½ tsp

Salt

To temper:

Coconut oil - 1 tsp ( to give the typical flavour )

Mustard seeds - 1 tsp

Red chillies - 1,2

Methi seeds ( or methi powder) - ¼ tsp

Curry leaves - few

Churn the curds & keep ready.

Grind coconut & both chillies to a paste, adding minimum water.

Cut the fruit into 1” pieces.

Add ½ cup of water to tamarind paste & boil the fruit pieces in it, adding very little salt.

When the fruit becomes soft, add the ground paste.

Mix well & add the churned curds.

Simmer for 2,3 mts, do not boil.

Remove & temper.

Goes very well with rice, papadum & any roast curry.

This is ideal with sevai, idiyappam etc.

 

Rasakalan - not many people make this delicious Palghat dish !

Vegetables like white & yellow pumpkin, brinjal, raw banana, carrot, potato, brinjal & drumstick can be used. Cut them the same size as for for sambar.

Cut vegetables - 2 cups


Salt, haldi, little jaggery

Sour curds - 1 cup

Jaggery - little

Roast in ½ tsp oil:

Gramdhal - 1 tsp

Red chollies - 3,4

Pepper - ¼ tsp

Methi seeds - ½ tsp

And grind to a paste with:

Grated coconut - ½ cup

Green chillies - 2

To temper:

Coconut oil - 1 tsp

Mustard seeds - ½ tsp

Curry leaves - few

Boil the vegetables with haldi, salt & jaggery till soft.

Add the ground paste & simmer till the paste is cooked.

Next add the beaten curds & wait till it starts foaming.

Remove, mix well & temper as given.

Goes well with papadum & any roast curry.

 

Bittergourd Sambar - delicious, more delicious, most delicious !

Medium size bittergourds - 2

Tomatoes - 3 medium, chopped

Oil - 4 tsp

Tamarind paste - 2 tsp ( more or less by choice)

Sambar powder - 3 tsp

Cooked tur dhal - ½ cup

Salt, haldi

Hing - ½ tsp

To temper:

Oil - 1 tsp

Mustard seeds 1 tsp

Curry leaves - few

Chopped coriander leaves to garnish

Chop the bittergourd into thin slices – this is very important for them to be sauted well.

( I normally do not remove seeds. This is again one’s choice)

In a pressure pan, heat oil.

Add first bittergourd pieces & fry on medium fire for 5 mts.

Next add chopped tomatoes.

Continue frying the above first on medium & then on low fire for atleast 10 mts.

This frying is the key to the success of this dish.

Now add water, tamarind paste, salt, hing, haldi, sambar powder & cooked dhal.

Adjust the quantity of water to get the correct consistency.

Do not add more water, since there is no loss by evaporation.

Close the cooker, keep the weight & cook for 1 or 2 whistles, depending on your preference for the softness of the vegetable.

Cool, open, temper & garnish.

 

Karamani Gashi - this dish is Konkani in origin.

Black eyed peas ( karamani ) - 1 cup

Tamarind paste - 1 tbsp

Green chillies - 2, slit

Salt, little jaggery, haldi

Fry in 1 tbsp oil till raw smell of coconut disappears:

First
Methi seeds - ¼ tsp

Red chillies - 6-8

Coriander seeds - 1 tsp

Jeera - ½ tsp

& add

Grated coconut - 1 cup

Curry leaves - few

To temper:

Coconut oil - 1 tsp

Mustard seeds - 1 tsp

Red chillies - 3-4

Soak karamani overnight & boil till tender.

Add 1 cup of water to tamarind paste.

Boil with green chillies, jaggery to taste, salt & haldi.

Add boiled karamani & the ground paste.

Give one boil after adjusting the consistency.

Temper & remove.

Serve with papad & any green vegetable curry without coconut.

Tip:

To cut down on coconut, grind 1 tbsp boiled karamani for the paste after decreasing the amount of coconut.

 

Small onion Irupuli Kuzambu – a very novel combination !

This is yet another C V (pun intended) kuzambu !

Small onions, peeled - 1 cup

Fairly sour curds- 1 cup

Tamarind paste - 1 ½ tsp

Oil to fry onions - 2 tsp

Salt, haldi

Grind together:

Coconut - ½ cup

Pottukadalai ( fried gram ) - 1 tbsp

Green chillies - 5, 6 ( to taste)

Jeera - ½ tsp

To temper:

Oil - 1 tsp

Mustard seeds - 1 tsp

Red chillies - 3, 4

Methi seeds - ¼ tsp

Curry leaves - few

Cut the onions into 2, 3 pieces, not very small.

Heat 2 tsp oil in a kadai, saute the cut onions & some curry leaves.

When the onions turn glossy, add 1 cup of water with tamarind paste, salt & haldi.

Boil till onions turn soft.

Add the ground paste & simmer till the paste is thoroughly cooked.

Now add the churned curds & mix well.

When frothing starts around the edges, remove & mix very well.

Temper as given.

Adjust the amount of tamarind paste & sourness of curds to get the desired sour taste and also the desired consistency.

 

Venthaya Kuzambu - a Traditional Favourite in Tamil Nadu.

This is very similar to vatha kuzambu, but is made with a single or combination of vegetables.

Vegetables like drumstick, brinjal, ladies’ finger, avarakkai, clusterbeans ( kothavarangai) are ideally suited for this. They can be used singly or in combination.

Normally this is made only with tamarind & rice flour is added at the end for thickening. However I have slightly modified it by adding tomatoes & avoiding rice flour. This gives it a nice colour as well as a delicious taste. My mother says, this kuzambu shoud taste like “ honey” – consitency wise & in delicious taste !

Cut vegetables as for sambar. I have used a combination of drumstick, brinjal & ladies’ finger.

Cut vegetables - 1-1 ½ cups

Tomatoes - 3

Tamarind paste - 2 tsp

Sambar powder - 3 tsp

Salt, haldi

To temper:

Oil - 4 tsp

Red chillies - 2, 3

Mustard seeds - 1 tsp

Methi seeds - 1 tsp

Hing - ½ tsp

Curry leaves - few

Deskin & chop tomatoes.

Boil with tamarind paste, ½ cup of water & blend.

Strain & keep ready.

In a pressure pan, heat the oil.

Add red chillies, mustard seeds, methi seeds, hing & curry leaves.

When they are fried, add sambar powder & fry for a few secs.

Finally add the vegetables & fry for a minute.

Add tamarind-tomato mixture, salt & hing.

Add just enough water to get the desired consistency.

Close the cooker & keep the weight.

Cook for 1 whistle.

Cool, open & serve.

For this “ sutta appalam” goes very well.

Also any green vegetable curry with coconut & dhal or paruppusili is a good combination.

 

Pavakkai Karakuzambu - bitter can be delicious !

Pavakkai Karakuzambu - bitter can be delicious !

If available, use small onions for best flavoour.

Bittergourd - 250 gms

Onions - 1 cup peeled & chopped into 2 vertically

Garlic - 4 pieces, lightly crushed

Tomatoes - 4, chopped

Tamarind paste - 1 tsp ( or more, by choice)

Red chilli powder - 2-3 tsp

Dhaniya powder - 1 tsp

Salt, haldi

Jaggery - lemon size ( optional)

Oil - 3 tbsp

To temper:

Oil - 1 tsp

Mustard seeds - 1 tsp

Curry leaves - few.

Slice bittergourd into thin pieces.

Heat 1 tbsp oil in a kadai & on a low flame roast them till light brown & well fried.

Heat the remaining oil in a pressure pan & fry onions till light brown & then add garlic.

When they become light brown, add tomatoes & fry till pulpy.

Add fried vegetable pieces, red chilli powder, dhaniya powder, salt, haldi, jaggery & tamarind paste.

Mix well & add 1 cup of water.

Close the cooker & cook for 1 or 2 whistles depending on how soft you want the bittergourd.

Open & temper.

 

Mochai Kuzambu: - Has a typical creamy taste.

Fresh mochai paruppu - 1 cup
(please refer to the following link to see a picture of mochai)
http://www.indusladies.com/forums/showpost.php?p=30467&postcount=3511


Rasam powder - 2 tsp

Tomatoes - 2, deskin & blend

Tamarind paste - 1 tsp

Salt

Oil - 1 tsp

Mustard seeds - ½ tsp

Curry leaves - few

In a pressure pan, take 1 cup of water, add the mochai paruppu & haldi.

Cook for 2 whistles till it is soft.

Cool & open.

Remove 1 tbsp of cooked mochai & grind it.

To the cooked mochai in the pressure cooker, add tamarind paste, tomato puree, rasam powder & salt.

Close the cooker & cook for one more whistle.

Cool open & add the ground paste.

Simmer till thick.

Remove & temper.

Serve with rice & any green vegetable curry.