Kuzhambus - Gravies of South India!

Peanut Dhal - this is a Gujarathi dhal.

Tur dhal - ½ cup

Raw peanuts - ½ cup (or less, by choice)

Tomatoes - 3, chopped

Green chillies - 4-5 slit

Tamarind - 1 tsp ( cocum, if available can be substituted, 3-4)

Red chili powder - 1 tsp

Dhaniya powder - 1 tsp

Salt, haldi

To temper:

Oil - 2 tsp

Mustard seeds - 1 tsp

Methi seeds & jeera - ½ tsp, each

Curry leaves & hing

To garnish - chopped criander leaves

Soak peanuts for 3-4 hrs (optional if you want them soft)

Pressurise dhal, peanut, haldi & green chillies till doft.

Cool & lightly mash.

Heat oil in a kadai & temper as given.

Add tomatoes & fry till soft.

Add masala powders, fry for a few secs & add dhals & tamarind paste or cocum.

Simmer for a few mtes & remove.

You can add lime juice instead of & tamarind paste or cocum.

Garnish & serve with rice or roti.

 

Puli Venda Saar - to put your tummy back on the right track!

After Deepavali over-eating, this kuzambu with just a paruppu thogayal is so light on our digestive system.

Tamarind paste - 4-5 tsp

Salt

Rice flour - 1/2 - 1 tsp

To temper:

Oil - 1 tbsp

red chillies - 5,6 (broken)

Mustard seeds - 1 tsp

Methi seeds - 1/2-1 tsp

Gram dhal 2-3 tsp

Hing - 1/2 tsp

curry leaves - few

Heat oil & temper as given.

Add tamaind paste with 1 1/2 cups of water & boil for a few mtes.

Mix rice flour with 1 tbsp of water, add& simmer for the kuzambu to thicken.

Remove & serve hot with white rice.

 

Dill Masoor Dhal - Try with tur or moong dhal as well!

Dill is Suva Bhaji or sapsige soppu or Sombu keerai in tamil. They are very flavourful.

Masoor dhal - ½ cup

Chopped dill leaves - 1 cup

To mince together:

Garlic - 5,6 pieces

Green chillies - 2-3

To temper:

Oil - 2 tsp

Jeera - 1 tsp

Onion - 2 tbsp, chopped (optional)

Red chilli powder - 1 tsp

Salt & little sugar.

Pressurise massor dhal with twice the volume of water & haldi.

Heat oil & temper as given, adding the minced ingredients & the chopped greens,.

Saute for a few mtes till the greens cook & shrink.

Add the dhal, salt, little sugar & simmer till well blended.

Serve with rotis or hot rice & ghee.

 

Pachai Milaku Kuzambu - no oil, no cooking, only eating!

This is a very spicy kuzambu which can be refrigerated & used for a week. Mix just 1 tbsp with a cup of cooked rice + gingelly oil or ghee! It is very tasty. Goes very well with curd rice. The unique feature is, there is no oil & there is no cooking!! Use raw tamarind & not paste.

Tamarind - 50 gms - soak in 1 ½ cups of water for 2 hrs, squeeze well with hand & blend using a hand blender. Strain & use the pulp.

Roast DRY in a kadai:

Red chillies - 2

Tur dhal - 1 tbsp

Pepper & Jeera - 1 tsp, each

Methi seeds - ½ tsp

Hing - ½ tsp

Curry leaves - few

Cool, powder with salt, add to the tamarind water & mix well.

Temper thus - in a dry kadai, roast

Sundakkai vathal - 2 tbsp

Manathakkali vathal - 2 tbsp

Add the above & separately dry roast 1 tsp mustard seeds till they splutter & add to the kuzambu.




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Milaku Poricha Kuzambu - ideal when you want to go ‘easy’ on your tummy~!!

This is a post-pregnancy kuzambuand can be made with any 'allowed' vegetables.

I tried this with snake gourd.

Moong dhal - ½ cup

Diced snake gourd - 3 cups

Pepper powder - 2-3 tsp (powdered fresh – this is a must)

Salt

To temper:

Oil - 1 tsp

Mustard seeds - 1 tsp

Urad dhal - 2 tsp

Curry leaves - few

Cook dhal till soft & steam the vegetable.

Mix both in a vessel, add salt & freshly ground pepper & just enough water to get the desired consistency.

Simmer for 7-8 mts till the raw flavour of pepper is lost.

Temper as given.

This goes best with amla raitha & a roast curry.

 

Pachai Vatha Kuzambu - tastes like Spicy Honey!!

This also involves nocooking-no oil! Keeps for a week in the fridge!Use tamarind & not paste.

Tamarind - 50 gms ( soak in 1 1/2 cups of water for 1-2 hrs, liquidise & strain).

To that add salt and the following:

Roast in a dry kadai:

Red chillies - 3-4

Mustard seeds - 1 tsp

Tur dhal - 1 tbsp

Methi seeds - 1 tsp

Hing - 1 tsp

Haldi - 1/2 tsp

Sambar powder - 2 tbsp (or to taste)

Mix well. It is like a thick paste.

 

Ginger Kuzambu – you will love this!

Fry in 2 tsp oil:

Ginger - 50 gms (Peel & chop into tiny cubes)

And grind with

Tamarind paste - 1 tbsp (or to taste)

Coconut - 2 tbsp

Small onions - 10 (optional)

Jeera - 1 tsp

To the above paste, add

Chilli powder - 1 tsp

Dhaniya powder - 2 tsp

Salt, Haldi & hing

Water - 1 cup

Temper in 1 tbsp oil:

Mustard seeds - 1 tsp

Methi seeds - ½ tsp

Chopped onions - 2 tbsp (optional)

Curry leaves - few

Add the paste + water

Simmer till desired consistency is reached.

This is very good for digestion, cold, gas problems etc.

If onions are not used, add 2 tbsp more of coconut.

 

Pineapple Irupuli Kuzambu – a very unique taste!

Select and buy ripe pineapple so that the dish has a unique sweet & sour taste.
The sourness is drawn from both tamarind & mildly sour curds.
Adjust them to suit your taste.

Peel & cut the fruit into small cubes.

Pineapple cubes - 1 cup

Tamarind paste - 1 ½ tsp

Mildly sour curds - 1 cup

Roast in a few drops of oil:

Red chillies - 4, 5 ( to taste)

Methi seeds - ½ tsp

And grind with:

Grated coconut - ¾ cup

Mustard seeds - ¼ tsp

Salt, haldi

To temper:

Coconut oil - 1 tsp

Mustard seeds - ½ tsp

Red chillies - 2, 3

Curry leaves - few

Mix tamarind paste, ½ cup of water, little salt, haldi & pineapple cubes.

Cook in a pressure pan for 2 whistles.

Cool & open.

Add the ground paste & the rest of the salt.

Simmer for a few mts.

Add the churned curds & cook on a low fire till frothing starts around the edges.

Remove & stir for a few minutes till the dish looks uniformly mixed.

Temper as given.

Goes well with papad & any roast curry( vathakkal).

 

Masala morkuzambu - a recipe from an ILite!

This is spicy & tastes 'restaurant-style'!

Chow cow or white pumpkin cubes - 1 cup

Boil till soft with little salt & 1 cup of water.

Small onion-a handful

grated coconut-2 tbsp

pepper-1 tsp

green chillies-2

jeera-1 tsp

garlic-5 or 6 pods

Curd -4 – 5 tbsp

Grind the above mixture into a nice paste.

]Add this paste and simmer it to boil and then add salt. Simmer for 3-4 mts for the raw smell to go.

[Temper in 1 tsp coconut oil with 1 red chilli,curry leaves and mustard.

Add more beaten curds, if necessary, to get the desired consistency.

 

Dhappalam - an Andhra gravy, very tasty!!

The vegetables used are lauki, sweet potato, red pumpkin, brinjal and drumstick. Cut them into cubes – size between sambar & kootu!

Vegetables - 3 cups

Slit green chillies - 4-5 (or to taste)

Tamarind - 1 tbsp

Tomatoes - 2,chopped

Jaggery - 1 tbsp

Salt, haldi

To temper:

Oil - 1 tsp

Mustard - 1 tsp

Methi seeds - ½ tsp

Hing - ½ tsp

Curry leaves - few

Boil vegetables with 1 cup water, salt & haldi till soft.

Add tamarind paste mixed with ½ cup of water & chopped tomatoes.

When the tomatoes become soft, add jaggery.

The consistency should be like thick sauce. Adjust water suitably.

Remove & temper as given.

Best served with hot rice and ghee!