South Indian kuzhambhu recipes
Preparation Time : 15 mins | Cooking Time : 25 Mins | Serves: 6
Vethaya keerai | methi leaves 1/2 cup Small onions |shallots 20 Garlic 10 Tamarind a lemon sized piece Sambar powder 2 tsp Red chili powder 1 tsp Coriander powder 1 tsp Turmeric powder 1/4 tsp Fennel powder 1/2 tsp (optional) Salt as needed Sesame oil 1 tblsp Mustard seeds 1/4 tsp Jaggery |vellam a small piece
Method:
- Wash the methi leaves and chop them finely. Chop the small onions finely. You can use big onions too, but shallots gives a nice taste to the gravy. Chop the tomatoes and peel the skin of the garlic.
- Soak a lemon sized tamarind in water and extract the juice using 2 cups of water.
- In a pan add oil and add in the mustard seeds. Add the garlic and chopped onions to this and cook till becomes translucent.
- Add the tomatoes and saute for a while. Add in the finely chopped methi leaves.
- Saute for a minute and add the tamarind extract to this.
- Add the sambar powder, turmeric powder, red chili powder, coriander powder, salt and fennel powder(if adding). Add salt to this.
- Allow this to boil for sometime till the raw smell of the gravy goes and the gravy comes to a kuzhambu consistency. Add jaggery to this and boil for a minute.
- Switch off the flame. If you wish you can add 1/4 tsp of sesame oil on the top.
- Serve this with plain rice along with any curry of your choice. We had with beetroot poriyal and brinjal curry.
- You can replace shallots with big onions too. But small onions are highly recommended.
- The gravy tasted so flavourful the next day.
- The original recipe used only red chili powder and coriander powder. I reduced the quantity and added sambar powder.
