Paruppu Kuzhambhu

Ask anyone from any location in / around Tirunelveli about paruppu kuzhambhu...... they will say 'wow..... I love that'. Atleast one person per house will be called as 'paruppu chatti' because they love to eat and drink it all thro' the day. Such an amazing, mouthwatering yet, easy to prepare kuzhambhu. Add in more quantities to rice and taste.....With less tamarind add to dosa and eat.......With no tamarind add to idly and say 'hmmm  hmmm yummy'. Idli / dosa easily gets soaked in this kuzhambhu and hence can be given to infants / kids very easily.

Ingredients

Toor Dhal - 1 handful
Brinjal - 2 (cut to bite size pieces)
Drumstick - 1 (optional)
Tomato - 1 (cut to bite size pieces)
Small onions - 5 to 10 Nos.
Garlic pods - 5
Hing (Asafoetida) - 1/4 sp
Turmeric powder - 1/4 sp
Coconut - 1/8th of a whole coconut
Cumin - 1/4 sp
Green chilli - 2
Tamarind - 1 1/2 pods
Seasoning:
Oil - 3 sp
Mustard - 1/4 sp
Urad dhal - 1/4 sp
Red chilli - 1 (optional)
Onion - 2 sp
Curry leaves - 10 Nos.
Coriander leaves - To garnish
Salt - To taste

Method

1. Soak tamarind in hot water and extract the tamarind juice.
2. Grind coconut, cumin and green chillies to a fine paste adding sufficient water.
3. Add toor dhal, brinjal, drumstick, tomato, small onions, garlic, hing and turmeric powder to a pressure cooker along with water sufficient enough to fully cover the ingredients.
4. Cook for 5 whistles till the ingredients are well cooked.
5. Mash them with a 'mathu' so that all the vegetables are totally mashed and can't be separated.
6. Add the tamarind juice, grind masala, salt to the mashed items in the pressure cooker with necessary water.
7. Do the seasoning and add to the cooker.
8. Let this boil in a medium heat for 5 - 7 min (not more than that.... the taste will change) till the masala is well cooked.
9. Garnish with coriander leaves.
10. Serve with white rice. Normally this kuzhambhu is added in more quantities to rice...which will taste even better.

Note

1. This kuzhambhu should never be in a thick consistency. It should be kind of little watery.
2. Never boil the kuzhambhu for an increased time. This will totally spoil the taste of the kuzhambhu.
3. Some people boil the kuzhambhu for just 2 min. This can also be done if you don't feel that the kuzhambhu has a raw flavour.
4. The tamarind can be reduced to 3/4th pod or totally avoided, and the kuzhambhu can be served with idly / dosa.
5. In general, prepare the kuzhambhu in large quantities w/o tamarind, serve for breakfast. Then add tamarind juice, allow it to boil for 3 min and serve with rice.

Tips

1. The toor dhal in this recipe may cause gastric troubles in some people. This can be avoided by adding more garlic pods and hing to the kuzhambhu.
2. Else, after lunch, eat some hing along with a glass of warm water.

Pepper (Milagu) Kuzhambhu

Ingredients

Whole peppercorns - 1/ 4 (handful)
Tamarind - 1 pod
Coconut - 1/8 of a whole coconut
Red chillies - 2
Cumin (Jeera) - 1/2 sp
Big onion - 1/2
Coriander powder - 1/2 sp
Red chilli powder - 1/4 sp
Turmeric powder - less than 1/4 sp
Salt - To taste
Tomato - 1
Seasoning:
Oil - 3 sp
Mustard - 1/4 sp
Urad dhal - 1/4 sp
Onion - 2 sp
Curry leaves - 10 Nos.

Method

1. Grind coconut, red chillies, cumin to a fine paste adding necessary water.
2. To this, add onion and again grind to a fine paste.
3. Soak the tamarind in hot water for 10 min and extract the tamarind juice.
4. Add oil to a pan under medium heat and do the seasoning.
5. Add whole pepper (at the same time of adding onions) and fry it till it is starts to splutter & burst.
6. By the time the onions turn brown, the pepper will start bursting out. (Be careful not to burn yourself because of the bursting peppercorns.) 
7. To this add the grind masala, tamarind extract, the masala powders, tomato and salt with necessary water.
8. Simmer to get a thick consistency.
9. Serve with white rice.

Note

1. Even with little kuzhambhu, lots of rice can be eaten. So take utmost care with the quantity of coconut and tamarind.
2. If the peppercorns are preferred to be eaten along with rice, make sure not to add too much red chilli powder, since pepper will be spicy hot by itself.

Poondu Kuzhambhu

Call this poondu kuzhambhu (or) vengaya kuzhambhu (or) vendhaya kuzhambhu since this kuzhambhu contains all these three as main ingredients. This can be named any one of the three varieties depending upon which of the three ingredients is added in additional quantities.

Ingredients

Gingelly oil - 3 sp
Fenugreek seeds (vendhayam) - 1/2 sp
Garlic - 1 handful (each pod cut into half )
Small onions - 1 handful (each onion cut into half)
Tamarind - 1 1/2 pods
Coconut - 1/4 of a whole coconut
Red chillies - 2
Cumin - 1/4 sp
Big onion - 1/2 (or) equivalent small onions
Coriander powder - 1 sp
Red chilli powder - 1/2 sp
Turmeric powder - 1/4 sp
Salt - To taste
Tomato - 1 / 2
Seasoning:
Oil - 3 sp
Mustard - 1/4 sp
Urad dhal - 1/4 sp
Onion - 2 sp
Curry leaves - 10 Nos.

Method

1. Grind coconut, red chillies and cumin to a fine paste along with necessary water.
2. To this, add big onion and grind to a fine paste.
3. Soak tamarind in hot water for 10 min and extract tamarind juice.
4. Heat gingelly oil in a pan.When the oil is hot, add fenugreek seeds.
5. When the fenugreek seeds start to splutter, add the garlic & small onions and fry this in a medium heat.
6. When the garlic & onions start to brown, add the grind masala, tamarind extract, the masala powders,salt and tomato (cut into four) along with necessary water to cook the masala.
7. When the kuzhambhu is 3/4th done, do the seasoning and add to the kuzhambhu.
8. Let this simmer for about 5 - 10 min in a low heat till the required consistency is reached.
9. Serve with white rice. Can also be taken with idli / dosa occasionally.

Frying the garlic & onions till they start to brown

Note

1. The more the garlic & small onions are fried in the oil, the more tastier will be the kuzhambhu.
2. Never brown the garlic and onions.
3. The small onions can be replaced by equal quantity of big onion...but the kuzhambhu may taste a bit sweet because of the big onion.

Thakkali (Tomato) Kuzhambhu

Ingredients
Coconut - 1/4 of a whole coconut
Red chillies - 2
Fennel (perunjeeragam) - 1/4 sp
Ginger - 1/2 inch piece
Big onion - 1/2 (or) equivalent small onions
Coriander powder - 3/4 sp
Red chilli powder - 1/2 sp
Turmeric powder - 1/4 sp
Salt - To taste
Tomato - 4
Seasoning:
Oil - 3 sp
Mustard - 1/4 sp
Urad dhal - 1/4 sp
Onion - 2 sp
Curry leaves - 10 Nos.

Method

1. Grind coconut, red chillies, fennel and ginger to a fine paste along with necessary water.
2. To this, add big onion and grind to a fine paste.
3. Add the grind masala, the masala powders,salt and tomatoes (cut into four) along with necessary water to cook the masala.
4. When the kuzhambhu is 3/4th done, do the seasoning and add to the kuzhambhu.
5.  Let this simmer for about 5 - 10 min in a low heat till the required consistency is reached.
6. Serve with white rice. Can also be taken with idli / dosa occasionally.

Note

1. The main differences between thakkali kuzhambhu and other puli kuzhambhu varieties are:No tamarind here. The sourness of tamarind is replaced here by adding more number of tomatoes.Cumin is replaced by fennel.Ginger is added which totally changes the taste of the kuzhambhu from other varieties.

Puli Kuzhambhu

Puli Kuzhambhu is a traditional south TamilNadu curry which is prepared atleast once (may be twice or thrice) in a week in almost all the houses. This kuzhambhu can be of different varieties depending upon the veges added.

Ingredients

Choice of vegetable - Refer 'varieties section' below
Tamarind - 1 1/2 pods
Coconut - 1/4 of a whole coconut
Red chillies - 2
Cumin - 1/4 sp
Big onion - 1/2 (or) equivalent small onions
Coriander powder - 1 sp
Red chilli powder - 1/2 sp
Turmeric powder - 1/4 sp
Salt - To taste
Tomato - 1 / 2
Seasoning:
Oil - 3 sp
Mustard - 1/4 sp
Urad dhal - 1/4 sp
Onion - 2 sp
Curry leaves - 10 Nos.

Method

1. Grind coconut, red chillies and cumin to a fine paste along with necessary water.
2. To this, add big onion and grind to a fine paste.
3. Soak tamarind in hot water for 10 min and extract tamarind juice.
4. Cut the vegetable into big bite - sized pieces.
5. Transfer the diced veges to a pan and add water just to cover the veges and cook in a mediun heat. (Some veges need not be cooked at the beginning. They need to be added later. REFER - 'varieties')
6. When the veges are half cooked, add the grind masala, tamarind extract, the masala powders,salt and tomato (cut into four) along with necessary water to cook the masala.
7. If the veges are to be added later, add them once the kuzhambhu starts to boil.
8. When the kuzhambhu is 3/4th done, do the seasoning and add to the kuzhambhu.
9. Let this simmer for about 5 - 10 min in a low heat till the required consistency is reached.
10. Serve with white rice. Can also be taken with idli / dosa occasionally.

Varieties

Name of the Kuzhambhu	Basic vegetable / Ingredient	How to add	When to add	Special Ingredients / Conditions
Katharikai Puli Kuzhambhu	Brinjal - 3 Nos.	Cut into big pieces & add as such	In the beginning with water till half cooked	-
Urulaikilangu Puli Kuzhambhu	Potato - 2 Nos. medium sized	Cut into big pieces & add as such	In the beginning with water till half cooked	-
Vendaikkai Puli Kuzhambhu	Okra (Ladys finger) - 10 Nos.	Cut into big pieces, dry roast in low heat for 5 min & add	When Kuzhambhu starts to boil	-
Paagarkai Puli Kuzhambhu	Bittergourd - 1 No. medium sized	Cut into thin round slices & add as such	When Kuzhambhu starts to boil	-
Mochakottai Puli Kuzhambhu	Mochakottai - 1/2 cup	Soak in water overnight, pressure cook & add	When Kuzhambhu starts to boil	Do not overcook the mochakottai in the pressure cooker
Mochakottai Katharikai Puli Kuzhambhu	Mochakottai - 1/4 cup Brinjal – 1 No	Soak mochakottai in water overnight, pressure cook & add. Cut brinjal into big pieces & add as such	Add brinjal in the beginning with water till half cooked & Mochakottai when kuzhambhu starts to boil.	Do not overcook the mochakottai in the pressure cooker
Cauliflower Potato Puli Kuzhambhu	Cauliflower florets – 10 Nos. (big size) Potato – 1 No.	Cut into big pieces & add as such	Add potato in the beginning with water till half cooked & cauliflower when Kuzhambhu starts to boil	Grind 3 pods of garlic and ½ inch of ginger along with coconut masala. Reduce the tamarind to 1 pod only.

Urulaikilangu Puli Kuzhambhu

Vendaikkai Puli kuzhambhu

Cauliflower Potato Puli kuzhambhu