Found this in my drafts and it was dated 6/11/11. I kept postponing this thinking it was too simple to post. Then, decided that it will be useful to the newbies. Also, I have been telling my friend I will post this recipe soon and so this one sees the light of the day. Kuzhambu is basically something we mix with plain rice and eat. There are different variations to kuzhambu and each one is unique in its taste. This kuzhambu stays good for a week in the fridge. I normally make a big batch over the weekend and that makes a couple of weekday lunches a breeze. This dish is pretty hot and a little goes a long way.
I have used vadagam for seasoning although you could use just mustard seeds. Vadagam is basically a seasoning ingredient where the main ingredients are onion, urad dal, mustard seeds and curry leaves. This is made during the hot summers in India and it stays good for a year or more. I remember my mom make big balls of the chopped ingredients, which is then dried in the sun for few days. Lots of care is taken when vadagam is prepared and it is normally done every summer in India.
This kuzhambu is also another way to include garlic in the diet. I have also used this kuzhambu as a side dish for idli, dosa, etc. So let us prepare this tangy kuzhambu, shall we?
Some other kuzhambu’s already posted.
Ingredients
1 tbsp oil
2 tsp vadagam (Can use mustard seeds instead. Use just 1/2 tsp mustard seeds)
1 small onion
20 cloves garlic
Curry leaves
1/2 tomato
Lemon size tamarind (2 cups juice extracted)
Salt to taste
A pinch of turmeric powder
2.5 tsp red chilly powder (Adjust to taste)
Method
Heat oil and add the vadagam. Fry for few seconds.
Add onions, garlic and curry leaves.
Saute until the onion and garlic are cooked.
Add tomatoes.
Cook until tomatoes are mushy.
Add the tamarind water.
Add salt, turmeric powder and red chilly powder.
Bring to a boil and simmer.
Simmer for around 15 minutes until the kuzhambu thickens to desired consistency.
Kuzhambu ready. We enjoyed it with plain rice, keerai kootu and papad.