Kara Kuzhambu

Kara Kuzhambu:

This is one amazingly tangy kuzhambu variety, which is popular in the Chettinad region of south India. Chettinad recipes call for generous amounts of spices like fennel and pepper. 

This kara kuzhambu has a unique flavor from the specially ground paste of shallots, tomaotes,spices and shredded coconut. 

Vegetables like eggplant, drum stick etc are added to make this kuzhambu more flavorful. However, I made this as a kuzhambu sans the veggies. Nevertheless, it still tasted great.

I served this kara kuzhambu with rice and cabbage usili. 

Without any further ado, let's proceed to the recipe.

Ingredients:

Tamarind- a small lime sized ball. If using readymade tamarind paste, use 2 tsps of the paste , mixed in 2 cups of water.

Coconut milk- 1 cup

Salt- as needed

Oil- 3 tsps (Sesame oil works great in bringing out the flavors of this kuzhambu.

Ingredients :(to be roast in oil and ground to a paste)

Channa dal- 2 tsps

Coriander seeds- 2 tsps

Red chillies- 2 (adapt it to your spice preference)

Fennel seeds- 1 tsp

Shallots- 10 

Tomatoes- 1 (halved)

Heat oil in a kadai. Add the channa dal, coriander seeds, red chillies and fennel. Fry for a couple of minutes. Then add the shallots, followed by the halved tomato slices. Saute for a couple of minutes. Remove from stove. Once it cools down, grind to a smooth paste, adding little water. This is the masala paste for the kuzhambu

Spices for seasoning:

Mustard seeds- 1 tsp

Cumin seeds- 1 tsp

Preparation:

Heat oil in a kadai. Add the mustard seeds. Once it splutters, add in the cumin seeds. Once the cumin seeds start crackling, add the tamarind extract. Let the tamarind extract boil until the raw smell is lost. Dilute the prepared masala paste, adding 1 cup of coconut milk . Add this paste to the boiling tamarind extract. Add salt and more water, as needed. Give a good stir to make sure all flavors come together. Cook covered on a low to medium flame.

Once done, transfer to a serving bowl and enjoy with rice and some curry of your choice.

Notes:

1. In lieu of coconut milk, 2 tbsps of shredded coconut may be used. If using shredded coconut, roast it with the other ingredients.

2. If adding other vegetables like egg plant or drumstick, saute them for a while before adding the tamarind extract. Adding little salt will help the veggies cook faster.

3. Shallots impart a great flavor to this kuzhambu. Regular onions could be used as well, but the flavor of the kara kuzhambu.