garlic kuzhambu

GRANDMA’S VELLAPOODU KUZHAMBU | POONDU KUZHAMBU | GARLIC GRAVY

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Grandma’s Vellapoodu Kuzhambu, as the name suggests, is a dish from my late grandmother’s kitchen. It is more of like a family recipe, in the sense, passed on to my mom and then to me. Now I am sharing this with you.
poondu kuzhambuVellapoodu kuzhambu is a popular dish in south India and is primarily made of pepper, curry leaves and lots of garlic cloves. It is one of my favorite dishes among vegetarian recipes. It has been a mainstay in my mom’s cooking since my childhood.
The first time I made my grandma’s vellapoodu kuzhambu, it did not resemble to the one made by my mom but my perseverance paid off. So, when I say the recipe has been tried and tested, it literally means that 🙂
042As I had mentioned in my puli kuzambhu recipe, the main ingredient for my grandma’s vellapoodu kuzhambu is using whole garlic cloves; not the diced ones. This gives the unique taste found in my grandma’s recipe.
041So here is the wonderful recipe of my grandma’s vellapoodu kuzhambu and let me know how well did it go in your kitchen 🙂

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POONDU KUZHAMBU|GARLIC GRAVY
Recipe type: Lunch
Cuisine: Indian
Prep time: 
Cook time: 
Total time: 
Serves: 2
 
Vellapoodu kuzhambu is a popular dish in south India and is primarily made of pepper, curry leaves and lots of garlic cloves. It is one of my favorite dishes among vegetarian recipes. It has been a mainstay in my mom’s cooking since my childhood.
Ingredients
  • Gingelly oil – 1 tbsp
  • Cumin seed – 1 tbsp
  • Red chilli – 1
  • Black Pepper – 1 tsp
  • Mustard seed – 1 tsp
  • Turmeric powder – 1 tsp
  • Raw Rice – 1 tbsp (soaked in water for 1 hour)
  • Garlic cloves – 15 nos
  • Raw rice water (kalani thanni) – 1 cup
  • Curry leaves – a sprig
  • Salt – as required
Instructions
  1. Heat a pan with half a tsp of gingelly oil. Add cumin seeds, black peeper, red chilli and half a tsp of mustard seeds and stir fry till they start to splutter. Allow it to cool and grind it with a tsp of turmeric powder, soaked rice and a garlic clove with little raw rice water and make into paste.
  2. Heat the same pan with remaining oil, add mustard seeds and curry leaves. When mustard seeds start to splutter, add in the remaining garlic cloves and sauté for a minute or until the cloves changes color.
  3. Now add ground masala along with raw rice water and salt and give it a stir. Bring it to boil or wait until the gravy thickens and garlic cloves are well cooked.
  4. Serve this gravy on side with hot rice and scrambled egg.
Notes
Raw rice water is nothing but the water you get when you wash the rice for the second time.
Adding this water is mainly because it thickens the gravy.

 

 

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Tirunelveli Pulikuzhambu

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028Tirunelveli always reminds me of so many special memories. I learnt this super dish from my mom’s bestie (and her daughter is my bestie!). We go to Tirunelveli just to visit them and of course to enjoy her food. She always makes this dish whenever we visit them as it is my favorite. (I must say that this is one among many she prepares for the lunch). My mom’s friend is an avid cook. It was very kind of her to share this recipe. I also love her Sothi for which I will post the recipe very soon. Thanks to aunty and my friend, who took the time to ask her mom and e-mail me the recipe.
Tirunelveli pulikuzhambuPulikuzhambu is a tamarind based gravy popular in my home state of Tamilnadu, India. And Tirunelveli pulikuzhambu is one of the best. The key to this recipe is the roasting of spices to the right temper which is then ground to a paste and that forms the base for this gravy. Tirunelveli pulikuzhambu goes very well with rice, idli and dosa.
tirunelveli pulikuzhambuLooks yummy rite? Pulikuzhambu is my most favorite vegetarian gravy and this Tirunelveli variety is at the top of the pecking order. That is mainly because of the taste and the traditional method in which it is prepared. Hope you enjoy it as much as I do!

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Tirunelveli Pulikuzhambu
Recipe type: Lunch
Cuisine: Indian
Prep time: 
Cook time: 
Total time: 
Serves: 4
 
Easy puli kuzhambu made in tirunelveli style for the spicy food lovers and mom to be's.
Ingredients
  • Garlic cloves – 15 nos
  • Shallots – 4 (if small – 6, cut into slits)
  • Mustard seeds – 1 tsp
  • Urad dal – 1 tsp
  • Tamarind – big gooseberry size
  • Gingelly oil – 2 tbs
  • Salt as required
To roast
  • Cumin seeds – 1 tbs
  • Whole black pepper – 12 nos
  • Red chillies – 3
  • Coriander seeds – 1 tbs
  • Split bengal gram/ kadalai paruppu - 1 tbs
  • Raw rice – 1 tsp
  • Fenugreek seeds – ½ tbs (7 to 8 nos)
Instructions
  1. Soak tamarind in a cup of water for 15 minutes and extract the juice.
  2. Heat a tsp of gingelly oil, add and roast the ingredients given above for a couple of minutes until the aroma spreads (simmer it to avoid burning). Allow it to cool and grind along with a shallot and keep it ready.
  3. Heat gingelly oil in a sauce pan and add mustard seeds and urad dal. When it starts to pop, add shallots and garlic cloves. Sauté until onion turn translucent.
  4. Now add in the ground masala and immediately the tamarind juice with enough salt. Mix well and allow it to boil. Switch off the flame when oil separates.
Notes
Add whole garlic cloves to this gravy *WITHOUT* chopping. This gives an added taste. Chopped garlic not so much.

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