How To Make Kathirikai Murungakkai Kara Kuzhambu?
Kathirikai Murungakkai Kara Kuzhambu – Tangy and Spicy Gravy With Drumstick & Aubergines. Chettinad Recipe
Kathirikai Murungakkai Kara Kuzhambu is a tangy and spicy kuzhambu from the Chettinad regions. The chettinad region is famous for its myriad varieties of kuzhambu. A kuzhambu is basically a gravy made with a few vegetables, a spice paste with or without coconut and a souring agent like yogurt or tamarind. Of all the kuzhambus that are made, this kathirikai murungakkai kara kuzhambu is one of the most sought after, maybe because of the flavors of aubergine and drumstick. This kara kuzhambu made with aubergines and drumstick tastes divine with hot rice, a drizzle of sesame oil and some poppadoms. But the best in this Kathirikai Murungakkai Kara Kuzhambu is brought out only the next day after its cooked. This kuzhambu tastes the best the next day and any leftovers are relished along with some curd rice in my house.
While many versions of kara kuzhambu involve a lot of spices and grinding, this kathirikai murungakkai kara kuzhambu is a simple version. You can even call it the everyday kara kuzhambu. The building blocks of this kathirikai murungakkai kara kuzhambu are tender drumsticks and aubergines plus freshly grated coconut. You will get this kuzhambu spot on if you have all these right. Let us now check out the recipe for this lip smacking kuzhambu.
Kathirikai Murungakkai Kara Kuzhambu With Step By Step Pictures
Chop drumstick into 3″ long pieces and cook till tender but firm. I used my microwave for this. Quarter the aubergines, peel the shallots, garlic and chop the tomatoes.
Soak tamarind in half a cup of hot water. Extract pulp and strain this to get rid of all the strings. I never do this out of sheer laziness but my mom highly recommends this. It is not a wonder that i m also frowned upon for not doing the same. 😆
Heat a pan with 2 tbsp sesame oil. Add the shallot and garlic and fry till shallots turn translucent and pink.
Next, add the cooked drumstick and aubergines and saute for a minute. To this, add the tamarind extract, salt and jaggery. Sorry i couldnt take a picture of the salt and jaggery being added. Mix well let it simmer for a minute.
To this add the chopped tomatoes and give a good mix. Simmer this till the tomatoes become very tender but not mushy. Many people add the chopped tomatoes at the beginning after the shallots are fried. But i prefer doing it this way because i like bits of tomato in my kathirikai murungakkai kara kuzhambu. However, you may add the chopped tomatoes right after the shallots get done and proceed with the recipe.
In the meanwhile, grind all the ingredients for the spice paste along with 2 to 3 tbsp water. Once the tomatoes have turned tender and the raw smell of the tamarind goes away, add the ground paste to the mixture and mix well. Continue to simmer the kuzhambu on medium flame until the raw smell of the spice paste goes away. This should take 5 mins.
Heat a pan with 1 tbsp sesame oil. Pop the mustard and quickly tip in the urad dal, fenugreek seeds and curry leaves with a pinch of hing. Add the tempering to the kuzhambu. Mix well. ( Please note that this Kathirikai Murungakkai Kara Kuzhambu will become gluten free only if you dont add the hing)
Your Kathirikai Murungakkai Kara Kuzhambu is ready.
Recipe For Kathirikai Murungakkkai Kara Kuzhambu
Kathirikai Murungakkai Kara Kuzhambu With Step By Step Pictures
Ingredients
- Drumstick murungakkai 1 large chopped into 3" fingers
- Aubergines eggplant/ kathirikai 2 quartered
- Shallots 7 to 8 peeled
- Garlic cloves 4 to 5 peeled
- Tomato 1 medium chopped
- Tamarind extract ½ c
- Salt to taste
- Jaggery 1 tbsp grated
- Sesame oil 2 tbsp plus 1 tbsp
- Spice paste:
- Freshly grated coconut 3 tbsp
- Red chili powder 1 tsp
- Turmeric powder 1 tsp
- Coriander powder 1 tsp
- Tempering:
- Mustard seeds 1 tsp
- Urad dal 1 tsp
- Fenugreek seeds ½ tsp
- Curry leaves a sprig
- Hing a small pinch
Instructions
- Cook the drumstick till tender in a microwave.
- Heat a pan with 2 tbsp sesame oil.
- Add the shallots and garlic and fry till the shallots turn pink
- To this add the aubergines and drumstick and saute for a minute.
- Add the tamarind extract along with salt and jaggery and mix well.
- Simmer for about 2 to 3 mins.
- Next add chopped tomatoes and mix well.
- Cook till tomatoes turn very tender but not mushy. This should take 3 to 4 mins.
- Grind the coconut, chili powder, coriander powder and turmeric along with ¼ c of water to a smooth paste.
- Add this paste to the pan and mix well.
- Simmer for 5 mins or until raw smell goes away.
- Switch off flame
- Heat another pan with 1 tbsp oil.
- Pop the mustard and add the urad dal, curry leaves, fenugreek seeds and hing.
- Once the dal begins to brown, add the tempering to the kuzhambu.
- Mix well.
- Serve hot with rice.
I made it yesterday night for dinner and it was absolutely delicious. Hubby loved it too. This recipe tasted similar to a dish my mum makes, a vendhaya kozhambu which is my all time fav. Couldn’t believe such a simple dish packed so much flavor.
Awesome recipe Anu any day I can have . It will be apt for dosai too