Sundakkai-Vathakuzhambu

#SundakkaiVathakuzhambu : #Vathakuzhambu is commonly prepared using brinjal   [ katharikkai ], drum stick [ murungaikkai ], yam [ senai kizhangu ], broad beans [ mochai ], cowpea [ karamani / thatta payaru ], chick peas [ kondakadalai ] and pea eggplant [ sundakkai ]. Generally dried sundakkai is used in the preparation of vathakuzhambu. But fresh sundakkai can also be used for the recipe.

It is called Devil's fig, Prickly nightshade, Turkish berry, Wild eggplant, pea eggplant in English. The scientific name is Solanum torvum.
#Sundaikkai tastes like brinjal but slightly bitter than that. It is commonly dried in the Sun to make vathal. 

Ingredients :
1/4 Cup	Sundakkai [ pea eggplant ]
1/4 Cup	Garlic peeled
1/4 Cup	Small onion peeled
1 small size	Tomato chopped
10 - 15	Curry leaves
Big Amla size	Tamarind
Powders :
3 Tsp heaped	Sambar powder
1 Tsp	Coriander powder
1/2 Tsp	Araithuvitta kuzhambu powder [ optional ]
2 pinches	Turmeric powder
2 Tsp	Salt [ adjust ]
To temper :
3 Tsp	Gingelly oil
1/2 Tsp	Mustard seeds
small piece	Asafoetida
2 Tsp	Bengal gram
3 Tsp	Peanut [ ground nut ]

A small piece or 1/2 Tsp Jaggery [ optional ]

Method :

Soak tamarind in lukewarm water.

Wash sundaikkai and remove stem.

Cut into halves and put in a bowl containing water.

Chop garlic and onions nicely.

Heat a kadai on a stove over medium flame with oil.

After crackling mustard seeds add asafoetida piece, bengal gram and peanut.

Add curry leaves once bengal gram turns golden color.

Now add garlic and onion.

Saute for half a minute.

Now add chopped tomato and saute until soft.

Then add halved sundaikkai and turmeric powder.

Saute for two minutes.

Now add Sambar powder, coriander powder and Araithuvitta kuzhambu powder.

Mix well for half a minute adding enough salt and then add 1/2 cup of water.

Close the kadai and allow to cook sundaikkai till soft.

Finally squeeze out pulp from tamarind with half a cup of water and pour into boiling kuzhambu.

Add 1/2 cup of water and 1/2 Tsp of jaggery.

Mix well and allow to simmer till oil starts floating over the surface of the kuzhambu.

Adjust salt and mix well.

Transfer into a serving bowl.

An excellent accompaniment for paruppu sadham [ lentil mixed rice ] and keerai masiyal sadham.
It can also be mixed with rice adding a dash of gingelly oil [ till / sesame oil ] and relished with curry.
It tastes very good with curd rice.

Other related recipes you might like to try

Senai kizhangu vathakuzhambu	Manathakkali vathakuzhambu	Karamani [ cowpea ] masala curry
Vazhaipoo [ banana blossom ] Kuzhambu	Tomato bhindi curry

Other Dishes related to Lunch

Lunch Index

Curry Index

Different Kinds of Dishes

Recipe Index

Senai Vathakuzhambu

#SenaiVathakuzhambu : #Kuzhambu is a Tamizh word and it means thick gravy. #Vathakuzhambu is the hot favorite of many and generally prepared using dried vegetables such as manathakkali, mango, brinjal and sundaikkai.
Here vathakuzhambu has been prepared using yam, small onion, garlic and sambar powder.
Let us see the method of preparation now.

Ingredients:

1/2 cup                             Yam nicely chopped
1 small amla size               Tamarind, soak in lukewarm water
15                                      Small onion, slice lengthwise
20 cloves                           Garlic, slice lengthwise
1                                        Drum stick, cut into 1 1/2 inch pieces
1                                        Tomato, cut into pieces
10                                      Curry leaves
A small piece                      Jaggery

Powders to add :
3 Tsp Heaped                    Sambar powder
1 Tsp                                 Coriander powder
1/4 Tsp                              Turmeric powder
2 Tsp                                 Salt

To Temper :
1 Tsp                                Mustard seeds
1/2 Tsp                             Fenugreek
1 Tsp                                Gram dal
2 Tsp                                Ground nut
Small piece                       Asafoetida
3 Tsp                                Gingelly Oil ( Till/sesame oil )

Method :
Take a pressure cooker/pan with 1/2 cup of water. Keep aside.
Squeeze out juice from tamarind with 3/4 cup of water. Keep aside.
Keep a kadai with a Tsp of oil and heat over a medium flame.

First splutter mustard seeds and then add asafoetida, curry leaves, gram dal, ground nut.

Transfer into pressure cooker/pan.
Add a tsp of oil in the same kadai.
Now saute onion and garlic for 2 minutes.
Then add tomato pieces and saute for 2 minutes.

Transfer into the cooker.
Now saute yam pieces with a tsp of oil for 5 minutes.
Transfer into cooker.
Add all the powders given, drum stick pieces and salt.
Mix well after adding 1/2 cup of water.
Keep on a medium flame and bring it to boil.
Allow to simmer for 2 minutes.

Then add squeezed tamarind water.
Close the lid with weight on.
Pressure cook on high flame for a whistle.
Turn off the stove and open only after the steam subsides.
Now add jaggery piece and simmer for 3 minutes.

Transfer into a serving bowl. Garnish with curry leaves.

An excellent side dish for paruppu sadam and paruppu podi mixed rice.
Take hot white rice in a plate. Add required quantity of yam vathakuzhambu and a tsp of gingelly oil.
Mix well with hand and enjoy with any stir fry or kara curry of your choice.






Other recipes you might like to try

Vazhaipoo milagu kuzhambu

Vazhaipoo kuzhambu

Manathakkali Vathakuzhambu

Venthaya [ fenu -greek ] kuzhambu

Pumpkin Morekuzhambu

Other Dishes related to Lunch

Lunch Index

Curry Index

Different Kinds of Dishes

Recipe Index

Manathakkali Vathakuzhambu

#ManathakkaliVathakuzhambu : The method of doing #vathakuzhambu, in short #kuzhambu is just like sambar but without dal [ lentil ].
Vathakuzhambu as the name suggests is prepared using vathals such as dried manthakkali, dried Sundaikkai, dried mango. Not all the vegetables are suitable for kuzhambu.
Brinjal, drum stick, ladies finger, yam, avarakkai are some of the best suited vegetables for making kuzhambu. Legumes like karamani, channa are  also widely used in the preparation of vathakuzhambu.

I have few manathakkali plants in my garden. I regularly use the leaves to make paal saaru. The beautiful unripe fruits were hanging in the plant.I harvested those fresh manathakkali from the plant and decided to make vathakuzhambu using it along with little dried manathakkali. Here comes the recipe.

Ingredients:

Tamarind                                       : A small amla size ball
Manathakkali Vathal                      : 1 Tsp
Garlic                                            : 12 to 15 cloves
Onion                                            : 1 medium sized (If big onion)
                                                     : 10 to 12(If small onion)
Fresh Manathakkali                         : 1/4 cup
Dried Manathakkali                       : 1 Tsp
Ladies finger                                  : 4 or 5 [ optional ]
Tomato                                         : 1 small
Cooking oil                                   : 3 Tsp [ Adjust ]
Turmeric Powder                           : A Pinch
Sambar Powder                            : 3 Tsp  heaped
Coriander Powder                         : 1 Tsp
Salt to taste
Asafoetida powder                        : 1/4 Tsp
Curry leaves                                : 12
Jaggery                                        : 1/2 Tsp [ optional ]

To temper:
Mustard Seed                               : 1/2 Tsp
Grams dhal                                   : 2 Tsp
Ground nut [ Pea nut ]                   : 3 Tsp
Fenugreek                                     : 1/4 Tsp

Method:
Soak tamarind in a small bowl with lukewarm water.
Keep a kadai on slow flame & add 1 Tsp oil.
Crackle mustard seeds.
Then add asafoetida, gram dhal, ground nuts, fenugreek and manathakkali vathal.
Transfer into a pressure pan/cooker.
Now again add 2 Tsp of oil and then add curry leaves.Now add chopped garlic and onion (can be used without chopping also ).
Saute them for 3 to 5 minutes.
Now add tomato pieces and saute for a minute.
Then add ladies finger & fresh manathakkali and saute for 2 minutes.

Finally add all the powders and keep stirring until it gives out aroma.
Immediately transfer into the cooker.
Add salt and a cup of water into the cooker and mix well with a ladle.
Heat over a medium flame.
Squeeze tamarind with 1/2 cup of water and strain through a colander.

When it starts boiling add the tamarind water and jaggery.
Close the lid with weight on.
Cook for a whistle and open after the steam completely subsides.
Transfer into a serving bowl.



Vathakuzhambu and sutta appalam is the best combination foods.
Now it can be changed to Vathakuzhambu and microwaved appalam!!

Kuzhambu - vathakuzhambu tastes good with white rice.
Take white rice in a plate add vathakuzhambu and a tsp of gingelly oil ( till/sesame oil ). Mix well and enjoy with any curry/stirfry and fryums/papad.
Vathakuzhambu is an excellent side dish for paruppu rice, paruppu podi ( any podi ) rice, keerai masiyal rice and curd rice.
It also tastes good with Idly and dosai.








Some more curry recipes you might like to try

kuzhambu - Vathakuzhambu

Milagu [ Black pepper ] kuzhambu

Venthaya [ Fenu -greek ] kuzhambu

Pumpkin Morekuzhambu

Vazhaipoo kuzhambu

Curry Index

Lunch Index

Recipe Index

Kuzhambu - Vathakuzhambu

#KUZHAMBU or  #Kozhambu

Kuzhambu is thicker version of sambar. Sambar is prepared with dhal, vegetables and tamarind juice. But kuzhambu is made without dhal.
If made with Vathal, it is called Vathakuzhambu.
Vathals are preserves of Sundakkai, Manathakkali, Mango and some other vegetables dried in the Sun.
Kuzhambu can be made only using Vathal, Or only using Vegetables Or both.

Preparation Time               : 10 - 15 mins
Cooking Time                     : 10 mins
Quantity                              : 2 Cups approx.

Some of the vegetables suitable for making Kuzhambu are Brinjal, Drumstick, Avaraikai, Yam, etc.,...

Ingredients:
Tamarind                                       : A small amla size ball
Manathakkali Vathal                      : 1 Tsp
Garlic                                            : 12 to 15 cloves
Onion                                            : 1 medium sized (If big onion)
                                                     : 10 to 12(If small onion)

Brinjal                                          : 1
                                            OR
Yam                                              : 100 gm
                                            OR
Drumstick                                      : 1
                                            OR
Avarakkai                                     :5 to 6
Tomato                                         : 1 small
Cooking oil                                   : 3 Tsp [ Adjust ]
Turmeric Powder                           : A Pinch
Sambar Powder                            : 3 Tsp  heaped
Coriander Powder                         : 1 Tsp 
Salt to taste 
asafoetida powder                        : 1/4 Tsp
Curry leaves                                : 12

To temper:
Mustard Seed                               : 1/2 Tsp
Grams dhal                                   : 2 Tsp
Ground nut [ Pea nut ]                 : 3 Tsp
Fenugreek                                    : 1/4 Tsp
Gingelly oil                                   : 3 Tsp


Method:
Soak tamarind in a small bowl with lukewarm water.
Keep a kadai on slow flame & add 3 Tsp oil.
Crackle mustard seeds.
Then add asafoetida, gram dhal, ground nuts, fenugreek and manathakkali vathal ( if available).
Add curry leaves.
Now add chopped garlic and onion (can be used without chopping also ).

Saute them for 3 to 5 minutes.
Then add cut tomatoes.
Saute for 2 minutes and then add cut pieces of the vegetable.
If yam is taken saute well as it takes more time to cook.
Now add all the powders one by one.
Saute for a minute till it gives out aroma. Now add a cup of water.
Cover the kadai with a lid.
Once the vegetables are properly cooked add

strained tamarind water & salt.
Let it simmer for 5 to 7 minutes till the raw smell of tamarind goes off.

Transfer kuzhambu into a serving bowl and garnish with curry leaves.

Note : A tsp of jaggery can be added along with salt to bring out the taste and even out the spiciness.




Kuzhambu - vathakuzhambu tastes good with white rice.
Take white rice in a plate add vathakuzhambu and a tsp of gingelly oil ( till/sesame oil ). Mix well and enjoy with any curry/stirfry and fryums/papad.


Vathakuzhambu is an excellent side dish for paruppu rice, paruppu podi ( any podi ) rice, keerai masiyal rice and curd rice.



It also tastes good with Idly and dosai.

Some more curry recipes you might like to try

Manathakkali Vathakuzhambu

Milagu [ black pepper ] kuzhambu

Venthaya [ fenu -greek ] kuzhambu

Pumpkin Morekuzhambu

Vazhaipoo kuzhambu

Curry Index

Lunch Index

Recipe Index