Chettinad Poondu Kulambu
There's nothing that beats serving this spicy and tangy kulambu over white rice. This Chettinad special is a must try, especially for all the garlic lovers out there.
Servings: 6
Ingredients
- 1 cup red onion (chopped)
- 1 cup garlic (around 25 garlic cloves cut lengthwise)
- 1 cup tomato (chopped)
- 3 inch tamarind piece (soaked in 1 cup water)
- 1 tsp mustard seeds
- ¼ tsp urad dhal
- ½ tsp methi seeds
- ¼ tsp black pepper
- ⅛ tsp asafoetida (also known as hing or perungayam)
- 3 sprigs curry leaves
- ½ tsp turmeric powder
- 1 tbsp coriander powder
- 1 tbsp sambar powder
- 1 tbsp kulambu milagai powder (optional)
- 1 tsp red chili powder (adjust to taste)
- 1 tbsp rice flour
- 6 tbsp gingelly oil
- 2 cups water (adjust as needed)
- salt to taste
Instructions
- Heat 4 tbsp of oil in a pan. Once hot, add mustard seeds, urad dhal, methi seeds, black pepper and asafoetida.
- Once mustard seeds crackle, add chopped onions and saute for 1 minute.
- Add garlic and saute for 1-2 minutes or until the raw smell fades.
- Next, add turmeric powder, coriander powder, chili powder and sambar powder. Mix well.
- Then, add tomatoes and curry leaves. Saute for 1 minute.
- Add tamarind extract and salt. Add kulambu milagai powder, if using, and mix well. This will enhance the flavor of the kulambu.
- Cover the kulambu with a lid and cook for 5 minutes on medium flame.
- Dissolve the rice flour in 1 cup of water. Make sure there are no lumps. Set aside.
- Add the rice water mixture to the kulambu. Adjust salt, spice and consistency as needed.
- Add 2 tbsp of gingelly oil to the kulambu. Let it boil for 5 minutes on medium flame.
- After a few minutes, the oil will start to separate. The kulambu is now ready.
- Serve hot with rice, idli or dosa.
Notes
- If kulambu milagai powder is not available, use sambar powder.
- You can use pearl onions or shallots instead of red onions to make the kulambu more flavorful.