Wednesday, February 6, 2013

Varathu Aracha Kuzhambu




Here is another very flavorful Kuzhambu from my SIL’s mother’s kitchen. A regular in their house, it has become our family favorite too. The aroma and flavor of the roasted and ground coconut and spices makes this kuzhambu really special. A perfect accompaniment with plain rice and a simple stir fry and few pappads. It also pairs very well with idly and dosa.

I have used Pumpkin and ashgourd in this recipe; you can also use drumstick and lady’s finger. If using lady’s finger, sauté lightly and then use. Off to the recipe:

Serves - 3 to 4

What you'll need
  1. Pumpkin – 1 cup, cubed
  2. Ashgourd – 1 cup, cubed
  3. Tamarind – a small gooseberry sized ball
  4. Turmeric Powder – ¼ tsp
  5. Salt to taste

Roast and Grind
  1. Urad Dal – ½ tbsp
  2. Bengal Gram Dal/Channa Dal – ¼ tbsp
  3. Fenugreek Seeds – ¼ tsp
  4. Dried Red Chillies – 2 or 3
  5. Fresh Scraped Coconut – 1 cup, tightly packed
  6. Oil – 1 tbsp
  7. Curry Leaves – few

For Tempering
  1. Coconut Oil/any refined oil – 2 tsp
  2. Mustard Seeds – 1 tsp



Method
  1. Soak the tamarind in one cup of water for 10 minutes.
  2. Squeeze and extract the pulp from the tamarind.
  3. Add another cup of water to it.
  4. Add the chopped vegetables, salt and turmeric powder.
  5. Bring to boil, cover and cook till the vegetables are cooked.
  6. In the meanwhile, heat a kadai with a ½ tbsp of oil, and roast the urad dal, channa dal, fenugreek seeds and red chillies, finally add the scraped coconut and roast.
  7. Add the remaining oil and roast till the coconut turn light brown.
  8. Add the curry leaves, mix well and remove from flame.
  9. Grind this into a smooth paste adding about ¼ to ½ cup of water.
  10. Once the vegetables are cooked, add this ground paste to it and mix well. Add more water if necessary and adjust seasoning..
  11. Simmer till the gravy starts to froth, do not allow boiling. Remove from heat and garnish with some more curry leaves.
  12. Heat a small frying pan with 2 tsps of oil, and add mustard seeds. Once it splutters pour it over the kuzhambu.




Delicious Kuzhambu is ready. Serve with plain rice and stir fry of your choice.

Note:
  1. Don't reduce the amount of coconut as it is one of the main ingredients.
  2. The gravy tends to thicken a bit on cooling.


24 comments:

Akila said...

Mouthwatering kuzhambu... Lovely clicks

Event: Dish name starts with Q till Feb 28th

Sumi said...

this is one of our favorite kulambhu too, very delicious. I sometimes combine pumkin and black eyed peas too..wonderful pictures

Shylaja Praveen said...

Nice presentation Kaveri.I always confuse a lot between arachuvita sambar, pitlai, rasavangi , varuthu aracha kuzhambu as they all have same spices with different measurements.You have mastered it very well...

maha said...

Nice presentation dear.I really liked d pots..I think its better 2 mention d name in english vch may easy 2 understood who r not familiar 2 tamil like me....paste ings vch u used in dish can explains d taste..luks very tasty

Mélange said...

Nothing more to ask for..Indulge with rice.

Sangeetha Nambi said...

Wow ! Beautifully done...
http://recipe-excavator.blogspot.com

Reshmi Mahesh said...

Flavorful and delicious kuzhambu....Beautifully presented...

Unknown said...

Good pics kaveri... My friends mom used to make arachu vitta kuzhambu with potatoes and drumstick and the accompaniment was keerai masiyal. I used to love it.

Unknown said...

Awsome presentation and pics...delicious curry..

Rafeeda AR said...

those kallupathrams bring such nostalgic memory... yummy curry... bookmarking it for trial ... :)

Vimitha Durai said...

Yummy and flavorful curry. The freshly ground spices gives it a unique flavor na.. loved those pots.

Unknown said...

delicious kuzhambu:)

Unknown said...

cute props dear.. nice click too.. love this kuzhambu with potato masala..

Nalini's Kitchen said...

Flavorful kulambhu,looks tempting,cute props and wonderful presentation Kaveri...

Unknown said...

Very nice clicks with unique properties Kaveri.. Kuzhambu vaasanai thookuthu. Love it.

Julie said...

Lovely clicks,Kaveri with new kinda potteries..haven't seen it before,kulambu looks flavorful too!!

Subhie Arun said...

wow ..that was v inviting n super tempting click!!...frst time here ..hapi to follow u..glad if u do d same

http://subhieskitchen.blogspot.co.uk

divya said...

Looks divine!!! Nice presentation ;)

Suja Manoj said...

Beautiful presentation Kaveri,looks so yummy

Jeyashris Kitchen said...

Nice and flavorful kuzhambhu, good presentation too

Hema said...

Very flavorful, beautiful presentation..

Swathi said...

Delicious Kaveri. love to have with my rice.

Rani acharyulu said...

Yummy kuzhabu looks so nice in those stone pottery.

great-secret-of-life said...

nice recipe.. nice presentation

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