HOTEL STYLE KARA KUZHAMBU

DH loves hotel style kara kuzhambu and would take extra serving whenever prepared at home.  In the early years of marriage, I have never prepared this kuzhambu as mom does not make this type at my home.  When I first tasted in a restaurant in Chennai, DH asked me as to why am not trying different variations like that.  Then, I gathered the recipe with the chef available there who was courteous enough to share the recipe.  Later, when we visited DH village next time, I got kara kuzhambu recipe from my co-sister.  As always, I alter the recipes slightly to suite our family taste.  The recipe is a combined version of the recipes shared by chef and co-sister.  

Ingredients:

Cowpeas - 1 cup

Small onions (shallots) - 1 cup

Tomato - 2

Drumstick - cut in 2 inch length - few

Tamarind extract - 2 cups

Sambar Powder - 3 tsp

Salt - to taste

To grind:

Sautéed small onion and tomato - 2 tsp

Coconut - 3 tsp

Saunf/fennel seeds - 1/4 tsp

To temper:

Mustard seeds - few

Fenugreek - 1 tsp

Red chillies -2-3

Curry leaves - few

Preparation:

1. Pressure cook cow peas with little water and salt.  Make sure it is cooked rightly and not mushy.

2. Extract tamarind water from the soaked tamarind pulp and keep aside.

                          

 

3. In a kadai, add little oil, add the tempering items one by one, add small onion and tomato.  Saute until the tomatoes turned mushy.  Take smaller portion from the mixture and keep aside for grinding.

                        

 

4.  Add drumstick pieces, sambar powder, and salt and mix well.

5.  Add the extract tamarind water to the mixture.  Mix well and transfer to a vessel and let this boil for sometime.

                          

6. Meanwhile, grind the sauted onion-tomato mixture along with coconut and fennel seeds.

7. Once the drumstick pieces have cooked, add the ground mixture, and blend well.   Let this boil for 3 minutes.

8. Finally, add the cooked cow peas and let this boil for 5 minutes.  Switch off the stove.  

9. This kuzhambu thickens with time and tastes awesome with more settling time.  

10.  We had with drumstick leaves poriyal and potato fry which made the meal enjoyable and fulfilled.