Poondu Kuzhambu (Spicy South Indian Garlic Gravy Recipe) (2024)

• Tamarind - Goose berry size
• 1 Tomato
• 15 Shallot
• 15 cloves Garlic
• 2 medium Potato (Optional)
• 5 Curry leaves
• Coriander leaves - For garnishing
• ¼ tsp Turmeric
• 1 ½ Tbsp Sambar powder
• ¼ tsp Asafoetida
• 2 tsp Salt (adjust per taste)
• 1 tsp Jaggery / Sugar (optional)

To dry roast and grind

• 1 Tbsp Coriander seeds
• 1 tsp Chana dal
• 1 tsp Toor dal
• ¼ tsp Fenugreek seeds
• 1 ½ tsp Black pepper
• 2 Dry red Chilli
• ¼ tsp Jeera

To temper

• 4 Tbsp Sesame oil
• ¼ tsp Mustard
• ½ tsp Broken urad dal
• ¼ tsp Fenugreek seeds
• ½ tsp Jeera

• First, Soak the tamarind along with a tsp of salt in a cup of warm water for about 15 minutes. Extract the tamarind puree and make it to measure 3 Cups by adding water. Add the tomato to the tamarind extract and crush them with your hand nicely. Thereby the tomatoes get mixed well with the tamarind extract.

  

  

• Heat a pan dry roast all the ingredients under "To Dry roast and grind". Make sure not to burn them. Let them cool for a minute and grind to a coarse powder and keep aside.

  

• Now heat a kadai with oil, add the mustard and once it splutter add all the other ingredients under "To temper" in the given order. As soon as the jeera starts changing color, add the curry leaves, shallots, garlic and saute until the shallots changes to golden brown.

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• Now add the potatoes, give a quick stir, follow it by turmeric, sambar powder, asafoetida, salt and saute them in medium flame until the oil gets separated.

  

• Now add the prepared tamarind tomato puree to the kadai and cook them in low-medium flame.

  

• Once the potato is ¾ done, add the ground masala powder and stir well without any lumps. Keep cooking until the potatoes are fully done. By now the oil would get separated and float on top of the kuzhambu and also the raw smell of tamarind would be gone. Turn off the flame, add the jaggery and mix well to get dissolved in kuzhambu. Garnish with coriander leaves.

  

  

• Serve hot with cooked rice topping off with ghee.

- While dry roasting, you should roast the coriander seeds seperately, jeera separately and all other ingredients separately. This will prevent jeera and coriander seeds from getting burnt, as they get roasted sooner than others.

- Do adjust the dry red chilli and pepper quantity according to your spiciness level. My quantity will give you a spicy gravy.

- Adding potatoes is totally optional. You can omit it or even add brinjal and drumstick.

- Adding jaggery is optional, but will give a slight sweetness to the kuzhambu which will be extraordinary.