Milagu Kuzhambu

I had made this kuzhambu last week, in the hope of submitting it for the ‘CWS – Pepper’ Event. But, I completely missed doing that, since I was busy with other posts. I realized that I had’nt posted this recipe yet, when I had this kuzhambu again today.(The same kuzhambu, I didn’t make it again today. ) Yes. Whenever I make this kuzhambu, I make extra and keep it in the fridge, so that I could have a quick lunch with microwaved papads. And, I realized that this would make an excellent entry towards ‘Rescue Avi – Home Alone Gourmet’ Event.

This kuzhambu keeps well in a glass dish with an airtight lid/glass bottle in the fridge for about 10 days. If frozen it stays for upto a month. If planning to use on the same day and not storing it, you can reduce the gingelly oil to just 1 tbsp. Same rule as pickles, make sure you use a dry spoon and it will not spoil easily.

Ingredients:

1/4 cup gingelly oil

1/2 tsp mustard

1/2 tsp fenugreek seeds

a sprig curry leaves

1/2 cup pearl onions

1/2 cup garlic

a golf ball sized tamarind

1/2 tsp turmeric powder

salt to taste

For paste:

1 tbsp whole black pepper

1 tbsp toor dal

1 tbsp urad dal

1 tsp cumin seeds

1 tbsp coriander seeds

4 red chillies

Method:

Peel the garlic and keep it whole. Peel the pearl onions and slice them into thin rounds. Soak the tamarind in a cup of water and extract the juice.

Dry roast the ingredients under ‘to grind’. Let cool and grind to a paste adding enough water.

Heat the oil in a pan over medium heat. Splutter the mustard seeds and the fenugreek seeds. Add the curry leaves. Add the sliced onion and whole garlic. Add the turmeric powder and salt. Let the onion and garlic cook until soft in the oil. You don’t want it turning brown. So cook on medium to low heat. When soft, add the ground paste and saute in the oil. Add the tamarind water and another cup of water and let it cook again over medium heat. The kuzhambu will appear watery at this point. Don’t worry it will thicken up. When oil floats to the top. Switch off and let cool. Remove to storage dish of your choice. Let cool again and put the lid on.(to avoid sweating/condensation). Serve hot with steaming hot rice and papad.

Verdict: The kuzhambu was spicy and warms your throat, be it on the day of, or weeks later after it was made. To me, it is a great comfort food and will soothe anyone who is away from home or home alone for that matter.