5/5 (1)

My mom makes this sukku milagu kara kuzhambhu whenever we feel like we are getting cold or especially during the rainy months. This stays good in the fridge for more than a week. Mix one spoon of this with hot rice along with ghee and eat it. The next minute, your mouth and nose will be watering. It is so spicy, but very good for our body. There is a saying or a proverb in Tamil which goes like this – You can go to your enemy’s house for lunch/dinner when you have a little quantity of black pepper in your hand. So powerful it is…

When my mom makes this Kuzhambhu , oil will be floating on top of it. But, i have used little oil in this recipe. Also mine is thicker in consistency. You can add more water to make it into a thinner consistency.

Main point : If you get shallots (also called chinna vengayam in tamil), please use them instead of regular onions. It increases the taste of the gravy.

Servings: 8

Ingredients:

For Dry roasting: (section 1)

1. Black pepper – 1.5 tablespoons
2. Cumin – 1/2 teaspoon
3. Fenugreek seeds – 1/4 teaspoon
4. Asafoetida – one small piece (refer picture)
5. Dry ginger (also called sukku) – 1/4 size of your tiny finger (refer picture, skin should be removed before usage)
6. Curry leaves – one small handfull
7. Onion – 1/2 cup (roughly chopped)
8. Poppy seeds – 1/2 teaspoon
9. Oil – 1 teaspoon

For the gravy : (section 2)

1. Oil – 3 tablespoons
2. Mustard seeds – 1 teaspoon
3. Garlic – 5 pods (big ones)
4. Curry leaves – few
5. Onion – 3/4 cup (finely chopped)
6. Tomato – 1 (big, pureed)
7. Tamarind – one small piece ( size of a lime)
8. Turmeric powder – 1/2 teaspoon
9. Homemade Chilli powder – 1 tablespoon (or raw chilli powder – 1 teaspoon & coriander powder -2 teaspoons)
10. Salt – as required

Method:

1. First lets dry roast all the ingredients under section 1 for 5 to 8 minutes under medium heat. I have used only 1 teaspoon oil for roasting them.

2. Then transfer the contents to a blender along with little water and blend it into a paste like consistency.

3. Next we can prepare the Kuzhambhu:

Before that, cut the onions, tomatoes, garlic and soak the tamarind in a cup of water. After 5 minutes, crush the tamarind and extract its juice (discard the pulp). Also puree the tomatoes.

4. Next, Heat oil in a big pan, add mustard seeds. Allow the mustard seeds to splutter and then add the garlic, curry leaves and onions. Saute until they turn translucent.

5. Next add the tomato puree, turmeric powder, homemade chilli powder, salt (1 teaspoon) along with the tamarind water. Mix well and simmer for about 5 to 8 minutes (or until the raw smell of the chilli powder goes off).

6. Later, add the dry roasted ingredient’s paste and mix well.

7. The gravy becomes thicker, hence we can add 1 to 1.5 cups water and simmer for another 5 minutes. When the oil separates out from the gravy, then it is ready to switch off.

8. Serve it with hot rice and ghee!