Iru Puzhi Kuzhambu

Ingredients:
Tamarind - a small lemon size
Curd - 1 cup
Sambar Powder - 1 tablespoon
Turmeric Powder - a pinch
Salt - 1 teaspoon or as per taste
Chow Chow – a small one

To grind:

Red chillies – 4 to 5
Urad dal - 1 tablespoons
Fenugreek – 1 teaspoon
Coconut gratings – 1/2 to 3/4 cup

For seasoning:

Oil – 1 teaspoon
Mustard – ½ teaspoon
Fenugreek – ½ teaspoon
Asafoetida powder – ½ teaspoon
Curry leaves – few

Method:
* Soak tamarind in water and extract two cups of thick tamarind juice.
* In a kadai put one teaspoon of oil and fry Urad dhal, red chillies and fenugreek. Cool it and grind along with coconut to a fine paste.
* Cut the ladies finger into 1” length pieces and fry it well in a teaspoon of oil.
* Put the tamarind juice in a thick bottomed vessel. Add salt, sambar powder, turmeric powder and bring to boil. When it starts boiling, add the fried/cooked vegetable. Stir well and close with lid. When it starts boiling well, reduce the heat and add the ground coconut mix powder. if you need add half cup of water. Mix well and let it boil for few more minutes.
* Beat the curd well (or you can use thick buttermilk) and add it to the boiling kuzhambu. Stir well and when it starts boiling again, immediately remove from stove.
* Season it with mustard, fenugreek, asafetida and curry leaves.

Tips: You can use any oil for this kuzhambu. However if you use coconut oil, it enhances the flavor of this Kuzhambu.

Note: * Remove skin from chow chow and cut it into 1” pieces. If the chow chow is too big, then use half of that. . We need 10 to 15 Nos of pieces only. Put it in a steamer and cook for five to ten minutes. Or put it in a microwave bowl, sprinkle little water and microwave it for three to five minutes. You can even cook it on open vessel. Just boil two cups of water and add the vegetable and cook it soft.
You can add any desired vegetable to this Kuzhambu. However, brinjal, ladies finger, white pumpkin, chow chow, banana stem are more suitable.Brinjal can be added strait away to the tamarind water. Pumpkin, chow chow or banana stem can be steam cooked for five to ten minutes and then added to the kuzhambu.

MeenuThiyagu