Friday, August 24, 2012

Onion-Garlic-Pepper Kuzhambu

** Moved from my earlier blog **

With a climate to die for in Chennai (;), I have been fighting hard the 'common cold / flu' whatever! Actually, I thank the flu as I read a novel after a long time, my only savior from this irritation and 'so-very-interesting work'! What next is when I thought of treating myself to something spicy but healthy - the age old, pepper-based gravy / kuzhambu. Pepper, garlic are powerful fighters against flu - try it out!

Onion-Garlic-Pepper Kuzhambu            Prep Time: ~ 15 mts    Cook Time: 15 mts

Ingredient                           Measure                               Remarks

Small onions                       1 cup                                    Peeled and sliced
Garlic                                 5-8 cloves                             Peeled and mashed
Tamarind                            Medium Lemon size              Soak it for 30 mts before you start preparing
Red Chilies                         3-4
Black Pepper                     1 -1.5 tablespoon                 As spicy as rqd
Thuvaram parupu               1 tablespoon                         Thuar dhal; yellow lentil
Uzhutam parupu                 1 tablespoon                         Udadh dhal
Salt                                    To taste
Mustard Seeds                   ¼ tsp                                    For seasoning
Curry Leaves                      Few                                     to grind and season
Oil                                      1-2 tblspn                            For frying

Preparation

For Grinding:

1. Fry together black pepper, red chillies, thuar dhal, udadh dhal till they are golden (in very little oil).
2. Grind the above roasted ingredients with a few curry leaves and make a smooth paste.

Main Preperation:

1. Extract thick tamarind juice (ensure tamarind is soaked 30 mts prior).
2. Peel onion and slice them.
3. Peel garlic and mash them.
4. In a pan, pour enough oil (1-2 tblspn). When it’s a little hot, add mustard seeds; Follow it up with a few curry leaves, onions, and garlic. Fry them till golden.
5. To the above, add the ground paste (pepper paste) and fry for a few minutes (2 mts or so till the pepper smell goes off).
6. To the above mix, add the tamarind juice extract, SALT, and a little water to dilute and get required consistency.
7. Boil till the oil separates and floats at the top.
8. Serve with hot rice & ghee, idlis, dosas.

Hmmm all done, this is how it looked like :)

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