VATHA KULAMBU (TAMRIND GRAVY)

Welcome to my cookbook Cookerypoint - Ila's Kitchen. My recipe is Spicy Vatha Kulambu...Yummy Yummy:) This recipe belongs to South Indian Cuisine especially from Tamil Nadu. It is such yummy and tangy gravy for rice. The sundried and preserved vegetables are called Vathal. Many varieties of Vathal are available in grocery market. I prefer to use Sundakkai Vathal (Turkeyberry) here. Fresh vegetables are used instead of vathal in Puli kulambu. Nothing major difference between these gravies. Let's go to our tangy kulambu...

Ingredients:

Sundakkai vathal(Turkeyberry) - 3 tbspn
Tamrind juice - 2 cups
Sesame oil - 2 tbspn
Onion - 1 no(finely chopped)
Garlic - 3 pods
Turmeric powder - 1/4 tspn
Sambhar powder - 2 tbspn
Coriander powder- 1 tbspn
Mustard seed - 1 tspn
Cumin seed - 1 tspn
Methi seed - 1/2 tspn
Curry leaves - 2 sprig
Asafoetida( Hing) - 1 Pinch
Salt as required
Sugar - 2 pinches

Preparation:

Soak lemon size of tamrind in warm water and extract the juice from it.
Heat Sesame oil in a pan, add mustard,cumin and methi seeds.
Now add Sundakkai vathal and hing. Fry for few minutes.
Its time to add Onion,curryleaves,garlic and fry till onion become transulent.
Now, add turmeric powder, sambhar powder and coriander powder.
Fry for few minutes and add tamrind juice to it.
Add salt to it and let it boil.
Boil until the gravy becomes thick.(May be for 10 minutes).
Add sugar to increase the flavour and taste of gravy.
Now, VathaKulambu is ready to serve.

Note:

Sundakkai Vathal may be little bitter, so fry vathal in little oil and add it finally after adding salt.

Serving Suggestion:

This Spicy and Yummy Kulambu can be served with hot piping rice with Vadagam(Fryms)