This delicious Kongunadu Paruppu Kuzhambu recipe is a flavorful and comforting dish. Made with toor dal and spices, it’s a perfect accompaniment to hot rice.
Paruppu Kuzhambu is one of the fundamental everyday recipes prepared in nearly every home in the Kongu region. Each home has its own rendition of this recipe. Toor dal is cooked along with a small amount of castor oil, and then a tempering is added to the curry. Chinna Vengayam (shallots) is an essential ingredient in this recipe. The more shallots you use, the more delightful the curry becomes. There are no masala powders used in this recipe. ‘Killi potta milagai,’ or the flavor of roasted red chillies, is what brings the heat. The flavor and aroma of roasted cumin and garlic add their unique touch. A steaming bowl of puzhungal arisi sadam (parboiled rice) and Paruppu Kuzhambu, drizzled with a little ghee and served with appalam on the side, is all you need to create a delectable meal on a busy day.
Note: Castor oil aids in cooking the dal to a soft consistency and is traditionally used in the Kongu region for lentil preparation. If castor oil is unavailable, you can omit it or use a small amount of vegetable oil instead.
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Here is the video of how to make Kongunadu Paruppu Kuzhambu – Tamil Style Dal Curry
For cooking the dal
1 cup water 1/3 cup toor dal 1/4 teaspoon turmeric powder 1/4 teaspoon castor oil (or vegetable oil)
For tempering the curry
1 tablespoon peanut oil 1/4 teaspoon cumin seeds 3 cloves of garlic 1 sprig curry leaves 2 dried red chillies 1/4 cup shallots, sliced 1/2 teaspoon salt 1 small marble-sized tamarind 1/2 cup hot water 1 teaspoon ghee
In a small bowl, place the tamarind and hot water. Allow it to soak for 15 minutes. Squeeze the tamarind to extract the pulp, discarding any seeds or pith. Set aside.
In a small pressure cooker, add the water, toor dal, turmeric powder, and castor oil. Castor oil aids in cooking the dal to a soft consistency and is traditionally used in the Kongu region for lentil preparation. If castor oil is unavailable, you can omit it or use a small amount of vegetable oil instead.
Cook the dal for 5 minutes, allowing 4 whistles in the pressure cooker. After the specified time, remove the cooker from heat and allow the pressure to release naturally. Set aside.
Heat oil in a pan. Add crushed cumin seeds and garlic, coarsely textured, to the hot oil. Then, add curry leaves and broken chillies. Include sliced shallots and salt. Sauté for 3-4 minutes.
Incorporate the tamarind pulp and allow it to cook for a couple of minutes. Finally, add the cooked dal and let everything come to a boil. Lastly, add the ghee and turn off the flame.
Serve the dal with hot rice.
- Author: Suguna Vinodh
- Prep Time: 10m
- Cook Time: 20m
For cooking the dal
1 cup water 1/3 cup toor dal 1/4 teaspoon turmeric powder 1/4 teaspoon castor oil (or vegetable oil)
For tempering the curry
1 tablespoon peanut oil 1/4 teaspoon cumin seeds 3 cloves of garlic 1 sprig curry leaves 2 dried red chillies 1/4 cup shallots, sliced 1/2 teaspoon salt 1 small marble-sized tamarind 1/2 cup hot water 1 teaspoon ghee
In a small bowl, place the tamarind and hot water. Allow it to soak for 15 minutes. Squeeze the tamarind to extract the pulp, discarding any seeds or pith. Set aside.
In a small pressure cooker, add the water, toor dal, turmeric powder, and castor oil. Castor oil aids in cooking the dal to a soft consistency and is traditionally used in the Kongu region for lentil preparation. If castor oil is unavailable, you can omit it or use a small amount of vegetable oil instead.
Cook the dal for 5 minutes, allowing 4 whistles in the pressure cooker. After the specified time, remove the cooker from heat and allow the pressure to release naturally. Set aside.
Heat oil in a pan. Add crushed cumin seeds and garlic, coarsely textured, to the hot oil. Then, add curry leaves and broken chillies. Include sliced shallots and salt. Sauté for 3-4 minutes.
Incorporate the tamarind pulp and allow it to cook for a couple of minutes. Finally, add the cooked dal and let everything come to a boil. Lastly, add the ghee and turn off the flame.
Serve the dal with hot rice.
- Author: Suguna Vinodh
- Prep Time: 10m
- Cook Time: 20m
Find it online : https://www.kannammacooks.com/paruppu-kuzhambu/
Recipe for Kongu style Chicken Kuzhambu And Chicken Roast – Two In One Recipe. Country side chicken curry and chicken roast made with the curry cooked meat.
This recipe is reminiscent of the “One Stone – Two Mango” concept, “ஒரு கல்லுல ரெண்டு மாங்கா!”. This preparation is popular in the country side of the Kongu region. A robust and flavourful meat curry is made with a lot of shallots and a home made roasted masala paste. Shallots go into the making of the masala paste, the kuzhambu and the roast. Its important that bone-in meat is used for that extra depth of flavor. Bones gives the curry that rich taste. Slow cooking is key to unlocking all the deliciousness this dish has to offer. Once the curry is cooked, the meat is separated from the gravy and transformed into a delicious dry roast. As a result, a single serving of meat yields two distinct dishes. Hope you will like this recipe.
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Here is the video of how to make Chicken Kuzhambu And Chicken Roast – Two In One Recipe
Masala Paste:
2 tablespoons peanut oil (divided) 1/2 -inch piece cinnamon (cassia) 4 cloves 1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds 1/2 teaspoon fennel seeds 2 teaspoons black peppercorns 2 tablespoons coriander seeds 4 dried red chillies 2 teaspoons white poppy seeds 2 sprigs curry leaves 1 -inch piece ginger, roughly chopped 1 pod country garlic 3/4 cup sliced shallots 1/2 cup water
Chicken Kuzhambu:
2 tablespoons peanut oil 1 sprig curry leaves 1/2 cup sliced shallots 2 tomatoes, chopped 1.5 teaspoons salt 1 kilogram chicken, bone-in 1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder 2 cups water 1/2 cup fresh shredded coconut 1/2 cup warm water (for grinding coconut) 2 sprigs coriander leaves, chopped
Chicken Roast:
2 tablespoons peanut oil 1/4 teaspoon fennel seeds 1 sprig curry leaves 3/4 cup sliced shallots 1 teaspoon black pepper powder 1/2 teaspoon salt 2 sprigs coriander leaves, chopped
Masala Paste:
Heat a heavy-bottomed pan and add a small amount of oil along with all the dry spices. Sauté over low heat until the spices are roasted, ensuring to avoid high heat as high heat will lead to burning of spices and result in bitterness. Take caution and roast the spices gently. Once roasted, remove the spices from the pan and set them aside on a plate to cool.
In the same pan, add a little more oil. Add the chopped ginger, garlic, and sliced shallots. Cook until the shallots become soft. Remove from heat and set aside on a plate to cool slightly.
Grind the roasted spices with water to form a fine paste. Then, add the cooked shallot mixture to the ground spices and grind again. Your Kuzhambu masala paste is now ready. Set it aside.
Chicken Kuzhambu:
Take a heavy-bottomed pan and add oil, curry leaves, sliced shallots, and tomatoes. Cook until the tomatoes turn soft and mushy. Adding salt while cooking the tomatoes will expedite the process.
Once the tomatoes are cooked, add the chicken and turmeric powder. Mix well to combine. Add the masala paste and two cups of water. Stir well to ensure all the ingredients are well mixed.
Cover the pan with a lid and simmer over low heat for 30 minutes. This will allow the flavors to infuse and the chicken to cook thoroughly.
In a small mixie jar, grind the coconut with warm water until it forms a smooth paste.
Add the ground coconut paste to the pan and simmer for an additional five minutes. Then, remove the meat from the curry, as it will be used for the Chicken Roast. Finally, add coriander leaves, remove from heat, and your Kuzhambu is ready.
Chicken Roast:
Take a pan and add oil. To the oil, add fennel seeds, curry leaves, and sliced shallots. Sauté until the shallots become soft.
Add the cooked chicken along with a little gravy to the pan. Sprinkle black pepper powder and salt. Mix well to ensure the spices are evenly distributed.
Roast the mixture for 3-4 minutes until it becomes dry. Finish off with a generous sprinkle of coriander leaves.
Serve hot with rice.
- Author: Suguna Vinodh
- Prep Time: 15m
- Cook Time: 45m
