Paruppu Urundai Kuzhambu

Paruppu Urundai Kuzhambu – Kulambu / Lentil Dumplings Curry.

Paruppu Urundai Kuzhambu – Easy to make South Indian Tamilnadu style recipe. With step by step pictures.

Paruppu urundai kuzhmabu / Lentil dumplings curry is a very very traditional Tamilnadu dish served for lunch in the weddings, during celebration times and festival days. Here is how I do Paruppu Urundai Kuzhambu.

Here is the video of Paruppu Urundai Kuzhambu – Kulambu / Lentil Dumplings Curry.

Soak half a cup of chana dal (kadalai paruppu) with 2 cups of water for 2 hours. Strain the water and grind the lentils to a coarse paste. Do not add water while grinding. There might be one or two lentil grains that might be left whole while grinding. That is perfectly fine.

Add the following to the ground lentil. Fennel seeds, finely minced garlic, finely chopped onions, turmeric, finely minced green chilli, finely chopped coriander leaves, fresh shredded coconut and salt. Mix everything well to combine. Make little Paruppu Urundai dumpling balls from the mixture and steam the dumplings in an idli vessel for 5 minutes. Set aside.

We will need to use a flat pan for this Paruppu Urundai Kuzhambu recipe. Kadai may not work as this may make the dumpling to break when added to the curry. So a flat pan is recommended for Paruppu Urundai Kuzhambu. Heat 2 tablespoon of oil in a pan and add in the cloves, cinnamon, fennel seeds, 1 sprig curry leaf and crushed Garlic. Saute until the garlic starts to brown and the curry leaves turn crisp. Add in the chopped onions. Saute until the onions are soft.

Now puree 2-3 very ripe tomatoes in a mixie. Add it to the Paruppu Urundai Kuzhambu pan.

Add in the salt, turmeric and the sambar powder. Fry until the tomatoes are cooked well and streaks of oil appear on top. About 4-5 minutes on medium flame.

(If you do not have sambar powder, you can add just plain red chilli powder.)

Grind half a cup of fresh shredded coconut with half a cup of water to a smooth paste. Add it to the pan.

Add in 2 cups of water and let it simmer to a full boil. Check for seasoning at this stage. Add in more salt if necessary. Once the Paruppu Urundai Kuzhambu curry comes to a full boil, add the dumplings one by one carefully. DO NOT stir for the first 5 minutes as the dumplings might break. Let the flame be at medium when the dumplings are boiling.

After 5 minutes, turn the dumplings if necessary. Let it simmer for 10-12 more minutes. Remove off heat. Paruppu Urundai Kuzhambu is ready.

Serve Paruppu Urundai Kuzhambu with rice.

For the dumplings

• 1/2 cup Channa dal
• 1/4 tsp Fennel seeds
• 2 cloves minced Garlic
• 1/2 Onion, finely chopped
• 1/4 teaspoon Turmeric
• 1/2 green chilli finely minced
• 5 - 6 stalks Coriander leaves, chopped
• 1/4 cup fresh Shredded coconut
• 1/4 teaspoon Salt

For the curry

• 2 tablespoon Oil
• 2 Cloves
• 1 small piece Cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon Fennel seeds
• 1 sprig curry leaf
• 1 medium size onion
• 4 cloves minced Garlic
• 3 Tomatoes pureed
• 1/2 teaspoon Turmeric
• 1 teaspoon Sambar powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 cup coconut

1. Soak half a cup of chana dal (kadalai paruppu) with 2 cups of water for 2 hours. Strain the water and grind the lentils to a coarse paste. Do not add water while grinding. There might be one or two lentil grains that might be left whole while grinding. That is perfectly fine.
2. Add the following to the ground lentil. Fennel seeds, finely minced garlic, finely chopped onions, turmeric, finely minced green chilli, finely chopped coriander leaves, fresh shredded coconut and salt. Mix everything well to combine. Make little dumpling balls from the mixture and steam the dumplings in an idli vessel for 5 minutes. Set aside.
3. We will need to use a flat pan for this recipe. Kadai may not work as this may make the dumpling to break when added to the curry. So a flat pan is recommended. Heat 2 tablespoon of oil in a pan and add in the cloves, cinnamon, fennel seeds, 1 sprig curry leaf and crushed Garlic. Saute until the garlic starts to brown and the curry leaves turn crisp. Add in the chopped onions. Saute until the onions are soft.
4. Now puree 2-3 very ripe tomatoes in a mixie. Add it to the pan.
5. Add in the salt, turmeric and the sambar powder. Fry until the tomatoes are cooked well and streaks of oil appear on top. About 4-5 minutes on medium flame.
6. Grind half a cup of fresh shredded coconut with half a cup of water to a smooth paste. Add it to the pan.
7. Add in 2 cups of water and let it simmer to a full boil. Check for seasoning at this stage. Add in more salt if necessary. Once the curry comes to a full boil, add the dumplings one by one carefully. DO NOT stir for the first 5 minutes as the dumplings might break. Let the flame be at medium when the dumplings are boiling.
8. After 5 minutes, turn the dumplings if necessary. Let it simmer for 10-12 more minutes. Remove off heat.
9. Serve with rice.

Notes

(If you do not have sambar powder, you can add just plain red chilli powder.)

• Author: Kannamma - Suguna Vinodh
• Prep Time: 15 mins
• Cook Time: 45 mins
• Category: Curry
• Cuisine: South Indian

For the dumplings

• 1/2 cup Channa dal
• 1/4 tsp Fennel seeds
• 2 cloves minced Garlic
• 1/2 Onion, finely chopped
• 1/4 teaspoon Turmeric
• 1/2 green chilli finely minced
• 5 - 6 stalks Coriander leaves, chopped
• 1/4 cup fresh Shredded coconut
• 1/4 teaspoon Salt

For the curry

• 2 tablespoon Oil
• 2 Cloves
• 1 small piece Cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon Fennel seeds
• 1 sprig curry leaf
• 1 medium size onion
• 4 cloves minced Garlic
• 3 Tomatoes pureed
• 1/2 teaspoon Turmeric
• 1 teaspoon Sambar powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 cup coconut

1. Soak half a cup of chana dal (kadalai paruppu) with 2 cups of water for 2 hours. Strain the water and grind the lentils to a coarse paste. Do not add water while grinding. There might be one or two lentil grains that might be left whole while grinding. That is perfectly fine.
2. Add the following to the ground lentil. Fennel seeds, finely minced garlic, finely chopped onions, turmeric, finely minced green chilli, finely chopped coriander leaves, fresh shredded coconut and salt. Mix everything well to combine. Make little dumpling balls from the mixture and steam the dumplings in an idli vessel for 5 minutes. Set aside.
3. We will need to use a flat pan for this recipe. Kadai may not work as this may make the dumpling to break when added to the curry. So a flat pan is recommended. Heat 2 tablespoon of oil in a pan and add in the cloves, cinnamon, fennel seeds, 1 sprig curry leaf and crushed Garlic. Saute until the garlic starts to brown and the curry leaves turn crisp. Add in the chopped onions. Saute until the onions are soft.
4. Now puree 2-3 very ripe tomatoes in a mixie. Add it to the pan.
5. Add in the salt, turmeric and the sambar powder. Fry until the tomatoes are cooked well and streaks of oil appear on top. About 4-5 minutes on medium flame.
6. Grind half a cup of fresh shredded coconut with half a cup of water to a smooth paste. Add it to the pan.
7. Add in 2 cups of water and let it simmer to a full boil. Check for seasoning at this stage. Add in more salt if necessary. Once the curry comes to a full boil, add the dumplings one by one carefully. DO NOT stir for the first 5 minutes as the dumplings might break. Let the flame be at medium when the dumplings are boiling.
8. After 5 minutes, turn the dumplings if necessary. Let it simmer for 10-12 more minutes. Remove off heat.
9. Serve with rice.

Notes

(If you do not have sambar powder, you can add just plain red chilli powder.)

• Author: Kannamma - Suguna Vinodh
• Prep Time: 15 mins
• Cook Time: 45 mins
• Category: Curry
• Cuisine: South Indian

Find it online : https://www.kannammacooks.com/paruppu-urundai-kuzhambu-lentil-dumplings-curry/

Tamilnadu Thalappakatti Biriyani.

Dindigul Thalappakatti Biriyani Recipe. Authentic South Indian Tamilnadu Biryani. Adapted from Chef Nagendran of Thalapakatttu Hotel.

We need garlic. Like lots of garlic. Indian garlic is ridiculously small. Peel the garlic. Crush the garlic in a mixie without adding any water. Set aside.

Peel shallots. We call it as chinna vengayam – small onions. Crush the shallots in a mixie without adding any water. Set aside.

The Thalappakatti Biriyani Masala I think this is what makes this Thalappakatti Biriyani very unique. The original recipe says to use 8 green chillies . I used only 2 as my little one loves this biriyani and I do not want him to scream for water while eating. You can use green chillies according to your taste. Grind all the below ingredients to a very fine smooth paste. Add 1/4 cup of water while grinding. Chop the ginger into small pieces and break the cinnamon into bits before grinding.

Soak the rice in water now. The rice needs to soak for half an hour.

Heat Oil and ghee in a heavy pan and add in the Thalappakatti Biriyani Masala paste, crushed garlic and crushed shallots-small onions. Fry on medium flame for a good 10 minutes until the oil separates from the mixture.

Add in the chicken. Add in the chilli powder. The ratio of rice to chicken should be 1 rice to 1.5 meat. Saute the chicken so the Thalappakatti Biriyani masala coats evenly. Reduce the flame to simmer and cover it with a lid and let it cook. Don’t add any water. The chicken will cook in its own juices. Just saute once in 5 minutes so the chicken doesn’t scorch in the bottom. After 15 minutes, the chicken should be done and there should be some gravy too.

Add in the yogurt/curd. Cook with the lid open for 5 minutes.

Remove the cooked meat to a bowl and roughly measure how much liquid is left behind. Mine had about 1.5 cups of liquid. Just measure roughly. It need not be accurate.

Measurements used – 1 cup rice = 250 ml We are using 2 cups rice and 750 grams meat. We require 2 times water to the quantity of rice. So we need to add 4 cups water . There was already 1.5 cups gravy that we measured before. So I added 2.5 cups water to the mixture. Add salt. Add in the chopped coriander leaves and the mint leaves. Let the mixture come to a boil.

Add back the meat and let it come to a boil again. Check for seasoning. Add more salt if necessary.

Drain the soaked rice and add it to the pan. Wait for it to boil. Add in the lime juice.

Cover the pan with a lid and let it cook for the first four minutes on medium flame. Open the lid. Gently mix once from the bottom, cover the lid again and simmer for 10 minutes on very low flame.

After that time, open the lid and see if the rice has been cooked. Cook for a couple of minutes more if necessary. Switch off the flame and close the pan with a lid. Do not disturb for the next 20 minutes. The rice will get swollen and absorb all the left out moisture. This time is very important. Do not rush.

After the rest, Enjoy Thalappakatti Biriyani!

For the Masala

• 5 Green Chillies
• 3 small two inch cinnamon sticks
• 3 cardamom
• 3 cloves
• 1/8 th of a nutmeg (Jaadhikai)
• 1 small piece Mace (Jaadhi Pathiri)
• 50 grams ginger

Main Ingredients

• 500 ml Seeraga Samba Rice
• 750 grams Chicken with bone
• Meat to Rice Ratio – 1 Rice 1.5 Meat

Other Ingredients

• 25 grams Ghee
• 75 grams Sunflower Oil
• 50 grams crushed Garlic
• 50 grams crushed shallots (small onions)
• 1/2 teaspoon Red Chilli Powder
• 1/2 cup curd
• 1 & 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 hand full Mint Leaves
• 2 hand full Coriander Leaves
• 1/2 lime, juiced

1. Peel the garlic. Crush the garlic in a mixie without adding any water. Set aside. Crush the shallots in a mixie without adding any water. Set aside.
2. Grind all the masala ingredients to a very fine smooth paste. Add 1/4 cup of water while grinding. Chop the ginger into small pieces and break the cinnamon into bits before grinding.
3. Soak the rice in water now. The rice needs to soak for half an hour.
4. Heat Oil and ghee in a heavy pan and add in the Masala paste, crushed garlic and crushed shallots-small onions. Fry on medium flame for a good 10 minutes until the oil separates from the mixture.
5. Add in the chicken. Add in the chilli powder. The ratio of rice to chicken should be 1 rice to 1.5 meat. Saute the chicken so the masala coats evenly. Reduce the flame to simmer and cover it with a lid and let it cook. Don’t add any water. The chicken will cook in its own juices. Just saute once in 5 minutes so the chicken doesn’t scorch in the bottom. After 15 minutes, the chicken should be done and there should be some gravy too.
6. Add in the yogurt/curd. Cook with the lid open for 5 minutes.
7. Remove the cooked meat to a bowl and roughly measure how much liquid is left behind. Mine had about 1.5 cups of liquid. Just measure roughly. It need not be accurate.
8. We are using 2 cups rice and 750 grams meat. We require 2 times water to the quantity of rice. So we need to add 4 cups water. There was already 1.5 cups gravy that we measured before. So I added 2.5 cups water to the mixture. Add salt. Add in the chopped coriander leaves and the mint leaves. Let the mixture come to a boil.
9. Add back the meat and let it come to a boil again. Check for seasoning. Add more salt if necessary.
10. Drain the soaked rice and add it to the pan. Wait for it to boil. Add in the lime juice.
11. Cover the pan with a lid and let it cook for the first four minutes on medium flame. Open the lid. Gently mix once from the bottom, cover the lid again and simmer for 10 minutes on very low flame.
12. After that time, open the lid and see if the rice has been cooked. Cook for a couple of minutes more if necessary. Switch off the flame and close the pan with a lid. Do not disturb for the next 20 minutes. The rice will get swollen and absorb all the left out moisture. This time is very important. Do not rush.
13. After the rest, Enjoy!

• Author: Kannamma - Suguna Vinodh
• Prep Time: 20 mins
• Cook Time: 1 hour
• Category: Main course
• Cuisine: South Indian