Vendakkai Kara Kuzhambu / Kulambu

Kara Kuzhambu / kulambu is an everyday curry made for lunch. Its usually served with rice. Kara Kuzhambu is generally made with a choice of veggies like drumstick, brinjal etc… but I heavily fall for kara kuzhambu made with vendakkai – ladies finger. The juicy bite of the ladies finger soaked in tamarind gravy is so delicious. Here is how to do Vendakkai Kara Kuzhambu.

Wash and dry the ladies finger on a towel. Drying them will remove the excess moisture and help in faster browning while cooking. Snap off the ends of the ladies finger. Cut into 1 inch pieces. Set aside.

Add a teaspoon of oil to a pan (preferably non-stick) and add in the ladies finger. Wider the pan – the better, as it will have more surface area and the ladies finger will brown faster and better without being slimy. Saute on a low flame. Add in a little bit of salt to the ladies finger while frying. It will brown evenly. Once the ladies finger is cooked, remove from heat and set aside. Many people ask me why not use an iron pan for frying. How did they do it in olden days etc… You can use whatever pan you want. But you will need to add a little bit more oil and fry continuously if using conventional pans. Its just a matter of choice. End of the day, its your food – your way!

We will now make a masala for the kara kuzhambu.

Dry roast all the ingredients together except coconut. Dry roast on a low flame until the seeds slowly start to brown and the aroma wafts in the kitchen. Remove and set aside to cool. In the same pan, add in the fresh shredded coconut. Fry for a couple of minutes till its completely dry. Note : Do not roast spices on high heat. They will burn and ruin the flavour of the dish. Grind the roasted masala with 1/2 a cup of water to a smooth paste. Set aside.

Heat oil in a pan and add in a teaspoon of sesame oil (gingely oil / nallennai). When the oil is hot, add in the mustard seeds, curry leaves and the dried red chillies. Let the mustard seeds splutter. Add in the onions and fry for a minute. No need to brown the onions. You can use Indian shallots (small onion / chinna vengayam ) for a more robust flavour. Add in the chopped tomatoes (preferably country-naati tomatoes), turmeric powder, little salt and sambar powder. Fry for a minute more. Be cautious while adding salt. Remember that we already salted the ladies finger while frying.

Add in the ground masala and the tamarind paste. I like to use home made tamarind paste. Having tamarind paste is such a time saver. Here is the recipe for making home made tamarind paste.

Add in a cup of hot water and the fried ladies finger. Simmer for 5 minutes. We do not need to cook this for a long time as all the ingredients are already cooked.

Remove from heat and serve hot with rice.

For frying ladies finger

• 500 grams ladies finger
• 1 teaspoon sesame – gingely oil
• 1/2 teaspoon salt

For the masala

• 1/3 cup fresh shredded coconut
• 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
• 1 teaspoon fennel seeds
• 1 teaspoon black pepper
• 2 teaspoon coriander seeds
• 1/4 teaspoon fenugreek seeds (vendayam)

Final Tempering and Gravy

• 1 teaspoon sesame – gingely oil
• 1/4 teaspoon mustard seeds
• 2 sprigs curry leaves
• 3 dried red chillies
• 1 onion, diced
• 2 ripe tomatoes, chopped
• 1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder
• 2 teaspoon sambar powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 4 tablespoon tamarind paste

1. Heat oil in a pan and add in the chopped ladies finger and salt. Cook until evenly browned and its not slimy anymore. Set aside.
2. Dry roast all the ingredients listed under “masala” together except coconut. Dry roast on a low flame until the seeds slowly start to brown and the aroma wafts in the kitchen. Remove and set aside to cool. In the same pan, add in the fresh shredded coconut. fry for a couple of minutes till its completely dry. Grind the roasted masala with 1/2 a cup of water to a smooth paste. Set aside.
3. Heat oil in a pan and add in a teaspoon of sesame oil. When the oil is hot, add in the mustard seeds, curry leaves and the dried red chillies. Let the mustard seeds splutter. Add in the onions and fry for a minute. Add in the chopped tomatoes (preferably country-naati tomatoes), turmeric powder, salt and sambar powder. Fry for a minute more.
4. Add in the ground masala and the tamarind paste.
5. Add in a cup of hot water and the fried ladies finger. Simmer for 5 minutes.
6. Remove from heat and serve hot with rice.

• Author: Kannamma - Suguna Vinodh
• Prep Time: 20 mins
• Cook Time: 20 mins
• Category: lunch
• Cuisine: Tamilnadu

For frying ladies finger

• 500 grams ladies finger
• 1 teaspoon sesame – gingely oil
• 1/2 teaspoon salt

For the masala

• 1/3 cup fresh shredded coconut
• 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
• 1 teaspoon fennel seeds
• 1 teaspoon black pepper
• 2 teaspoon coriander seeds
• 1/4 teaspoon fenugreek seeds (vendayam)

Final Tempering and Gravy

• 1 teaspoon sesame – gingely oil
• 1/4 teaspoon mustard seeds
• 2 sprigs curry leaves
• 3 dried red chillies
• 1 onion, diced
• 2 ripe tomatoes, chopped
• 1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder
• 2 teaspoon sambar powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 4 tablespoon tamarind paste

1. Heat oil in a pan and add in the chopped ladies finger and salt. Cook until evenly browned and its not slimy anymore. Set aside.
2. Dry roast all the ingredients listed under “masala” together except coconut. Dry roast on a low flame until the seeds slowly start to brown and the aroma wafts in the kitchen. Remove and set aside to cool. In the same pan, add in the fresh shredded coconut. fry for a couple of minutes till its completely dry. Grind the roasted masala with 1/2 a cup of water to a smooth paste. Set aside.
3. Heat oil in a pan and add in a teaspoon of sesame oil. When the oil is hot, add in the mustard seeds, curry leaves and the dried red chillies. Let the mustard seeds splutter. Add in the onions and fry for a minute. Add in the chopped tomatoes (preferably country-naati tomatoes), turmeric powder, salt and sambar powder. Fry for a minute more.
4. Add in the ground masala and the tamarind paste.
5. Add in a cup of hot water and the fried ladies finger. Simmer for 5 minutes.
6. Remove from heat and serve hot with rice.

• Author: Kannamma - Suguna Vinodh
• Prep Time: 20 mins
• Cook Time: 20 mins
• Category: lunch
• Cuisine: Tamilnadu

Find it online : https://www.kannammacooks.com/vendakkai-kara-kuzhambu-kulambu-ladies-finger-tamarind-curry/

If you are a regular reader of Kannamma Cooks, you know about the legendary kola urandai that is a signature dish of neikarapatti amma. This ellu podi is another signature dish on the breakfast table at Neikarapatti. This is my brothers favorite. So throughout the year, whenever amma came to Coimbatore, this ellu podi would be packed in initialed stainless steel dabbas and left at my aunts place for my brother. Those days, all the dabbas / boxes were made of stainless steel or brass. It would have the initials of the lady of the house, carved on them. There would be so many dabbas coming and going from ones house. The initial would tell the identity of the dabba and it would be returned correctly. Then came the world of Tupperware and zip-locks. Aw! my beautiful eighties and nineties. Life was slow, people met more often in person and life was just nice. Its all but beautiful memories now! Coming back to this ellu podi! This is an excellent lentil powder that can be served with idli and dosa just like idli milagai podi. It also goes well with rice mixed with some ghee. Here is how to do ellu podi!

Ellu Podi – Sesame Seed Lentil Powder for Idli Dosa and Rice / Sadam. Tamil style recipe from kongunad. Black Ellu Idli Milagai Podi.

We will be roasting all the ingredients separately. First we will roast the black sesame seeds. Traditionally the seeds and lentils are dry roasted. But I add a teaspoon of peanut oil while roasting. It fries really well bringing the robust aromas out. Take a pan and add in a scant teaspoon of oil. Add in the black sesame seeds and fry on a low flame. Low Flame is the key while making any South Indian lentil powder. Cooking on high flame will burn the ingredients. Fry the seeds till they have a glossy shine and they are very hot to touch. It will look oily. The seeds will start to burst. That’s a sign that the seeds have been roasted. Remove from the pan and spread on a plate or a newspaper to cool.

In the same pan add in a teaspoon of oil and add whole white urad dal. Use unpolished urad dal. Roast the lentil until it smells nutty and the dal turns color. It should be really golden in colour. Always roast on low flame. That is the key. Remove from the pan once the dal is golden. Set aside on a plate to cool.

In the same pan, dry roast the curry leaves and the dried red chillies. Wait for the curry leaves to dry and the chillies to fluff up. Remove from the pan and spread on a plate or a newspaper to cool.

Spread all the ingredients on a news paper and let it cool completely.

Add in the cooled ingredients to a mixie jar. Add in the salt and asafoetida (hing). Grind to a slightly coarse powder. If you like your powder to be smooth, pulse several times mixing in-between. I like the slight crunch of the lentils. So I keep it very slightly coarse. Grind to a consistency that you like.

You can store this ellu podi at room temperature for upto 15-20 days. If you are going to need it for a longer time, then store the podi in zip tote bags in the freezer. It stays fresh for upto 4-5 months in the freezer.

Mix the ellu podi either with sesame oil (nallennai) or ghee and serve with idli or dosa. If serving with rice, add a teaspoon of the powder and a teaspoon of ghee to a cup of rice. Mix well and serve.

• 2 teaspoon peanut oil
• 1 cup black sesame seed
• 1 cup whole white urad dal
• 4 sprigs curry leaves
• 10 dried red chillies
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon asafoetida (hing)

1. In a pan, add a teaspoon of oil and roast the sesame seeds until they are glossy and aromatic. Set aside on a plate to cool.
2. In the same pan add in a teaspoon of oil and add whole white urad dal. Roast the lentil until it smells nutty and the dal turns color. Set aside on a plate to cool.
3. In the same pan, dry roast the curry leaves and the dried red chillies. Wait for the curry leaves to dry and the chillies to fluff up.
4. Spread all the ingredients on a news paper and let it cool completely.
5. Add in the cooled ingredients to a mixie jar. Add in the salt and asafoetida (hing). Grind to a slightly coarse powder.
6. You can store this ellu podi at room temperature for upto 15-20 days. If you are going to need it for a longer time, then store the podi in zip tote bags in the freezer. It stays fresh for upto 4-5 months in the freezer.

• Author: Kannamma - Suguna Vinodh
• Prep Time: 10 mins
• Cook Time: 15 mins
• Category: Spice Powder
• Cuisine: Tamilnadu