Murungakkai Kara Kuzhambu (Hot Drumsticks Gravy)

After years of using frozen drumsticks, I laid my hands on fresh ones at the Indian store yesterday.  Immediately, i planned on cooking kara kuzhambu which i normally prepare with Indian eggplants (brinjal). It is a south indian dish served with cooked rice. This spicy and tangy kuzhambu is a variation from your usual sambar or rasam. So, go ahead and give this kuzhambu a try, i am sure you will love it. Here goes the recipe, 

Ingredients:

2 Drumsticks (14-16 pieces)

14-16 Red Pearl Onions

2 small Tomatoes

10-12 Garlic pods

6-8 Curry leaves

1 1/2 tbsp dried Tamarind

1/4 tsp Turmeric powder

1/2 tsp Mustard seeds

1/2 tsp Urad dal

1 pinch Fenugreek seeds

2 tbsp Sesame oil

Salt, to taste

 To grind:

2 tbsp shredded Coconut (frozen & thawed)

1 tbsp Sambar powder

2 tsp Coriander powder

1 tsp Fennel seeds

How to:

• Chop the drumsticks to 3" pieces and mince the tomatoes and onions.

• Soak the tamarind in a cup of water and keep the juice aside.
• Grind the 'to grind' ingredients with 1/4 cup water and keep aside.

• Heat oil in a deep pan, add mustard seeds, urad dal, fenugreek seeds and turmeric powder.

• Add the onions, little salt and saute until it turns translucent.

• Then add the tomatoes and cook with lid closed for 4-5 mins.

• Now add the drumsticks, garlic and curry leaves, mix well and cook for a min.

• Pour 1 1/2 cups of water along with tamarind juice and cook with lid closed until the drumsticks cook.

• Add the ground coconut mixture and cook until desired consistency. 

• Check salt for taste and switch off.

• Serve hot with rice.

Chicken gravy

Ingredients:

3/4lb Chicken (bite-size pieces)

1 1/2 Red onion (ground)

4 Roma tomatoes (pureed)

1tsp Garlic (minced)

1 1/2tsp Ginger (minced)

2 green chilli (cut lengthwise)

1/4tsp Turmeric powder

3/4tsp Chilli powder

1tsp Coriander powder

3/4tsp Cumin powder

1tsp Garam masala powder

1/2tsp Whole Black pepper 

2 Bay leaves

1 Cinnamon stick (1/2", broken)

1 Black Cardamom

2 Green Cardamom

3 small Cloves

2 cups Water

Salt

1tbsp Oil

How to:

• Crush the whole black pepper and keep it aside.

• Heat oil in a skillet, add bay leaves through cloves.

• Add the ground onions and saute until raw smell disappears and left dry.

• Move the onions aside, pour a tsp of oil, add ginger, garlic and green chilli and saute for a couple of mins.

• Mix'em with the onions and cook for another 2 mins.

• Then add the pureed tomatoes and cook for 4-5 mins or until raw smell disappears.

• Now add the turmeric powder, chilli powder, coriander powder, cumin powder and garam masala powder, mix well and cook for another min.

• Add the chicken, mix well with the masala and cook for a min.

• Then pour enough water to cover the chicken, followed by crushed pepper and salt.

• Close the lid and cook for 8-10 mins or until the chicken is tender.

• Check salt for taste and cook in a medium-low flame until right consistency for the gravy. Switch off and garnish with chopped cilantro.

Serve hot with naan, chapathi or steamed rice.

Tangy Mango gravy

Ingredients:

1 ripe Mango (I used 1 sour mango,pic shows 2)

2 green chilli (chopped)

1/2 cup grated Coconut

1tsp Cumin seeds

1 cup plain Yogurt (beaten)

Water

Tadka:

1/2tsp Mustard seeds

1 Pinch Fenugreek seeds

2 dry red chilli (broken)

4-5 Curry leaves

1 Pinch Asafoetida (missing in pic)

How to:

• Wash and peel the skin of the mango. Separate the mango pulp from the seed and dice them.

• Heat a sauce pan, add the mango chunks and pour water so as to immerse'em.

• Add green chillies, turmeric powder and chilli powder and cook until the mango chunks are mashable.

• Meanwhile, finely grind the coconut and cumin seeds along with 1tbsp water and keep it aside.

• Now add the ground coconut to the mango gravy and cook until raw smell disappears, in a medium flame.

• Reduce the flame to low and cook for couple more mins.

• Then switch off, pour the beaten yogurt and mix well

• Finally add the tadka.(Tadka: Heat oil in a pan, add mustard seeds, when it splutters, add asafoetida, curry leaves, dry red chilli and fenugreek seeds. Transfer'em to the gravy.)

Serve hot over steamed rice.

Cauliflower Kurma

Ingredients:

1 medium cauliflower

1 yellow onion (chopped)

2 Tomatoes (pureed)

1tbsp ginger-garlic paste

4tbsp grated coconut

4 Cashews

1tsp Fennel seeds

1tsp Cumin seeds

2 Cardamom

1 Cinnamon stick (1")

4 small Cloves

1/4tsp Turmeric powder

1tbsp Chilli powder

1 1/2tbsp Coriander powder

1tsp Garam masala powder

2 1/2 cups Water

Salt

Oil

How to:

• Separate, wash and boil the florets in salt water until 3/4th done and keep aside.

• Grind the coconut and cashews to a fine paste, adding little water.

• Heat oil in a skillet, add fennel seeds through cloves and fry'em. Then add onions and saute until tender.

• Add the ginger-garlic paste and cook until the raw smell disappears. Then pour the tomato puree and cook well.

• Now add all the spice powders along with salt and cook for a min.

• Then mix the ground coconut paste and cook along with the water.

• When the kurma starts bubbling, add the 3/4th done cauliflower, mix well and cook with lid closed in a low flame.

• After few mins, stir the kurma and check salt for taste.
• Cook until the kurma thickens, and the cauliflower is tender and not mushy.

• Finally, garnish with cilantro.

Serve hot with chapathi or naan.