Iru Puli Kuzhambu

Iru Puli Kuzhambu


Lately, I have been trying to make things other than usual sambar to mix with rice. One such recipe I came across was this iru puli kuzhambu (which is basically a sauce with two sources of sourness in it). I saw this recipe on a television program where they show traditional recipes so they are preserved and do not get lost after a certain generation. It was one of those recipes that made me want to do at the next immediate chance. It was a lazy Saturday morning and I did not want to think much about the menu and got on with it. On the show she used drumstick, pumpkin and ashgourd. I had pumpkin and dudhi readily accessible and waiting to be used from my freezer so just used them. I am guessing that even eggplants would be a good addition to this. This recipe uses tamarind as well as yogurt to impart sour flavour and despite that it is not too sour but very well balanced. The flavours are so subtle and yum! Here is the recipe…

1 teaspoon tamarind extract
1 cup pumpkin
1 cup dudhi
1 cup yogurt
1 heaped teaspoon fenugreek seeds
4 dry red chillies
5 teaspoon dessicated coconut/fresh coconut
Turmeric powder
Asafoetida
Salt to taste
Curry leaves
1 teaspoon mustard seeds
Cooking oil

Boil the vegetables, pumpkin and dudhi in water and when half cooked, add the tamarind extract, turmeric and asafoetida

Roast the fenugreek seeds until its colour changes, roast dry red chillies until crisp, keep aside to cool and grind to paste along with the coconut

Mix this paste with the yogurt well

Add this yogurt mixture to the boiling vegetables (once they are done) and keep on low flame. Cook just until it begins to boil gently

Heat little oil in a small pan and add mustard seeds, once it splutters add curry leaves and drop this into the boiled mixture. Add required salt and mix and it is ready to serve!