Poondu Kulumbu or Garlic Kulambu / Kuzhambu

Poondu Kulambu  Or Garlic Kulambu

 Kulambu is main curry, goes well with rice in Tamil cuisine.

Serves: 3 – 4

Ingredients

For the paste:

1 onion

1 green chilli

1 tomato (pick well ripe)

Make a paste of the above ingredients in a small mixer bowl. Do not add water when making the paste. 

Keep aside.

Other ingredients

1 tablespoon oil

1 teaspoon mustard seeds

½ teaspoon fenugreek seeds (uluva / methI)

6 curry leaves

8 shallots (small onion / chuvannulli) Or minimum  5 nos

1 pod garlic or 15 nos  garlic cloves

Tomato – onion – green chilli paste

2 teaspoon  Kulambu masala (or to taste), MTR or any other leading brand or a mix of 1 teaspoon red chilli powder +2 teaspoon coriander powder + ½ teaspoon sambar powder + ¼ teaspoon pepper powder. Dilute red chilli powder, coriander powder, sambar powder and pepper powder in ¼ cup water and make a smooth paste).

1 - 2 tablespoon tamarind extract (soak small lemon sized tamarind in ¼ cup warm water for half an hour and extract 2 tablespoon tamarind juice) or 1 teaspoon thick tamarind paste

1 cup / 200 ml water (Indian standard measuring cup of 200 ml / 8 oz capacity)

½ teaspoon salt (or to taste)

1 teaspoon chopped coriander leaves (optional)

Method

Heat oil in a pan / kadai on medium heat.  Add mustard seeds. When the crackle, add fenugreek seeds, curry leaves and sauté on a low heat for 1 – 2 minutes until fragrant.

Add small onion and fry until pink color.

Add garlic cloves and fry on a medium to low heat until light golden color.

Add tomato – onion – green chilli paste. Stir well on a low heat for 2 – 3 minutes until the raw smell goes and well combined with onions / garlic.

 Add  Kulambu masala (MTR or any other leading brand or  homemade instant kulambu powder) tamarind extract, 1 cup water and salt to taste. Mix all the ingredients well. Cover with a tight lid and cook on a medium to low heat for 10 – 12 minutes until  well cooked / gravy thickens / dark red in color. Sprinkle chopped coriander leaves and serve with rice.