Urundai Kuzhambu is a very special and delicious kuzhambu / gravy variety of South India. It’s a traditional gravy from the Chettinaad cuisine. The tasty urundai / balls are steamed and then added in the spicy and tangy onion tomato gravy.
You can have them with steamed rice and stir fried vegetables or pappad.
Ingredients (Serves 3)
| Soaking time – 2 hours Preparation time – 10 mins Cooking time – 30 mins |
For Urundai
- Toor dal – 1/2 cup, heaped
- Channa dal – 2 tbsp
- Coconut – 2 tbsp, grated
- Red chillies – 3, broken
- Jeera / Cumin – 1 tsp
- Curry leaves – a sprig
- Coriander leaves – 2 tbsp
- Fennel – 1/2 tsp
- Salt – as needed
For gravy
- Small onion – 12 to 15
- Garlic – 6, cut into pieces
- Tomato – 1 small, chopped finely
- Tamarind – a small lemon size
- Coconut – 1/2 cup
- Fennel – 1/2 tsp
- Sambar powder – 1.5 tbsp
- Oil – 2 tbsp
- Salt – as needed
- Coriander leaves – for garnishing
Steps
- Soak the dal in enough water for 1.5 to 2 hours.
- Meanwhile grind coconut, 5 small onions and fennel for the gravy.
- Grind them with 1/2 cup water to a smooth paste.
- Add 1/2 cup water and soak tamarind in hot water for 15 mins. Alternatively, you can microwave tamarind in water for 30 secs in high and extract the juice.
- Drain water from soaked dal and grind it with small onion, jeera, curry leaves, coriander leaves, salt to a paste without adding any water.
- Make small balls of this mixture.
- Grease the idli/ Idiyappam plates with oil and steam the urundai/ balls for 6 mins.
- To prepare the gravy, In a pan, add 1 tbsp of oil followed by mustard, hing and curry leaves.
- Add small onions, garlic and sauté well till they change colour.
- Add tomato, salt and fry till mushy.
- Add tamarind water and allow it to boil for 3 to 4 mins.
- Add turmeric powder, sambar powder and 3/4 cup water and continue boiling in medium flame.
- Add the coconut onion and fennel paste prepared earlier.
- Mix well and let it boil for 2 mins.
- Add the steamed uraundai to the gravy and mix them carefully.
- Let them boil in Low flame for 3 to 4 mins.
- Switch off and garnish with coriander leaves.
Enjoy the aromatic and flavorful Paruppu Urundai Kuzhambu !! We had with white rice and pappad !!
Key Points
- You can also use only toor dal to prepare the urundais.
Sweskitchen 