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Poondu Kulambu Recipe | Traditional South Indian Garlic Kuzhambu

Poondu Kulambu Recipe | Traditional South Indian Garlic Kuzhambu

Poondu Kulambu, also known as Garlic Kuzhambu, is a classic South Indian tamarind-based curry made with garlic cloves, shallots, and freshly ground spices.
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Total Time 25 minutes
Servings: 5
Course: Side Dish
Cuisine: SouthIndian
Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients
  

  • INGREDIENTS:

    Small onions/chinna venkayam – 1/2 cup

    Garlic cloves/poondu pal – 1/2 cup

    Lemon (big) sized tamarind soaked filtered 

    Gingelly oil/nallenai – 5 tbsp

    Fenugreek seeds/vendhayam – 1/2 tsp

    Asafoetida – 1 tsp

    Turmeric powder – 1 tsp

    Chilli powder - 11/2 tbsp

    Coriander powder - 1 tbsp

    Salt as needed

    Mustard seeds/kadugu – 1 tsp

    Little piece of jaggery -1 tbsp(optional)

    To Roast & grind:

    Oil - 1 tbsp

    Small onions - 1 hand full

    Garlic cloves - 1 hand full

    Jeera/seeragam - 1 tsp

    Kadala paruppu/bengal gram dal – 1/2 tsp

    Urad dal – 1 tsp

    Fenugreek seeds/vendhayam – 1/2 tsp

    Pepper/milagu – 11/2 tsp

    Some curry leaves

Method
 

  1. Soak tamarind in water and strain the juice mix with water and keep ready.
    2.Take a kadai with loil to fry "roast and grind ingredients" and fry till golden or till nice aroma comes.
    3.Let it cool and grind it to a smooth paste by adding water and keep ready.
    4.Keep a kadai add gingelly oil then add mustard to splutter add asafoetida& curry leaves.
    5.Add both onions and garlic duo to this add necessary salt and cook then till is become Translucent .
    6.Add turmeric powder, chilli powder ,coriander powder & saute well.
    7.Then add tamarind extract with turmeric and let it boil for some time till rawness goes off.
    8.Add little piece of jaggery.
    9.Now add the ground paste and let it cook till the oil oozes out.
    10.Check for salt as i have added before itself, you may add if needed.
    11.You can serve with hot rice with any variety of appalams.
    Poondu Kulambu Recipe | Traditional South Indian Garlic Kuzhambu

Notes

  • Use gingelly oil for authentic flavor.
  • Roast the ingredients well before grinding.
  • Boil tamarind extract until the raw smell disappears.
  • Add a little jaggery to balance the flavors.
  • Simmer until the oil separates on top.