Thengai araitha kuzhambhu / vendhya kuzhambhu
I know this recipe has many names, thengai araitha kuzhambhu, vendhaya kuzhambhu.
It is very simple recipe and the bitter taste of the fenugreek Seeds is beautifully balanced with the use of red chillis and coconut.
This kuzhambhu tastes especially good when made with kathirikkai (eggplant). We recently harvested homegrown eggplant(brinjal) and this tasted like heaven.
Preparation time - 20 mins
Cooking time - 20 mins
Serves - 3 cups
Ingredients
For roasting and grinding
Urad dal - 1 tsp
Fenugreek Seeds - 1/2 tsp
Dried Red chilli - 5 or 6
Shredded coconut - 1/2 cup
Raw rice - 1 tsp
Other ingredients
Mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp
Curry leaves - few strands
Asafoetida / hing / perungayam - a pinch
Eggplant / brinjal - 7 or 8
Tamarind puree - to taste
Salt to taste
Direction
In a wok or kadai dry roast urad dal, fenugreek seeds, raw rice, dried red chilli and coconut separately. Until aroma is released
Grind together to make a fine paste and keep it ready. Meanwhile, in the same kadai add gingelly oil, to that add mustard seeds and curry leaves and slowly roast cut brinjal with little salt. When the eggplant is sauted add tamarind extract and salt. Dilute it with water and let it simmer until the raw tamarind flavor is gone add in the ground paste.
Let it simmer again for 5 more minutes and enjoy with hot rice and some stir fried curry.
Enjoy and happy cooking!