Karuveppilai Poondu Kulambu with step by step pictures. A lip smacking, tangy and healthy kuzhambu that is served with rice for lunch. It also goes well as a side dish with idli or dosa.
Karuveppilai (Curry leaves) is a rich source of iron and calcium and it prevents pre mature graying of hair at a young age. This is my Grandma’s recipe and she would ritually make this gravy every Friday as she had several curry leaves shrub in her backyard.
As this karuveppilai poondu kulambu tastes better the next day and continues to do so for another 2-3 days after making it, she will make it before every week end and keep reheating it every day to serve as an extra side dish with idli and dosa.
I used to hate it as a kid as she would simply compel me to eat it with rice stating that curry leaves are good for my health and it would prevent my hair from becoming gray soon.
But now I simply love it. More than me, I’m glad to see my kids enjoy eating it unlike me when I was their age. I have just made it the way in which my grandma makes this kulambu. But you can omit or include the shallots and garlic in this gravy according to your liking.
Do check out this Karuveppilai Saadam which is apt for lunch box and Karuveppilai Milagai Podi to serve with idli or dosa.
Karuveppilai poondu kulambu with step by pictures:
1.Heat a pan with ½ tsp oil. Add all the ingredients mentioned under “To Roast and Grind”.
2. Roast over low flame till golden brown and keep aside to cool.
3. Soak tamarind in hot water and extract juice. Discard the pulp.
4. Peel the skin of shallots and garlic. If you have a mortar and pestle pound both together till they are coarse else pulse in a mixer jar till coarse. Keep aside.
5. Take the roasted ingredients in a mixer jar and powder finely.
6. Add curry leaves and grind to a thick, smooth paste using little water. Keep aside.
7. Heat sesame oil in a pan. Season with vengaya kari vadagam, add coarsely pound sambar onions (shallots) and garlic.
8. Saute over low flame till the onions turn pink. Keep mixing often to prevent them from sticking to the pan.
9. Add the ground karuveppilai spice paste and mix well.
10. Cook over medium flame till the raw smell goes off and the oil separates from the sides.
11. Add tamarind extract, salt, turmeric powder, water (1/4 cup approx.,) and mix well.
12. Close the pan with a lid and let it cook over low flame for 5-7 mins till it becomes frothy on top and the oil separates.
Karuveppilai poondu kulambu is ready. Serve hot with rice to which a dollop of ghee. This tastes even better the next day and the next but you have to reheat it to prevent it from spoiling as we have added sambar onion.
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Karuveppilai Poondu Kulambu recipe details below:
- Curry leaves – 2 cups (loosely packed)
- Sambar onion (shallots) – 1 cup
- Garlic pods – 1/2 cup
- Tamarind – 1 lemon size
- Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp
- Vengaya Kari vadagam – 1/2 tsp
- Salt – to taste
- Sesame Oil – 4 tbsp
- Whole dry red chillies – 10 –12
- Channa dal – 2 tsp
- Coriander seeds – 3 tsp
- Black pepper corn – 1-1/2 tbsp
- Cumin seeds – 1 tsp
- Fenugreek seeds – 1/4 tsp
- Oil – 1/2 tsp
- Heat a pan with ½ tsp oil. Add all the ingredients mentioned under “To Roast and Grind”.
- Roast over low flame till golden brown and keep aside to cool.
- Soak tamarind in hot water and extract juice. Discard the pulp.
- Peel the skin of shallots and garlic. If you have a mortar and pestle pound both together till they are coarse else pulse in a mixer jar till coarse. Keep aside.
- Take the roasted ingredients in a mixer jar and powder finely.
- Add curry leaves and grind to a thick, smooth paste using little water. Keep aside.
- Heat sesame oil in a pan.
- Add vengaya kari vadagam and let it crackle.
- Add coarsely pound sambar onions (shallots) and garlic.
- Saute over low flame till the onions turn pink. Keep mixing often to prevent them from sticking to the pan.
- Add the ground karuveppilai spice paste and mix well.
- Cook over medium flame till the raw smell goes off and the oil separates from the sides.
- Add tamarind extract, salt, turmeric powder, water (1/4 cup approx.,) and mix well.
- Close the pan with a lid and let it cook over low flame for 5-7 mins till it becomes frothy on top and the oil separates.
- Karuveppilai poondu kulambu is ready.
- Serve hot with rice to which a dollop of ghee.
very different curry.. looks very tempting..
spicy and delicious kuzhambu…
Mouth watering… Yummy !!!
Looks tempting..
radhika this is compeltely new to me the pics are very yummy and inviting. Curry leaves indeed are very good for health my mother says they are very good for eyes.
lovely kuzhambu radhi..its a burst of flavors and oh how much i love that garlic shallot duo
kuzhambu looks yumm Radhika…I too realize my granny advice but no use 🙁
that looks real good & tempting
Excellent curry n very flavorful too…
looks very spicy and tempting…
Spicy, flavour full and nice combination of ingredients!
must be really flavorful.
looks very delicious. awesome recipe
Wat a comforting food, serve me with papads and this kuzhambu i’ll sit and eat anytime.
looks lovely, awesome clicks :).
Nice recipe… very useful in rainy season.
Hi,
When to add curry leaves.Do we need to grind curry leaves with the roasted ingredients?
Yummy and tempting curry for rice…
kuzhambu sounds finger-licking good! love this kind of authentic recipes, after coming US, haven’t tried any recipe with curry leaves mainly becoz of its price n availability…3sprigs costs $1.29 !!
Beautiful Pics.. and I can almost smell the curry leaves
The gravy is so thick and looks really yum…I should definitely try this one…atleast to slow down the already started process of greying 🙂
very healthy and flavorful curry 🙂
I tried this for the first time and loved it. Wrote down the recipe to my recipe notebook as well. This one is a keeper 🙂
Hi,
thanks for sharing the recipe. Can this be stored for about a week without refrigeration?
I want to give this to my daughter who stays in college hostel.
Any suggestion?
You can store for a week without refrigeration but you need to reheat it daily. The garlic in the kulambu will spoil if its not kept refrigerated or not reheated daily.