Pongal Kuzhambu Recipe – Chettinad Pongal Kuzhambu

Updated on February 24, 2019

Pongal Kuzhambu recipe with step by step photos. This Chettinad Pongal Kuzhambu is usually served along with paal pongal (Vellai Pongal) as a side dish and it also stays well for a week or more without spoiling.

Pongal kuzhambu is a celebration of fresh produce we harvest after the monsoon. It is our way of thanking the Sun, Rain and Mother Earth by using the vegetables from all types of plants like shrubs, creepers, climbers and trees.

It is also called as “Vandikaaran Kuzhambu” during the old days. The travellers who used to travel long distance by bullock carts made this kuzhambu in advance and took it along with them in big kalayams. Wherever they could find a place for shelter, they will only cook the rice and reheat the kulambu to eat.

Pongal celebrated across 4 days sees a massive spring cleaning of the entire household. Every nook and corner is scrubbed and cleaned well before giving a fresh coat of paint. After the cleaning it is important that we take necessary steps to make it stay clean as over the period of time, the cockroaches usually takes over the kitchen on our back.

They come from drains, multiply easily and crawls all over the counter, our fresh produce, utensils there by causing food poisoning. If we want to keep our family healthy, safe and wish to protect them from food poisoning, then we need to be more careful and that is where LAL HIT comes in. Include LAL HIT as part of your cleaning ritual. It comes with a unique deep reach nozzle that kills even the hidden cockroaches. It’s the only solution that can get rid of cockroaches completely.

So, use it to keep the cockroaches at bay and #SayNoToFoodPoisoning

After the cleaning comes in good food that we get to share with our family and friends and a clean kitchen and home ensures that we enjoy it to the best. As I said earlier for making this pongal kuzhambu, usually country vegetables are used. Here I have used Avarakkai, Mochai (Field beans), Raw banana, cheppakizhangu, sweet potato, parangikkai and brinjal. Usually karunai kizhangu (yam) is used but since I’m allergic to it, I have used potato.

This kuzhambu is not supposed to be creamy like a dal or thick like a sambar as we do not use tur or moong dal in this. This pongal kuzhambu tastes better from the next day onwards than on the day it is made and is usually served with paal pongal for breakfast on the next day of pongal.

It takes a long time to make this kuzhambu as the vegetables are cooked in open vessel. Though you can pressure cook the veggies in advance, it will make soft veggies like brinjal to lose their shape and will make it squishy while they boil further in the kulambu.

I follow this simple method which works well without having to pressure cook or steam the veggies and to keep them in perfect shape. You also get to prevent losing out on nutrient value of the vegetables as well.

Pongal Kuzhambu recipe with step by step photos:

1. Soak tamarind in 1/2 cup hot water for 15 mins. Add 1 more cup of water, squish tamarind well and extract pulp.

2. Wash and chop all the veggies into cubes. Heat 3 cups water and bring it to a rolling boil. Pour it into a hot pack or case. First add the mochai followed by root vegetables like potato, sweet potato, yam and then add rest of the vegetables. Close the hot pack with its lid and let it rest for 1/2 hour.

3. Take a large vessel and add the tamarind extract, red chili powder, sambar powder, mix well and bring it to a boil.

4. Open the hot pack and you can see the vegetables would have softened well. Add them along with the water to the boiling tamarind water. If necessary add more hot water to ensure that the water level is just above the vegetables.

5. Close the vessel with a lid and cook over low flame for 10-12 mins. Add salt, mix well and cook covered for another 5-7 mins over low flame or till the vegetables are completely cooked and soft to the touch.

6. Heat a pan with oil. Temper with vengaya kari vadagam and curry leaves and cook for few seconds.

7. Pour this over the pongal kuzhambu and add jaggery, mix well and close with a lid. Let it rest for 5 mins before serving along with paal pongal.

8. This pongal kuzhambu tastes much better from the next day on and upon reheating daily, will stay good for a week at room temperature itself.

Pongal Kuzhambu Recipe details below:

Print Recipe

Pongal Kuzhambu Recipe - Chettinad Pongal Kuzhambu

Pongal Kuzhambu or Chettinad Pongal Kuzhambu with step wise photos.

Prep Time15 mins

Cook Time20 mins

Total Time35 mins

Course: Side Dish

Cuisine: South Indian

Servings: 3 to 4

Author: Radhika

Ingredients:

• Brinjal - 3
• Mochai - 1 handful fresh
• Paragikkai - 50 gms
• Sweet potato - 1 medium
• Cheppakizhangu - 1 medium
• Avarakkai - 5
• Vazhakkai - 1/2
• Sambar onions - 10
• Tomato - 1 small
• Tamarind - 1 lemon size
• Sambar powder - 4 tsp
• Red chili powder - 1 tsp
• Jaggery - 1 tsp
• Salt - to taste

For tempering:

• Gingelly oil - 2 tsp
• Vengaya Kari Vadagam - 1/2 tsp
• Curry leaves - 1 sprig

Instructions:

• Soak tamarind in 1/2 cup hot water for 15 mins. Add 1 more cup of water, squish tamarind well and extract pulp.
• Wash and chop all the veggies into cubes.
• Heat 3 cups water and bring it to a rolling boil. Pour it into a hot pack or case.
• First add the mochai followed by root vegetables like sweet potato, cheppakizhangu and then add rest of the vegetables.
• Close the hot pack with its lid and let it rest for 1/2 hour.
• Take a large vessel and add the tamarind extract, red chili powder, sambar powder, mix well and bring it to a boil.
• Open the hot pack and you can see the vegetables would have softened well. Add them along with the water to the boiling tamarind water.
• If necessary add more hot water to ensure that the water level is just above the vegetables.
• Close the vessel with a lid and cook over low flame for 10-12 mins.
• Add salt, mix well and cook covered for another 5-7 mins over low flame or till the vegetables are completely cooked and soft to the touch.
• Heat a pan with oil. Temper with vengaya kari vadagam and curry leaves and cook for few seconds.
• Pour this over the pongal kuzhambu and add jaggery, mix well and close with a lid.
• Let it rest for 5 mins before serving along with paal pongal.
• This pongal kuzhambu tastes much better from the next day on and upon reheating daily, will stay good for a week at room temperature itself.