Garlic Kuzhambu

        This is a spicy n mild tangy south Indian Kuzhambu...one of my mom's recipe. I like this kuzhambu with hot idlies more than with rice. I captured step wise clicks but while copying to picasa becoz of my kids I lost all the pictures of this kuzhambu n mushroom kurma photos :( only these two clicks were saved...So will try to update step wise pictures soon...Here we go

Ingredients

1. Onion   1 medium  or 10-12 pearl onions (chopped)
2. Tomato   1 and 1/2 medium( chopped)
3. Garlic   2 pods (peeled n roughly chopped)
4. Tamarind   1 small lime size (soaked in warm water for 30 min)
5. Poppy seeds   1 tsp
6. chilli powder    1 and 1/2 tsp
7. Coriander powder   2 tsp
8. turmeric powder   1/4 tsp
9. Cumin powder  1 tsp
10. sesame oil   2 tbsp
11. salt   to taste

To Temper

1. Sesame oil   1 tbsp
2. Mustard seeds   1/2 tsp
3. Jeera/Cumin seeds   1 tsp
4. Pepper corns   3-4 no.s
5. Hing powder   1/4 tsp
6. Dry Red chillies    2 no.s

To roast n grind

1. oil   few drops
2. pearl onions   4-5 no.s
3. Tomato   1/2 
4. Coconut   1/4 cup(shredded)

Method

• Heat  few drops of oil in a pan,add onions n tomato saute for a minute and add coconut and fry for 1 minute and then allow to cool completely.
• Then grind the above roasted ingredient with poppy seeds to fine paste n keep aside.
• Heat  1 tbsp of sesame oil(i used Idhayam oil) in a kadai n add the tempering ingredients one by one and wait till it splutter.
• Then add curry leaves,garlic n chopped onions ,sprinkle some salt and fry for 1-2 minutes.
• After that add tomatoes and saute till soft and add all the dry powders and stir fry for a minute and add tamarind juice and 1/2 cup water and allow the mixture to boil.
• Let the onion-garlic gravy boil for 5 minutes and then add onion-tomato-coconut paste and enough salt n water to the desired consistency.
• Allow the kuzhambu to cook in medium heat with lid closed for 10 minutes.
• After that add another 2 tbsp of sesame oil ,stir well and cook till oil floats on top.
• Thats it spicy tangy Garlic Kuzhambu is ready .Serve hot with steamed rice along with Appalam/Papad.
• I enjoyed with hot idlies ..You can't just stop with 2 or 3 idlies you will ask for one more n more.. :)

Note:
Adding sesame oil in between cooking is must for rich taste n flavor..You can also add heated oil or appalam porich ennai- this will also give  nice flavor n taste.
If you don't have sesame oil ,can use any cooking oil but add either poricha ennai/oil or sesame oil to the boiling kuzhambu.