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Recipe for Venthaya Kuzhambu | Fenugreek seeds in a tamarind sauce

Read about fenugreek seeds and its benefits and get the authentic recipe for a mouthwateringly good Venthaya Kuzhambu, that goes very well with steamed rice.
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Total Time 25 minutes
Course Main Course
Cuisine south indian
Servings 2 servings

Ingredients
  

  • 1/8 cup tamarind pieces
  • 1 cup water hot
  • 2 tbsps gingelly oil
  • sprig curry leaves
  • 1 tsp fenugreek seeds
  • 4 chillies dried red
  • 1 tbsp tur dal
  • 1/2 tsp mustard seeds
  • Pinch asafoetida
  • 1/2 cup carrots yellow pumpkin sliced or diced
  • 1 tsp rice flour
  • 1 tsp jaggery
  • 1 tsp salt

Instructions
 

  • Soak the tamarind in 1 cup hot water for 10 minutes. Squeeze out all the extract well-discard the tamarind parts and reserve the extracted liquid. You can use 1/2 tbsp tamarind paste instead of this, if you are short of time.
  • In a heavy bottomed pan, heat the oil. Gingelly oil gives the best flavour to kozhambu but in case you don't have it, use any neutral flavoured cooking oil.
  • Add the curry leaves, dried red chillies, mustard seeds, tur dal, asafoetida to the oil. When the seeds splutter and tur dal turns golden brown, add the fenugreek seeds. Saute for 30 seconds or so, until they turn aromatic and then add the vegetable. Don't allow the fenugreek seeds to become brown as it will make the dish very bitter.
  • Saute the vegetable being used for 1 minute or so. To this add the tamarind extract (or the paste dissolved in 3/4 cup of water), bring to a boil.
  • Once it comes to a boil, reduce flame, cover and simmer until vegetables are soft- around 5-7 minutes.
  • Make a slurry of rice flour and sambar powder in water. Add this to the kozhambu along with salt and jaggery. Let this come to a simmer. The consistency will be a slightly thick sauce that you can pour easily. Check for seasonings, remove from flame. Let it rest for a couple of hours for the flavours to develop fully. Serve with steaming hot rice. Slurp.

Notes

Lunch menu:
Venthaya kozhambu + steamed rice + a little gingelly oil
Cabbage curry or carrot curry
Roasted papad
(c) Nandita Iyer 2006-2015