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Chettinad Kara Kuzhambu, Kara Kulambu Recipe

July 5, 2016 by Suguna Vinodh 72 Comments

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chettinad-kara-kuzhambu-recipe
Recipe for Chettinad Kara Kuzhambu, Tamil Style Murungakkai Kara Kuzhambu, Drumstick and Brinjal in Tamarind gravy. With step by step pictures and video.

I love tamarind based gravies so much. Kara Kuzhambu is one of our favorite lunch time dishes. I have shared a simple kara kuzhambu recipe before. But this recipe is dynamite. We make a masala paste with spices and the masala paste adds a lot of flavour and richness to the curry. Drumsticks are the traditional choice of veggie for kara kuzhambu. I have used drumsticks and brinjal today.

Here is the video of how to make Chettinad Kara Kuzhambu, Kara Kulambu Recipe

Click the link below to find the recipes on the site that uses the main ingredient as brinjal, drumstick.
Brinjal Recipes
Drumstick Recipes

Here are some of the equipment, utensils and gadgets that will be useful for making this recipe. Click the link to buy them online.
Deep Burned Un-glazed Clay Pot
Stainless frying pan
Heavy duty mixie

Note: If you are in a hurry, this recipe can be made quick in a pressure cooker with homemade tamarind paste and have given the details for the same in the below steps. It suits best for people who are in a hurry or do not have time. The video above is made the traditional way. This recipe is very forgiving and can be made in both ways.

First we will make the masala paste. Take a pan and add in sesame oil (gingely oil). Add in the fenugreek seeds ( dont add a lot or the curry will become bitter ), coriander seeds, fennel seeds, dried red chillies. Fry till the seeds are slightly browned and very aromatic. Add in the fresh shredded coconut and fry for a couple of minutes. Switch off the flame.

chettinad-kara-kuzhambu-masala

Add in the sambar powder and salt. Mix well and let it rest in the pan for a couple of minutes. The residual heat from the pan will warm the sambar powder.

chettinad-kara-kuzhambu-sambar-powder

Grind the cooled mixture with half a cup of water in a mixie to a smooth paste. Set aside.

chettinad-kara-kuzhambu-masala-grind

Heat sesame oil in a pan. Add in the mustard seeds and curry leaves. Let it splutter. Add in the chopped onion.Saute for a few seconds. Add in the tomatoes and saute till the tomatoes are soft.
chettinad-kara-kuzhambu-tempering

Add in the drumstick and brinjal. Add half a cup of water. Add in the ground masala paste, tamarind paste, salt and jaggery. I use home made tamarind paste which works so well and makes for one chore less everyday. Here is the recipe for homemade tamarind paste. I do not mix the mixture as I do not want the masala paste to burn at the bottom. Just cover the pan and cook for 2 whistles. Switch off the flame and wait for the pressure release naturally.

Note: If you do not want to use the pressure cooker, add one cup more water and simmer the curry for 15 minutes on a low flame.

chettinad-kara-kuzhambu-cook

Open the cooker and mix well. Add hot water to kuzhambu if the gravy is thick. Dilute the kuzhambu to a pouring consistency. Serve hot with rice.

chettinad-kara-kuzhambu-mix

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chettinad-kara-kuzhambu

Chettinad Kara Kuzhambu, Kara Kulambu Recipe


★★★★★

4.8 from 32 reviews

  • Author: Kannamma - Suguna Vinodh
  • Prep Time: 15 mins
  • Cook Time: 15 mins
  • Total Time: 30 mins
  • Yield: 6 servings 1x
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Description

Recipe for Chettinad Kara Kuzhambu, Tamil Style Murungakkai Kara Kuzhambu, Drumstick and Brinjal in Tamarind gravy.


Scale

Ingredients

For Masala Paste

  • 1 teaspoon sesame oil (gingely oil)
  • 1/4 teaspoon fenugreek seeds
  • 2 teaspoon coriander seeds
  • 1 teaspoon fennel seeds
  • 2 dried red chillies
  • 1/4 cup fresh shredded coconut
  • 2 teaspoon sambar powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt

Other Ingredients

  • 2 tablespoon sesame oil (gingely oil)
  • 1/4 teaspoon mustard seeds
  • 2 sprigs curry leaves
  • 1 medium sized onion, chopped
  • 1 ripe tomato, chopped
  • 5 brinjals, chopped
  • 1 drumstick, chopped
  • 2–3 tablespoon tamarind paste or small lime sized tamarind (pulp extracted)
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon jaggery

Instructions

  1. Take a pan and add in sesame oil (gingely oil). Add in the fenugreek seeds, coriander seeds, fennel seeds, dried red chillies. Fry till the seeds are slightly browned and very aromatic. Add in the fresh shredded coconut and fry for a couple of minutes. Switch off the flame.
  2. Add in the sambar powder and salt. Mix well and let it rest on the pan for a couple of minutes. The residual heat from the pan will warm the sambar powder.
  3. Grind the cooled mixture with half a cup of water in a mixie to a smooth paste. Set aside.
  4. Heat sesame oil in a pressure pan. Add in the mustard seeds and curry leaves. Let it splutter. Add in the chopped onions and saute for a few minutes. Add in the tomatoes and cook till the tomatoes are juicy.
  5. Add in the drumstick and brinjal. Add half a cup of water. Add in the ground masala paste, tamarind paste, salt and jaggery. I do not mix the mixture as I do not want the masala paste to burn at the bottom. Cook for 2 whistles. Switch off the flame and wait for the pressure release naturally.
  6. Serve hot with rice.
  • Category: Lunch
  • Cuisine: Tamilnadu

Keywords: chettinadu kara kuzhambu

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Suguna Vinodh

I'm Suguna Vinodh aka Kannamma. I love south Indian food and I am passionate about baking. My Favorite things include my Wusthof knife, Coffee, Ilayaraja, Tamil and beaches. I love Jacques Pepin and Julia Child.

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Comments

  1. Suji says

    October 20, 2020 at 12:02 am

    A foolproof recipe!

    ★★★★★

    Reply
    • Suguna Vinodh says

      October 20, 2020 at 12:21 am

      Thank you!

      Reply
  2. Viji says

    July 8, 2020 at 2:51 am

    Hi Suguna

    This recipe was amazing. I substituted the eggplant and drumstick with black eyed peas. Made it as a side for Keerai masiyal and it was just fantastic. Thanks once again for the recipe!

    Viji

    ★★★★★

    Reply
    • Suguna Vinodh says

      July 8, 2020 at 3:13 am

      Thank you Viji. Glad you liked the Kara Kuzhambu.

      Reply
  3. Meera says

    April 14, 2020 at 8:18 pm

    Hello, which brand cooker is it and how many litres?

    Reply
    • Suguna Vinodh says

      April 14, 2020 at 10:41 pm

      3 litres prestige.

      Reply
      • Meera says

        April 15, 2020 at 12:21 am

        Thank you. Was searching for such a wide mouth cooker ideal for frying and mixing.

        ★★★★★

        Reply
  4. jansi prashanth says

    March 14, 2020 at 4:19 pm

    hi
    i am jansi prashanth i love chettinad style food would like to see more receipes for diabetic friendly chettinad style foods for daily food !!!!!!! like to travel a lot (not now due to corona virus)
    i will be trying this receipe soon

    ★★★★

    Reply
    • Suguna Vinodh says

      July 17, 2020 at 9:59 pm

      Thank you. Hope you liked the chettinadu style kara kuzhambu.

      ★★★★★

      Reply
  5. Rexlin pritha says

    November 25, 2019 at 7:21 pm

    nice receipes pls update me

    Reply
    • Suguna Vinodh says

      July 17, 2020 at 9:59 pm

      Please subscribe to the channel.
      Thank you. Hope you liked the chettinadu style kara kuzhambu.

      ★★★★★

      Reply
  6. Senbiga says

    October 26, 2019 at 12:22 am

    I tried this recipe today and it came out very level….Thank you for helping us to learn a new recipe especially for a beginner like me….

    ★★★★★

    Reply
    • Suguna Vinodh says

      November 1, 2019 at 12:02 pm

      Thank you!

      Reply
  7. Vathu vinod says

    August 17, 2019 at 5:49 pm

    Thank you mam, first time getting appreciation from my mother in law

    ★★★★★

    Reply
    • Suguna Vinodh says

      August 18, 2019 at 8:19 pm

      wow!!! so nice. Keep up my girl!!!

      Reply
  8. Priya Ramesh says

    August 11, 2019 at 3:27 am

    I tried this today and guess what? My mom asked for the recipe after tasting it. Whenever I try your recipe, I can expect a crown 👸🏻. Thanks a lot for your sincere effort to help people like me.

    Reply
    • Suguna Vinodh says

      August 11, 2019 at 11:18 pm

      awwwwww!!!! Thank you so much!

      Reply
  9. Vijay Subrahmaniam says

    July 3, 2019 at 11:14 pm

    Just added the total amount of water in the recipe. Half cup to make the paste and another half cup in the pressure pan with the vegetables. How much of kuzhambu will a total of 1 cup of water make? Do I add more water after the pressure cooking is done? Or is that in total? Thank you.

    Reply
    • Suguna Vinodh says

      July 17, 2020 at 10:00 pm

      After the kuzhambu is done, add hot water to dilute the kuzhambu to pouring consistency.

      Reply
  10. Anusha Ram says

    April 4, 2019 at 4:12 pm

    Thank you Dear Kannamma. Just love your style of cooking , easy steps and delicious. God Bless!

    ★★★★★

    Reply
    • Suguna Vinodh says

      July 17, 2020 at 10:00 pm

      Thank you. Hope you liked the chettinadu style kara kuzhambu.

      ★★★★★

      Reply
  11. Shaji kurup says

    March 9, 2019 at 11:36 pm

    I tried it today ….it’s yum

    ★★★★

    Reply
    • Suguna Vinodh says

      July 17, 2020 at 10:00 pm

      Thank you!

      Reply
  12. Sukumar says

    March 3, 2019 at 3:51 pm

    Super hot resipi

    ★★★★★

    Reply
    • Suguna Vinodh says

      July 17, 2020 at 10:01 pm

      Thank you!

      Reply
  13. Saranya Prem says

    March 1, 2019 at 11:00 am

    I was initially hesitant about using a pressure cooker for kuzhambu… but decided to give it a try today. OMG… this dish is a blast of taste. Simply delicious. My husband loved the taste. Thanks a ton for the lovely recipes.

    Your pics are very helpful. I keep referring to them to make sure I get the colour and consistency right!

    ★★★★★

    Reply
    • Suguna Vinodh says

      March 1, 2019 at 8:01 pm

      Thank you Saranya.

      Reply
  14. Priya says

    February 28, 2019 at 3:27 pm

    Thank you mam…

    Reply
  15. Gayathri says

    January 27, 2019 at 6:03 pm

    Awesome taste!!!my family members love this.am doing this every week..thanks for sharing wonderful recipe..

    ★★★★

    Reply
    • Suguna Vinodh says

      July 17, 2020 at 10:01 pm

      Thank you. Hope you liked the chettinadu style kara kuzhambu.

      ★★★★★

      Reply
  16. Shruti says

    October 17, 2018 at 6:19 am

    My husband loves it!!! I make it almost every week !!

    ★★★★★

    Reply
    • Suguna Vinodh says

      July 17, 2020 at 10:01 pm

      Thank you. Glad you liked the chettinadu style kara kuzhambu.

      ★★★★★

      Reply
  17. Shruti says

    July 28, 2018 at 7:08 am

    Excellent taste … have tried this recipe multiple times. Always a hit😃😃 Perfect spices 👌👌😋😋😋

    Reply
    • Suguna Vinodh says

      July 28, 2018 at 1:31 pm

      Thank you!

      Reply
  18. kala ramnathan says

    July 16, 2018 at 4:44 pm

    Listen Suguna.superb kara kozhambu.thanks for making my sunday

    ★★★★★

    Reply
    • Suguna Vinodh says

      July 17, 2018 at 11:20 am

      Thank you!

      Reply
  19. Vidhya says

    May 16, 2018 at 7:39 pm

    Hello mam,

    Thank you so much for your recipes. Before marriage I have never ever turned out to kitchen for cooking so you have helped me out in many times now. I love your recipes and today afternoon I have prepared this karakulambu and it came out very well. Thanks again!!!

    ★★★★★

    Reply
    • Suguna Vinodh says

      May 17, 2018 at 2:00 am

      Thank you so much. Really glad that you liked it!

      Reply
  20. வித்யா says

    May 16, 2018 at 7:33 pm

    வணக்கம் அம்மா,
    உங்களுடைய ரசிகை நான். இந்த கார குழம்பும் நன்றாக வந்தது… சமையல் தெரியாத எனக்கு உங்கள் பதிவுகள் பெரிய உதவி!!!! மிக்க நன்றி!!!!!!

    ★★★★★

    Reply
    • Suguna Vinodh says

      May 17, 2018 at 2:00 am

      Thank you so much. Really glad that you liked it!

      Reply
  21. Lavanya Karthikeyan says

    April 13, 2018 at 11:30 am

    Hi Kannamma,
    I am a fan of ur recipes i love the stories behind each recipe. I tried this karakuzhambu. i followed the exact way it was aweessommmeee. its too hard to get a word “GOOD” from my MIL. but this recipe she said it was very good. only difference is i got a slight red color because of my sambar podi.

    Thank you so much..

    one request – i love baking but i dont have oven – can yo share more cake recipes without oven

    Reply
    • Suguna Vinodh says

      April 15, 2018 at 9:30 pm

      Thank you Lavanya.
      Do check this recipe.
      https://www.kannammacooks.com/steamed-chocolate-cake-recipe-no-oven-required/

      Reply
  22. Indu Gopal says

    February 8, 2018 at 6:08 am

    Tried it two days ago and it turned out perfect! Followed the recipe, except that I reduced the fennel seeds amount by half (I’m not a huge fan of it’s strong flavor). Thanks for a great recipe. It’s a keeper!

    Reply
    • Suguna Vinodh says

      February 8, 2018 at 2:05 pm

      Thank you so much!

      Reply
  23. Manimegalai says

    January 30, 2018 at 9:46 am

    Hi kannama….will the beggies get cooked coz we add tamarind in the begining itself

    ★★★★★

    Reply
    • Suguna Vinodh says

      July 17, 2020 at 10:02 pm

      Yes. It will get cooked as its soft veggies only.

      ★★★★★

      Reply
  24. sowjanya says

    October 6, 2017 at 4:22 pm

    hey its awesome taste just now i made it came a very good flavour and taste .

    Thanks for the receipe

    ★★★★★

    Reply
    • Suguna Vinodh says

      October 6, 2017 at 5:03 pm

      Thank you!

      Reply
  25. Priya says

    July 26, 2017 at 9:44 am

    I tried this last night and it came out so well. Always wanted to try making Kara kozhambu but felt like they were very complicated. This recipe was very manageable. Thank you.

    ★★★★★

    Reply
    • Suguna Vinodh says

      July 26, 2017 at 10:54 am

      Thank you so much!

      Reply
  26. sarah says

    June 3, 2017 at 7:24 pm

    like you i love karakuzhambu.
    thanks for tge recipie.
    dr sarah

    Reply
    • Suguna Vinodh says

      July 17, 2020 at 10:02 pm

      Thank you. Glad you liked the chettinadu style kara kuzhambu.

      ★★★★★

      Reply
  27. Vidhya says

    April 27, 2017 at 3:43 pm

    Great recipe. Just have a doubt. We don’t use chilli powder in this. Will sambhar powder substitute chilli powder in this recipe?

    ★★★★★

    Reply
    • Suguna Vinodh says

      April 28, 2017 at 2:53 pm

      Sambar powder itself is spicy right? We also use red chillies to grind.

      Reply
  28. Brijit says

    March 30, 2017 at 2:43 pm

    Hey!Looks yummy..:)
    I have a doubt though..Won’t the drumstick turn mushy if pressure cooked for two whistles?

    Thx!

    ★★★★★

    Reply
    • Suguna Vinodh says

      March 31, 2017 at 2:09 am

      As we are adding tamarind, nothing happens to the drumstick.

      Reply
  29. Ishu says

    March 21, 2017 at 4:38 pm

    Very yummy recipe tanquee

    Reply
    • Suguna Vinodh says

      March 22, 2017 at 9:37 pm

      Thank you!

      Reply
  30. Sindhu says

    March 17, 2017 at 2:29 pm

    Hello Kannama,

    I am a big fan of karakulambus. As a kid I used to love the karakulambu my neighbor aunty makes. She vacated years ago and I was in search of the recipe all these years. Believe me this recipe tasted exactly like hers and I’m very much delighted 🙂 Thank you so much!

    P.s. I used Konda kadalai and drumstick it came out so well.

    ★★★★★

    Reply
    • Suguna Vinodh says

      March 17, 2017 at 4:01 pm

      Thank you so much. Glad that you liked the recipe. Happy Cooking!

      Reply
  31. k.s.Vels says

    January 8, 2017 at 2:08 pm

    Hi Suguna,

    The things to do is presented in a very simple manner and brings inner feel “can make it effortlessly”.

    Good.

    Also request you to share your posts in the “snaxcorner” group if possible.

    tks
    vels

    ★★★★

    Reply
    • Suguna Vinodh says

      January 8, 2017 at 2:17 pm

      thank you k.s.Vels

      Reply
  32. Sarah says

    December 24, 2016 at 1:07 am

    Hi..Suguna.
    I love your recipes. .you mentioned sambar powder.
    How do you make sambar powder.
    Thanks.
    Sarah

    ★★★★★

    Reply
    • Suguna Vinodh says

      December 24, 2016 at 6:13 pm

      Hi Sarah, You may check these recipes.
      http://www.kannammacooks.com/sambar-podi-recipe-sambar-powder-recipe/
      http://www.kannammacooks.com/sambar-powder-recipe-tamil-sambar-powder/

      Reply
  33. Darshini says

    November 29, 2016 at 5:29 pm

    Hi,

    Huge fan of your website! Can I check – how can I make this without using a pressure cooker? I don’t use a pressure cooker and I notice a lot of your recipes involve the use of a pressure cooker. Please let me know how to make it on the stove. Thank you!

    Reply
    • Suguna Vinodh says

      November 29, 2016 at 6:58 pm

      You can add 250 ml water more than asked for in the recipe and simmer for 15 minutes.

      Reply
  34. SheebaRozario says

    November 26, 2016 at 5:11 pm

    Hi mam Sheeba here, fabulous Kara kulambu recipe, each time I eat hotel preparation, I admire the chef who prepares it,but now sheeba doing it and getting regards is unbelievable,which is because of you, Thank u.

    ★★★★★

    Reply
    • Suguna Vinodh says

      November 26, 2016 at 10:03 pm

      Thank you so much SheebaRozario. Really glad that you like it! Kara kulambu is my fav too!

      Reply
      • Vergie says

        December 18, 2016 at 12:03 am

        Hii mam..i dont have tamarind paste..if im using tamarind , what quantity of tamarind nd water should i use in this recipe?

        Reply
        • Suguna Vinodh says

          December 18, 2016 at 1:06 pm

          a small lemon size tamarind soaked and pulp extracted with 1.5 cups of water. Do not add extra water while cooking.

          Reply
          • PRIYAVALLIAMMAI says

            April 23, 2017 at 2:54 pm

            Hi suguna mam,

            its really amazing…its a perfect chettinad style…i luv it….it came very well….thank u sooo much

            ★★★★

          • Suguna Vinodh says

            April 24, 2017 at 1:50 pm

            Thanks so much. Really glad that you liked the recipe. Happy Cooking.

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I’m Suguna, a former financial analyst, now a full-time food blogger. Welcome to my space. I share recipes gathered from my friends and family here. I am passionate about South Indian food. I crazy love knives. A sharp knife is a girls best friend. Hope you like the recipes here. Happy Cooking. Read more.....

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