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Murungakkai Puli Kuzhambu – Kulambu – Drumsticks in Tamarind Gravy

April 17, 2015 by Suguna Vinodh 13 Comments

Tamilnadu-Murungakkai-puli-kuzhambu

Recipe for Spicy South Indian Tamlinadu Style Murungakkai Kara Puli Kuzhambu. Drumsticks in tamarind gravy.

When I was young, me and my friends would never play near a drumstick tree. We were all made to believe that the tree hosts ghosts at night time. We would just never go near them. This is a very widely believed superstition all over Tamilnadu. It is also believed that eating drumsticks increases libido in men. This belief was popularized in a Tamil movie called Mundhanai Mudichu and it caught up with the masses.

Tamarind curries are an all time favorite for all South Indians. Its spicy, tangy and oh so perfect with rice. The flavor of drumsticks cooked in tamarind water is unbeatable. This is how we do Murungakkai Puli Kuzhambu – Drumsticks in Tamarind Gravy Taminadu style.

Soak a big lime size tamarind in 2 cups of water for 20 minutes. Once the tamarind has been soaked, squeeze it between the fingers to release all the juices. Strain the juice and set aside.

Tamilnadu-Murungakkai-puli-kuzhambu-tamarind

The important thing about this curry is the addition of the ground masala paste. Here is how we do it. Heat oil in a pan and add in the urad dal and the chana dal and fry till lightly brown. Frying the dal till brown on a low flame is very important. So go low and slow.

Tamilnadu-Murungakkai-puli-kuzhambu-lentil

Once the dal has been fried and lightly brown, add in the tempering ingredients. Add in the mustard seeds, fenugreek seeds, dry red chillies, black pepper, coriander seeds (dhania), cumin seeds (jeera) and curry leaves. Fry in low flame until the seeds splutter and the curry leaves are crisp.

Tamilnadu-Murungakkai-puli-kuzhambu-fry

Add in the onions and fry till they are soft.

Tamilnadu-Murungakkai-puli-kuzhambu-onion

Once the onions are soft, add in the tomatoes, salt, asafoetida (hing) and turmeric powder. Fry till the tomatoes are mushy.

Tamilnadu-Murungakkai-puli-kuzhambu-tomato

Once the tomatoes are mushy, add in the fresh shredded coconut and fry briefly for a minute to combine. Remove off heat and let it cool.

Tamilnadu-Murungakkai-puli-kuzhambu-coconut

Grind the fried masala mixture to a smooth paste adding up-to 2 cups of water. Set aside.

Tamilnadu-Murungakkai-puli-kuzhambu-paste

Now the curry!
Heat oil in a pan until hot. We need to use sesame oil (gingely) for this recipe. Add in the mustard seeds and the dry red chillies. Let the mustard seeds splutter. Add in the onions preferably shallots (small onions) and the curry leaves. Fry for a couple of minutes until the onions are soft.

Tamilnadu-Murungakkai-puli-kuzhambu-tempering

Clean the drumsticks and roughly peel their thick outer skin. Cut into 2 inch pieces. Add it to the pan. Add in the tamarind pulp. Add a little salt and let the drumsticks simmer in tamarind mixture for 15 minutes on low flame.

Tamilnadu-Murungakkai-puli-kuzhambu-drumstick

Once the drumsticks are soft, add in the secret ingredient – Jaggery. There is an untold rule in Tamilnadu style tamarind gravies. Wherever tamarind goes in a gravy, a tablespoon of jaggery also goes. It rounds out the flavor and enhances the taste.

Tamilnadu-Murungakkai-puli-kuzhambu-jaggery

Add in the ground masala to the pan. Check for seasoning. Add more salt if required.

Tamilnadu-Murungakkai-puli-kuzhambu-simmer

Simmer the curry on low flame for 15 minutes covered with a lid.

Tamilnadu-Murungakkai-puli-kuzhambu-final-simmer

Stir once in 5 minutes to avoid scorching at the bottom.

Tamilnadu-Murungakkai-puli-kuzhambu-curry

Remove off heat and enjoy with hot rice.

Tamilnadu-Murungakkai-puli-kuzhambu-recipe

4.5 from 2 reviews
Murungakkai Puli Kuzhambu - Drumsticks in Tamarind Gravy
 
Save Print
Prep time
15 mins
Cook time
45 mins
Total time
1 hour
 
Recipe for Spicy South Indian Tamlinadu Style Murungakkai Kara Puli Kuzhambu. Drumsticks in tamarind gravy.
Author: Kannamma - Suguna Vinodh
Recipe type: Curry
Cuisine: South Indian
Serves: 4
Ingredients
For the Tamarind Pulp
  • Big lemon size tamarind
  • 2 cups water
For the Masala Paste
  • 2 tablespoon peanut oil
  • 1 tablespoon urad dal
  • 1 tablespoon chana dal
  • ¼ teaspoon mustard seeds
  • ¼ teaspoon fenugreek seeds
  • 5 dry red chillies
  • 1 teaspoon black pepper
  • 2 teaspoon coriander seeds (dhania)
  • 2 teaspoon cumin seeds (jeera)
  • 2 sprigs curry leaves
  • 1 Onion, chopped
  • 2 tomatoes, chopped
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • ¼ teaspoon asafoetida (hing)
  • 1 teaspoon turmeric powder
  • ¼ cup fresh shredded coconut
For the Curry
  • 3 tablespoon sesame oil (gingely)
  • ¼ teaspoon mustard seeds
  • 2 Dry red chillies
  • 2 sprigs curry leaves
  • 10-12 shallots (small onions)
  • 2-3 drumsticks
  • 1 tablespoon jaggery
Instructions
  1. Soak a big lime size tamarind in 2 cups of water for 20 minutes. Once the tamarind has been soaked, squeeze it between the fingers to release all the juices. Strain the juice and set aside.
  2. Heat oil in a pan and add in the urad dal and the chana dal and fry till lightly brown. Add in the mustard seeds, fenugreek seeds, dry red chillies, black pepper, coriander seeds (dhania), cumin seeds (jeera) and curry leaves. Fry in low flame until the seeds splutter and the curry leaves are crisp.
  3. Add in the onions and fry till they are soft. Once the onions are soft, add in the tomatoes, salt, asafoetida (hing) and turmeric powder. Fry till the tomatoes are mushy. Once the tomatoes are mushy, add in the fresh shredded coconut and fry briefly for a minute to combine. Remove off heat and let it cool.
  4. Grind the fried masala mixture to a smooth paste adding up-to 2 cups of water. Set aside.
  5. Heat oil in a pan until hot. Add in the mustard seeds and the dry red chillies. Let the mustard seeds splutter. Add in the onions, preferably shallots (small onions) and the curry leaves. Fry for a couple of minutes until the onions are soft.
  6. Clean the drumsticks and roughly peel their thick outer skin. Cut into 2 inch pieces. Add it to the pan. Add in the tamarind pulp. Add a little salt and let the drumsticks simmer in tamarind mixture for 15 minutes on low flame.
  7. Once the drumsticks are soft, add in the jaggery. Add in the ground masala to the pan. Check for seasoning. Add more salt if required.
  8. Simmer the curry on low flame for 15 minutes covered with a lid. Remove off heat and enjoy with hot rice.
Notes
I use Idhayam brand sesame oil.
3.5.3226

murungakai-curry-nl

 

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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. Latha says

    August 10, 2016 at 3:08 pm

    Hi the curry was nice. Can we use shallots in grinding also? We usually make other kulambu varieties like that.

    Reply
    • Suguna Vinodh says

      August 13, 2016 at 9:48 am

      Sure. You can modify the recipe according to how your family likes.

      Reply
  2. Aruna says

    August 8, 2016 at 10:22 pm

    Hi,
    I have tried this murungakkai-puli-kuzhambu today. It’s is very nice. Got appreciated in home too 🙂
    Thanks for a wonderful recipe.

    Reply
    • Suguna Vinodh says

      August 13, 2016 at 9:56 am

      Thank you so much. Really glad that the recipe worked for you!

      Reply
      • Diviraj says

        January 25, 2017 at 5:58 am

        Thanks a lot for this yummy and tasty recipe .. I try .. was awesome …

        Reply
        • Suguna Vinodh says

          January 25, 2017 at 12:06 pm

          Thank you Diviraj.

          Reply
  3. Akila says

    June 28, 2016 at 11:39 pm

    wow! it tasted heavenly! i have never got puli kulambu this tasty..this is going to be my all time recipe for puli kulambu..thank you 🙂

    Reply
    • Suguna Vinodh says

      June 29, 2016 at 9:57 am

      Thank you Akila!

      Reply
  4. Anu says

    June 28, 2016 at 9:30 am

    How to prepare Drumsticks teeya kootu?

    Reply
  5. Vidhya Shanmugam says

    March 19, 2016 at 11:08 am

    Many thanks for this authentic Coimbatore based murungakai puli kulambu which my patti used to make but without jaggery. I tried the exact amount of ingredients except for dry chilies (only I added 3). Came out very well.. My daughter liked it very much asking for repetitions..

    Will come back after trying your other recipes too… 🙂

    Reply
  6. preethi says

    March 17, 2016 at 4:38 am

    really awesome recipe.. and ur blog is fantastic.. way to go.. u could start a restaurant.:)

    Reply
  7. Jay says

    November 17, 2015 at 12:28 pm

    My drum stick kolambu came out too spicy. What can I do ? Pls advise.

    Thanks.

    Regards,
    Jay

    Reply
    • Suguna Vinodh says

      November 17, 2015 at 8:52 pm

      Hi Jay, First I am really sorry you could not handle the spice. All tamarind based gravies are generally eaten spicy. But you can always reduce the amount of chillies used according to your taste. I have mentioned 5 chillies for the recipe. You may use 2-3 next time.

      Reply

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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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