Spicy Chettinadu Poondu Kuzhambu-Kulambu

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chettinad-poondu-kuzhambu-recipe

Poondu Kuzhambu

South Indian style Tamilnadu Spicy Chettinad Poondu Kuzhambu recipe with step by step pictures.

My husband Vinodh’s grand mother – Sinthayamma paati was 94 when she left us. Paati had a cook called Naacha. Naacha came to paati as a 10 year old. She never married and was 78 years old when paati died. She retired after paati left us. My son was 6 months old then and paati’s health was slowly going downhill. She had this habit of chewing tobacco called as pogailai in Tamil. Vinodh’s father had stopped the supply of tobacco due to her deteriorating health. We visited her when my son was 6 months old and Vinodh’s parents had to travel at that time. So it was me, my son, paati and Naacha in the house for a week. Naacha would hide the tobacco in her saree and sneak it in paati’s hands and make sure that no one was watching. It was a cute little scene. I did not tell about this to anyone as I felt that it was the very few little pleasures of life that was remaining for paati. She could barely walk. She would sit all day long in the portico watching people come and go at the farm. She was very old, ate very less and I thought the tobacco kept her going. I told this to my father in law after paati died and he laughed. He too knew what was going on. Even he chose to remain silent as he felt it was the little pleasures of life. Naacha left us once grand mom died. She still comes to the farm and I get very happy when I see her. She is so caring, an awesome cook and I love her food. This is her Poondu Kuzhambu recipe. Poondu Kuzhambu is my favorite. Everytime I make this Poondu Kuzhambu at home, I remember paati and Naacha and their cute little bonding. Below is a picture, the only picture of Naacha that I have.

chettinad-poondu-kuzhambu-recipe-naacha

Here it is, Naacha’s awesome poondu kuzhambu.

chettinad-poondu-kuzhambu-recipe

Here is the video of how to make poondu kuzhambu

Heat a pan and add in the Indian style sesame oil.  When the oil is hot, add in 3-4 methi-fenugreek seeds. Do not add a lot as the Poondu Kuzhambu curry will turn very bitter. 3-4 seeds are good enough. Add in the cumin and the black pepper too. Let it crackle. The oil will foam a little. That’s fine. Add in 10 cloves of roughly sliced garlic and saute briefly.

chettinad-poondu-kuzhambu-recipe-tadka

Add in one sprig of curry leaves and roughly chopped onions. Saute for 2-3 minutes until the onions turn soft. Add in the tomatoes and fry for a minute.

chettinad-poondu-kuzhambu-recipe-onion-tomato

When the tomatoes are briefly sauteed, add in the kuzhambu milagai thool / kuzhambu masala powder. If you cannot source kuzhambu milagai thool, you can substitute sambar powder. If you want it spicy add in a tablespoon more of kuzhambu milagai thool. Saute to combine. Add in the fresh shredded coconut and remove off heat.

chettinad-poondu-kuzhambu-recipe-coconut

Let the Poondu Kuzhambu masala mixture cool a bit.

chettinad-poondu-kuzhambu-recipe-mixture

Grind the Poondu Kuzhambu masala to a very smooth paste. Add a cup of water while grinding. Set aside.

chettinad-poondu-kuzhambu-recipe-grind

Soak a big lime size tamarind in 2 cups of hot water for 15 minutes. Crush between your fingers and make a pulp. Strain the liquid and set aside.

chettinad-poondu-kuzhambu-recipe-tamarind

Heat oil in a kadai and add in the mustard seeds and urad dal. Let it splutter. Add in two whole pods of peeled garlic. If the garlic cloves are big in size, slice them. Fry for a minute.

chettinad-poondu-kuzhambu-recipe-final-tempering

Add in a lot of curry leaves. About 3 sprigs. Curry leaves are an important flavor component. So do not skip. Add in the small onions too and saute for 2-3 minutes.

chettinad-poondu-kuzhambu-recipe-curry-leaves

Add in the tamarind pulp/juice, salt, asafoetida, turmeric and coriander powder.

chettinad-poondu-kuzhambu-recipe-tamarind-juice

Add in the ground Poondu Kuzhambu masala. Wash the mixie with little water and add. Stir well and let it simmer covered with a lid on a very low flame for 30-40 minutes. Stir once in 10 minutes so it does not scorch at the bottom.

chettinad-poondu-kuzhambu-recipe-simmer

Add in the jaggery. This is the SECRET to a good poondu kuzhambu. It brings all the flavors alive. The spicy, tangy, oh so yumm……. It wont be sweet. It just brings all the flavors alive.

chettinad-poondu-kuzhambu-recipe-jaggery

Let it simmer for 5 minutes more. Remove off heat and serve Poondu Kuzhambu with rice or idli. It tastes awesome with idli and dosa. It tastes double awesome the next day.

chettinad-poondu-kuzhambu-recipe-oil-on-top

chettinad-poondu-kuzhambu-recipe-pic

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chettinad-poondu-kuzhambu-recipe

Spicy Chettinad Poondu Kuzhambu

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4.8 from 45 reviews

South Indian style Tamilnadu Spicy Chettinad Poondu Kuzhambu recipe with step by step pictures.

  • Total Time: 1 hour 20 mins
  • Yield: 6 1x

Ingredients

Scale

For the Masala

  • 2 tablespoon Indian sesame oil
  • 4 methi seeds
  • 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
  • 1 tablespoon black pepper corns
  • 10 cloves garlic
  • 1 sprig curry leaves
  • 1 medium onion, roughly chopped
  • 2 very ripe tomatoes, roughly chopped
  • 2 tablespoon kuzhambu milagai thool (adjust according to spice level)
  • 1/4 cup fresh shredded coconut (use little more for a rich kuzhambu)

Other Ingredients

  • 1 lime size tamarind
  • 4 tablespoons Indian sesame oil
  • 1 teaspoon urad dal
  • 1/4 teaspoon mustard seeds
  • 2 whole pods peeled garlic
  • 3 sprigs curry leaves
  • 10 Indian shallots, finely chopped
  • 1 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon asafoetida
  • 1 teaspoon turmeric powder
  • 1 tablespoon coriander powder
  • 1 tablespoon jaggery

Instructions

  1. Heat a pan and add in the sesame oil. When the oil is hot, add in 3-4 methi-fenugreek seeds. Add in the cumin and the black pepper too. Let it splutter. The oil will foam a little. That’s fine. Add in 10 cloves of garlic and saute briefly.
  2. Add in one sprig of curry leaves and roughly chopped onions. Saute for 2-3 minutes until the onions turn soft. Add in the tomatoes and fry for a minute.
  3. When the tomatoes are briefly sauteed, add in the kuzhambu milagai thool / kuzhambu masala powder. Add in the fresh shredded coconut and remove off heat.
  4. Grind the masala to a very smooth paste. Add a cup of water while grinding. Set aside.
  5. Soak a big lime size tamarind in 2 cups of hot water for 15 minutes. Crush between your fingers and make a pulp. Strain the liquid and set aside.
  6. Heat oil in a kadai and add in the mustard seeds and urad dal. Let it splutter. Add in two whole pods of peeled garlic. Fry for a minute.
  7. Add in a lot of curry leaves. About 3 sprigs. Curry leaves are an important flavor component. So do not skip. Add in the small onions too and saute for 2-3 minutes.
  8. Add in the tamarind pulp/juice, salt, asafoetida, turmeric and coriander powder.
  9. Add in the ground masala. Stir well and let it simmer covered with a lid on a very low flame for 30-40 minutes. Stir once in 10 minutes so it does not scorch at the bottom.
  10. Add in the jaggery. This is the SECRET to a good poondu kuzhambu. It wont be sweet. It just brings all the flavors alive.
  11. Let it simmer for 5 minutes more. Remove off heat and serve with rice or idli. It tastes awesome with idli and dosa. It tastes double awesome the next day.

Notes

If you cannot source kuzhambu milagai thool, you can substitute sambar powder.

  • Author: Kannamma - Suguna Vinodh
  • Prep Time: 20 mins
  • Cook Time: 60 mins
  • Category: Side Dish
  • Cuisine: South Indian

poon-kuz

143 thoughts on “Spicy Chettinadu Poondu Kuzhambu-Kulambu”

  1. Shamini

    Love love love this recipe. I have made it several times. It does taste better the next day. Thanks for sharing.

    Reply
  2. WB

    Oh my! This is the best food I’ve ever made from an online recipe. May the gourmet gods continue to bless you, Kannamma, and all your descendants.

    Reply
  4. Wendy

    Thank you so much for sharing this recipe. My favorite restaurant made a delicious egg chettinad but they unfortunately closed down due to covid and I have not been able to successfully recreate the taste or look. Your recipe is very different than what I had tried before so I’m really excited to give this a go.

    If you make a cookbook, I would definitely buy it.

    Reply
  5. Uma Vinod

    Tried it, yummy… just had a problem it turned out sweet, what can be done for it. My hubby doesn’t prefer sweet taste in gravy, sabji etc

    Reply
  9. Sampath

    hey I ve been making this for last 3 years and all of us in my family love it – it is healthy and awesome with rice and papas

    Reply
    1. Suguna Vinodh

      Kuzhambu milagai thool is like a south Indian style hot and spicy garam masala. Its a combination of spices like red chilli powder, coriander seeds, cumin etc…
      You will be able to get it in a south Indian grocery store or online.
      Look for brands like “aachi” and “sakthi” that are widely available.

      Reply
      1. Wendy

        Do you have a do-it-yourself recipe for the Kuzhambu milagai thool? I’m not able to find it where I live and cannot find it online either, but I think I should have access to all the main ingredients.

        Reply
  14. Nandini P

    Hi, this was fantastic! Thanks for sharing. I used sambar powder since I didn’t have the kozhumbu thool. Do you happen to have a good recipe for that as well?

    Again thanks for sharing and keep blogging – it’s a pleasure to read as well as try your recipes.

    Take care,
    Nandini

    Reply
  16. Shunmuga S P

    Awesome. The taste reminded me of my own mom’s cooking. The brief background story to your recipe added to the awesomeness. Thank you

    Reply
  17. Mithra Madhavan

    Mam, Would you be kind enough to share the kuzhambu milagai thool. Thanks in Advance!

    Reply
  21. Rao

    I am a big fan of veg chettinadu cuisine. Especially the snacks which we cannot dream to buy in bangalore. Tried this recipe today, wonderful

    Reply
  22. Lalitha

    Hi,
    How to make garlic curry . it is not in your website . Pl repost it .
    Thank you
    Lalitha

    Reply
  23. Amar

    Nice recipe and will try to make this soon. Do you have a recipe for “kuzhambu milagai thool” that you have mentioned?

    Reply
  25. Narayan K Murthy

    Tried the recipe, forgot to add the shredded coconut, yet got a fantastic poondu kuzhambu.

    Thank you Kannamma for the excellent, detailed recipe.

    Reply
  27. Muthuselvi S

    Hi, I love this story ., never comment for any one till now .. some how felt a kind of good feel after reading this particular recipe with highlighting story .. ll try soon and definitely ..

    Reply
  28. Sudhakar Sundaresan

    Awesome recipe. Came out great. If you are buying readymade kolambu podi, what brand do you buy?

    Reply
  29. Saipriya

    Hello Suguna. Tried this receipe very well described and yeah it came out really well . Am newly married and my husband , mom in law n father in law really loved this dish . Am gonna cook again today coz it’s over n it had become my husband’s favourite dish too . Thanks a ton !!!

    Reply
  30. Anu

    Thaarumaar Suguna!! after the prawn masala…tried the poondu kuzhambu yesterday. amma never had a ground masala for this but this version of ur grandma…just gave it the extra special touch 🙂 had it with lamb kheema and rice for dinner and with dosa for brekkie this morning! The main thing we miss about chennai is the food but by putting in a bit of effort…ur recipes just bring the same taste home! Thanks for hosting an awesome blog!

    Reply
  35. Vidhya

    That was a Kick-ass recipe !! It turned out excellent. You really make beginners like me do wonders in the kitchen. Thanks a lot !

    Reply
  36. Priyamagesh

    Hi kannamma, i tried poodu kuzhambhu,the taste was awesome….
    For every dishes I was using ur blog. Thank u

    Reply
  37. Aishwarya deepika

    Beautiful recipe indeed!
    Every flavour speaks . It really turned out well. Looking forward for more recipes.
    Thank you

    Reply
  39. Sandhya Krishnan

    Hi kannama. I tried this recipe today. Came out really good. I added vadagam in thalipu . Keep the wonderful work going. ??

    Reply
  40. Ananth

    Hi kanna Amma I chanced upon your website when I was searching for the Recipe .

    I am also from Coimbatore , I never even knew kongunadu had so many varieties

    I liked your receipe and hv tried the neikkarapati
    Kurma it turned out well but was not spicy

    I tried this spicy chettinad garlic kozhumbu .

    It turned out very sweet and was not spicy at all .

    There is no green chilli or red chilli in your receipe
    How can it be spicy ?
    I added 2 table spoons of jaggery and that made
    It very sweet
    I am making a mistake some where
    Please correct me as I plan to try it one more time.

    Reply
      1. ananth

        Yes I added 2 Table Spoons ( Got the Kuzhambu Milagai Thool From Grand Sweets).

        shall I add red chilies separately then to the masala ?

        Ananth

        Reply
  42. PK

    Super Authentic taste….adding pepper and coconut makes this kuzhambu tastes so good and gives great flavour.

    Reply
  43. Rajhi Subban

    Thanks a lot for this wonderful recipe. I tried the same way as you mentioned. It was great.I kept it for 5 days in fridge. Thanks a lot.please post some of great NAC Chas recipe please

    Reply
  44. Regith

    Thank you for the recipe. The taste was good, but I was not able to get the color. But that is fine. I will keep trying.

    Reply
  45. Roopa

    Hi Sugana,
    When I was in chennai this time I had a curry made of garlic for the first time. I didn’t even knew that we can make a curry entirely from garlic.
    I tried to make it once it was a disaster and then luckily one day I came across your wonderful blog,I tried to make the garlic curry again following your receipe to the t and woala …. it came out so well that I finished it within a day having it with almost everything …. thank u so much for this lip smacking dish Iam excited to try your other dishes as well !!!! Can’t wait …..

    Reply
  47. Thara Ajaykumar

    Awesome taste and I also used small onion… It’s yummy with idly dosa and Rice….. Thank you so much for sharing. Love your baby…. So cute…

    Reply
  48. Gokul

    Tried garlic kuzhambu and it tastes awesome….after long search I found this recipe which taste same as my moms garlic kuzhambu….

    Thanks for awesome recipe with photos….

    Reply
  50. Eashwar Mahadevan

    Hi Suguna
    I tried this kara kuzhambu recipe and the taste has come out to be mind blowing. I am a bachelor and I try to make recipes that would last for few days and puli kozhambu is always my go to dish. This variant of yours has really impressed me and I’m gonna stick to it in the future.
    I just have one doubt. Can you let me know please what is the key to bringing the deep brown texture which you have shown in the pic. Is it the puli/tamarind color ? I used the darker one only though and I could only manage a more lighter shade in the final dish, though the taste is still top notch.
    Thanks and cheers.

    Reply
  52. Judith Christy Vijay

    Hi,
    Tried this recipe yesterday, it came out very well 🙂 my husband loved it.. thank you 🙂

    Reply
  53. Vijetha

    Suguna, I grew up in a tambrahm household, but after my paati’s cooking, the next cuisine I hold closely to my heart (when it comes to Indian food) is Chettinad. I love the bold flavours and the intricate style of cooking. I went to a school called Chettinad Vidyashram in Chennai, it has been 14 years since I passed out from school, and the mess food (Chettinad style) as I remember, still makes my mouth water. Those fluffy bondas, melt in mouth kaara chevais and pan cake like small dosais that would be served at breakfast (I could go on and on) had a distinct flavour to them, all made by cooks brought down from Karaikudi, I assume. Pardon my rambling here, but your posts on Chettinad food bring back really fond memories and I think I’m going to whip up this poondu kozhambu tonight to mop my dosais with. Also, I’ve been hunting for a very authentic cook book on Chettinad food. Any names come to mind?

    Reply
  54. Rama

    I made this and it is super tasty. Thank you. Pl tell me how long this dish can be stored in refrigeration.

    Reply
  55. Nalini

    Hats off to nacha patti mam. Chanceless recipe. Thank you very much for sharing. We all become fan of patti too.

    Reply
  56. vishnukumar

    hello mam,
    i love your poondu kuzhambu recpie…. ths is the only recepie i follo for making poondu kuzhambu….

    Reply
  57. Bageerathy

    Tried the receipe and came very well…..everyone in my family too liked it very much….it’s awesome…..☺

    Reply
  58. praveenkumar

    I already tried a week before,,came very well,thanks mrs suguna,,Tomorrow I am gonna try again,,

    Reply
    2. praveenkumar

      Mrs suguna ,Everthing k but it is too liquid ,so could u tell me how to make SEMI SOLID poondu kulambu(with same taste)

      Thanks in advance
      Praveenkumar

      Reply
  59. jeevanandam.a

    This ‘Poondu Kuzhambu’ came very nicely….not so dark as depicted in the picture. Cheers ….!

    Reply
  61. Loki

    We have tried this recipe and it came out very well!!! yummmyyyy!!! Thanks to nacha patti for sharing this wonderful recipe:)

    Reply
  62. jeevanandam.a

    fine memory of a ‘Paatti’ and her ‘thozhi cook Naachchi Ammaal’. Let me cherish their memory as you do. Thank you. Your Poondu Kuzhambu’ looks horribly black at first sight. I do not like anything black, girls being an exception. I’ll try your recipe and report to you back. Poondu Kuzhambu might have a good shelf life……Cheers to you …….!

    Reply
  64. muthukrishnan

    hi madam,
    i am going to cook for my friends those who are staying here (not going home for pongal holidays) . shall i add in additional here brinjal and i dont have jaggary, instead this shall i add sugar

    Reply
  65. Aurifa

    Hi I m interested to try this kulambu. But would like to know that instead of kulambu mil again tool nd sambar powder, can we add normal red chilli powder… thank u

    Reply
  66. Mythili

    Hi suguna,
    I am a recent but an avid reader of your food blogs. Just like you I am a native coimbatorian and this october i got married and My husband is an authentic chettinad guy. In a lot of ways I love your website because I can easily relate to your website and the recipes that you post (a mix of both cbe n chettinad cuisines) I’m about to start cooking for the first time in life from next week onwards following the guidelines of your website. Thanks to you 🙂 Wish me luck
    Will keep you posted on every recipe that I try in the comments below

    Reply
    1. Suguna Vinodh

      So nice Mythili. Kongunad and Chettinad in a marriage. It doesnt get happier than this. Feel free to contact me if you need any help with the recipes. My best wishes to you.

      Reply
    1. Suguna Vinodh

      Thank you so much Vivin for writing in. Next time you do something, don’t forget to send me a picture. Happy cooking! I am glad the poondu kuzhambu came out well.

      Reply
  68. kavitha prince

    Hi, Yesterday we did this dish and today we had it for lunch. Awesome. Entire family loved. Keep it up.

    Reply
  70. andal

    Vanakkam. Kolombu came out well. Different from the puli kolambu dishes I know. Thank you for such nice recipe. I made badam halwa also. Awesome s not the word. First time- grand success. Your recipe and the comments followed is the reason.your blog stands out different as you mention the water or liquid proportion accurate , very important for the consistentcy of the finished product. Not to mention about your beautiful intro of recipe and people behind them.kannamma cooks s my household name and another member in your fan club.keep going…

    Reply
  71. Sasirekha

    I tried the recipe and it came out so well. The dish was awesome. Since I didn’t have coconut, I prepared without it. Even then it had a great taste. Thanks for the recipe.

    Reply
  73. binu

    hi suguna,

    I tried ur andhrastyle potato fry and vanilla sponge.It vas awesome.
    Can u please tell the ingredients for kuzumbu milagai thool.i had this
    dish from anjappar once and I loved it… you suggested sambhar powder instead
    of kuzambu milagai thool…I am living in kerala..for sambhar
    we use only corianderpowder,turmericpowder,chillipowder,asafoetida,fenugreek
    and curryleaves..Is it ok?

    Reply
  74. Raji

    Wow awesome recipe .I tried it today. It was super hit. My hubby loved it alot .I have included this recipe in my routine

    Reply
  75. Nandhini

    All ur recipes are excellent . Appreciate ur neat way of presenting things . Jus curious to know about the ur cookware brand . The kadai ur using looks like stainless steel . Won’t it get burnt at the bottom ?

    Reply
    1. suguna vinodh

      Thank you for your kind words Nandhini. Yes you are right. Its a stainless steel kadai. I let the gravy simmer on low flame only. It doesn’t scorch at the bottom. Its an old kadai. There is no brand on it. I am sorry about that,

      Reply

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