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Kongunad Kaata Kuzhambu / Kollu Kuzhambu / Horsegram Curry

December 16, 2015 by Suguna Vinodh 15 Comments

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Kongunadu-Kollu-Kuzhambu-Kaata-Kuzhambu#horsegram#curry#coimbatore#recipe#authentic

Horsegram is a favorite lentil among households in the Coimbatore Kongunad region. I have already shared our favorite Kollu Paruppu and Kollu Rasam recipe. Horsegram / Kollu is such a flavorful lentil. Its one of the healthiest too. This recipe for horsegram curry is called as Kaata Kuzhambu. Kaatam காட்டம் literally means heat. But heat has nothing to do with this curry. It got this name because of its strong flavor. Just like Garam masala. Garam means hot but its used to denote the strong flavor of the masala. Kaatam means intense in this recipe. This curry is usually served with Ragi Kali / Ragi Mudde. It tastes well with rice and idli too. The curry has a very strong delicious aroma that will fill the kitchen as you cook. Here is how to do an authentic Kongunad Kaata Kuzhambu Horsegram Curry. This is my aunt’s recipe.

Horsegram/kollu needs to be cleaned first. It almost always has some small stones and sand particles. Just take quarter cup of lentils and spread it on a plate and slowly remove the stones and sand. Dry roast the horse gram on low flame until fragrant. Fry until one or two lentils break and burst and it smells very fragrant. My aunt says, fry till you hear “sattu buttu” sound and “gama gama” smell. Remove from heat and set aside on a plate.

Kongunadu-Kaata-Kuzhambu-Recipe-dry-roast

In the same pan dry roast the red chillies and coriander seeds until fragrant. Remove from heat and set aside on the plate. Slightly roast the fresh shredded coconut until the coconut is slightly dry. Do not roast the coconut until brown. Remove from heat and set aside. Grind the roasted horse gram, red chilli, coriander and coconut to a very fine paste. Add up-to a cup of water while grinding.

Kongunadu-Kaata-Kuzhambu-Recipe-grind

Heat sesame oil (gingely oil) in a pan and add in the mustard seeds and curry leaves. Let it splutter. Add in the finely chopped shallots and salt. Saute till the shallots are soft and start to brown.

Kongunadu-Kaata-Kuzhambu-Recipe-fry-shallots

Soak the tamarind in 1 cup of water for 20 minutes. Squeeze the tamarind in the water to extract all the juices. Strain the juice and set aside the tamarind pulp / juice. Discard the tamarind seeds and the pith. Add the tamarind pulp to the pan. Let it come to a boil.

Kongunadu-Kaata-Kuzhambu-Recipe-tamarind

Add in the ground paste and a small piece of jaggery. In Kongunad food, wherever you add tamarind, you add a small piece of jaggery too. Jaggery balances out the hot and sour. Add a cup of water to the curry. Close the pan with a lid and let it simmer for 10 minutes on low flame. Once the mixture is thick and cooked, remove from heat.

Kongunadu-Kaata-Kuzhambu-Recipe-jaggery

Serve hot with Ragi kali/ Mudde or rice.

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Kongunadu-Kaata-Kuzhambu-Recipe-gram

Kongunad Kaata Kuzhambu / Horsegram Curry


★★★★★

4.8 from 4 reviews

  • Author: Kannamma - Suguna Vinodh
  • Prep Time: 10 mins
  • Cook Time: 20 mins
  • Total Time: 30 mins
  • Yield: 3 persons 1x
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Description

Tamil Coimbatore style kollu paruppu kuzhambu. This kaara kuzhambu is very popular in kongunad region. With step by step pictures


Ingredients

Scale
  • Measurements used – 1 Cup = 250 ml

For the Masala

  • 1/4 cup Horse-gram (kollu)
  • 1 tablespoon Coriander seeds
  • 4 dried Red chillies
  • 1/2 cup fresh shredded Coconut

Other Ingredients

  • 2 tablespoon Sesame oil / Gingely oil
  • 1/4 teaspoon Mustard seeds
  • 2 sprigs Curry leaves
  • 15 Shallots, finely chopped
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • half a lime size Tamarind
  • 1 teaspoon jaggery

Instructions

  1. Dry roast the horse gram on low flame until fragrant. Set aside.
  2. Dry roast the red chillies and coriander seeds until fragrant. Remove from heat and set aside. Slightly roast the fresh shredded coconut until the coconut is slightly dry.Grind the roasted horse gram, red chilli, coriander and coconut to a very fine paste. Add upto a cup of water while grinding.
  3. Heat sesame oil (gingely oil) in a pan and add in the mustard seeds and curry leaves. Let it splutter. Add in the finely chopped shallots and salt. Saute till the shallots are soft and start to brown.
  4. Soak the tamarind in 1 cup of water for 20 minutes. Squeeze the tamarind in the water to extract all the juices. Strain the juice and set aside the tamarind pulp / juice. Discard the tamarind seeds and the pith. Add the tamarind pulp to the pan. Let it come to a boil.
  5. Add in the ground paste and a small piece of jaggery. Add a cup of water to the curry. Close the pan with a lid and let it simmer for 10 minutes on low flame. Once the mixture is thick and cooked, remove from heat.
  6. Serve hot.
  • Category: Side Dish
  • Cuisine: Kongunad, Tamilnadu

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Kongunadu-Kaata-Kuzhambu-Recipe

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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. Anshr says

    March 14, 2018 at 10:12 am

    Hi …cn u pls mention as when to add the kollu..bcz u have mentioned….after roasting.. ?dont we need to wash horse gram before cooking
    Thanku

    Reply
    • Suguna Vinodh says

      March 14, 2018 at 11:54 pm

      No Need to wash the lentil for this recipe.

      Reply
  2. Sathish Kumar Kathirvelu says

    January 27, 2017 at 12:02 am

    Suguna,
    Kollu Kulambu arumai. I made a mistake, instead on frying the kollu, i soaked it. So the dish was very thick. so I added water, tomato and slow cooked it to balance the flavour. It was wonderful with rice and also thosai 🙂

    ★★★★

    Reply
    • Suguna Vinodh says

      January 27, 2017 at 2:12 am

      Thank you Satish. Good you were able to cook it longer to balance out the flavors.

      Reply
  3. Malathi says

    January 24, 2017 at 1:15 pm

    Tried.. and five stars!!!! Thank you..

    ★★★★★

    Reply
    • Suguna Vinodh says

      January 24, 2017 at 4:00 pm

      Thanks Malathi!

      Reply
  4. indra kamal says

    August 19, 2016 at 11:43 pm

    okay got it while grinding…sorry

    Reply
  5. indra kamal says

    August 19, 2016 at 11:42 pm

    Hi when do we add the horsegram (fried) in the whole process please

    Reply
  6. Himali says

    August 15, 2016 at 6:31 pm

    Thank you Kannamma for another tasty recipe. Being a Maharstrian, this dish bought back some very fond memories from my childhood. It is very similar to a Maharstrian dish called “pithala”. We make this during the winter a humble yet satisfying meal. Thank you for sharing this recipe. My husband and I are big fans of all your South Indian recipes. Can’t wait to try them all out.

    ★★★★★

    Reply
    • Suguna Vinodh says

      August 16, 2016 at 9:54 am

      Thank you Himali!

      Reply
      • Baarathy Muralidharan says

        February 6, 2021 at 10:27 am

        Can we add sprouted kollu for this recipe

        Reply
        • Suguna Vinodh says

          February 7, 2021 at 11:16 pm

          No. It wont work.

          Reply
  7. Madhu says

    May 19, 2016 at 11:04 am

    Tried it today. Came out so well. Thanks for the wonderful recipe Suguna..

    ★★★★★

    Reply
  8. mona says

    December 30, 2015 at 11:54 pm

    Hi Suguna,

    This is an interesting recipe. I will try it this weekend maybe.
    I have used Kollu by soaking and sprouting it and making a gravy out of it – Karnataka style recipe that a friend shared with me. This seems to be easy.
    Does the roasting help with the cooking of the kollu? I know even after sprouting, it takes a really L O N G time for it to cook well.
    Thanks,
    mona

    Reply
    • Suguna Vinodh says

      December 31, 2015 at 12:29 am

      Hi Mona, we will be grinding the lentil in the recipe and then cook it. So the lentil will cook in no time after ground. Dont worry about it being raw. Roasting is to bring out the aroma. It imparts an excellent aroma when roasted. Roasting does not cook the horsegram.

      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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