Paruppu Urundai Kuzhambu is a traditional South Indian dish that is popular in Tamil Nadu. It is a tangy and spicy gravy made with lentil dumplings (paruppu urundai) that are cooked in a tamarind-based sauce. The lentil dumplings are made by soaking and grinding split yellow lentils (toor dal) and mixing them with spices and herbs, then shaping them into small balls and steaming or frying them. The tangy sauce is made by cooking tamarind pulp with a blend of spices, onion, garlic, and tomato, and then adding the lentil dumplings to it. The dish is typically served with rice, and it is a nutritious and filling meal that is rich in protein, fiber, and essential nutrients.
Paruppu Urundai Kuzhambu
Course: KuzhambuCuisine: Indian, TamilDifficulty: Medium6
servings2
hours30
minutesIt is a tangy and spicy gravy made with lentil dumplings (paruppu urundai) that are cooked in a tamarind-based sauce and served with rice
Ingredients
Thuvar Dhal – 3/4 cup
Tamarind – Lemon size
Sambar Powder – 1 heaped tablespoon
Turmeric powder – ½ teaspoon
Rice powder – 1/2 teaspoon
Coconut gratings – 3 tablespoon
Oil – 2 tablespoon
Mustard – 1 teaspoon
Asafoetida Powder – 1/4 teaspoon
Big Onion – 1/2 chopped finely
Sambar Onion – 5 chopped finely
Curry leaves – few
Salt – 2 teaspoon or as per taste
Directions
- Soak thuvar dhal in water for about 1 to 2 hours.
- Soak separately tamarind in one cup of water.
- Wash the dhal and drain out the water completely. Put it in a mixie and grind it in “pulse mode” to a thick coarse paste (like vadai dough).
- Add ½ teaspoon salt, one teaspoon sambar powder, a pinch of turmeric powder, pinch of asafoetida powder, chopped onions, one tablespoon coconut gratings and few curry leaves chopped to the paste. Mix well.
- Make a small lemon size balls.
- Squeeze out the tamarind and extract the juice. Add more water and again take out the remaining juice. The tamarind juice should be of 3 to 4 cups.
- Add sambar powder, turmeric powder and salt to the tamarind juice. Bring to boil.
- When it starts boiling, add four to five dhal balls and reduce the heat to medium. Allow to boil.
- When it starts boiling again, then add four more balls.
- Again wait for the Kuzhambu to start boiling. Add three to four more balls and finish all the balls like this.
- Once you finished all the dhal urundais, gently turn them with a spoon. Keep the flame to low.
- Grind two tablespoon coconut gratings to a fine paste and add to the boiling kuzhambu.
- Season it with mustard, asafoetida powder, chopped onion and curry leaves.
Recipe Video
Notes
- Some people steam the dhal balls and add to the kuzhambu. You can also do it. However, when you prepare kuzhambu as above, the dhal balls cook in the kuzhambu itself and all the spices will go inside the dhal and tastes good.