Murungakkai 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 sexual 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.

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.

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.

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.

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

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.

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.

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.

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

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

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

Remove off heat and enjoy with hot rice.

Murungakkai Puli Kuzhambu – Drumsticks in Tamarind Gravy

 

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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.

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