Paruppu urundai kuzhambu recipe
Popular South Indian gravy with steamed dal dumplings
Servings: 3
Ingredients
For making urundai (10 urundais)
- ¼ cup Toor dal
- 1 tbsp chana dal
- 2 red chili
- 6 small onions | Shallots
- Salt as needed
- ¼ tsp asafoetida
For making the gravy
- 3 cups thin tamarind extract from lemon sized tamarind
- 2 tsp sambar powder
- ½ tsp turmeric powder
- Salt as needed
- 1 tbsp sesame oil
- ¼ tsp mustard seeds
- Few curry leaves
Instructions
- Wash and soak the dals together for 45 minutes.
- Drain the water completely and grind it into a slightly coarse paste by adding red chili, salt and asafoetida to this.
- Peel the skin of the shallots and finely chop them and mix it to the ground dal mix.
- Adding onions is optional but it gives softness and nice taste to the paruppu urundai.
- You can even add ½ tsp of fennel seeds to this.
- Grease your hands and make small tight balls.
- If the balls are loose, the urundais will break after steaming.
- Grease the idli plate and arrange the urundais on it and steam it for 12 to 15 minutes on medium flame.
- Insert a tooth pick to check out whether it is done.
- In a pan, add sesame oil and add the mustard seeds.
- When it splutters add the tamarind extract and add the turmeric powder, salt, sambar powder, curry leaves and asafoetida.
- When it starts boiling simmer the flame and add the steamed paruppu urundais carefully to the boiling gravy one by one.
- Do not stir the gravy after adding the urundais.
- Let this boil till it reaches a kulambu (gravy) consistency.
- It should be slightly thicker than the sambar.
- Serve with hot rice. Normally we mix the gravy with hot rice and keep he urundais as accompaniment.
- We had with avarakkai (broad beans) curry and Vazhakkai chips.
Notes
1. Adding onions is totally optional. My mom told adding onions makes it soft.
2. Some people add fennel seeds while grinding the dal.
3. You can also add a tsp of cumin seed while grinding.
4. Some people may add coconut to the gravy, if you want to add just grind 2-3 tblsp of coconut with little water and add it to the gravy in the last.
5. Always ensure that the paruppu urundai should be tight and while grinding do not add water.
6. If it is loose they may tend to break after putting it into the gravy.
7. Paruppu urundai kuzhambu pairs well with hot rice.
2. Some people add fennel seeds while grinding the dal.
3. You can also add a tsp of cumin seed while grinding.
4. Some people may add coconut to the gravy, if you want to add just grind 2-3 tblsp of coconut with little water and add it to the gravy in the last.
5. Always ensure that the paruppu urundai should be tight and while grinding do not add water.
6. If it is loose they may tend to break after putting it into the gravy.
7. Paruppu urundai kuzhambu pairs well with hot rice.
