I got this Chettinad paruppu urundai kuzhambu recipe from Aval vikatan’s supplementary. It is also known as Kola urundai kuzhambu. This recipe was given by “Mrs. Revathy shanmugam”. So I tried it confidently. I had already tried milagu kuzhambu/pepper kuzhambu from that book and it was a hit in my home. Usually paruppu urundai kuzhambu is made by cooking lentil balls in tamarind sauce adding sambar powder and other spices. This recipe is also very similar but it has chettinad touch. I’ve used soambu/saunf/ fennel seeds here.
In Chettinad, people call this paruppu urundai as veg kola urundai. For variations, you can always omit the saunf, use cumin seeds and try it. There will not be much difference in taste & flavor. We loved the urundai a lot. It was soft yet firm. This gravy tastes great when mixed with plain rice adding ghee. I made the gravy slightly thick. Adjust the consistency as per your need.. Do try and let me know how you liked it. Here is my Iyengar style paruppu urundai kulambu.
INGREDIENTS
For paruppu urundai/Lentil balls : 1 cup - 250ml
- Toor dal – 1/2 cup
- Red chilli – 2-3 nos
- Asafetida/ Hing – 1/4 tsp
- Jeera or fennel seeds – 1/2 tsp
- Curry leaves – few (finely chopped)
- Small onion/big onion – 10/1 no (finely chopped)
- Garlic cloves – 4 nos (-do-)
- Coriander leaves – few (-do-)
- Rice flour – 1 tsp
- Cooking soda / baking soda - a pinch
- Salt – as needed
For gravy
To grind
- Tamarind – Medium lemon size
- Tomatoes – 2 nos
- Onion – 1/4 cup (finely chopped)
- Garlic cloves – 8 nos (-do-)
- Curry leaves – few
- Sambar powder – 1 tbsp (OR) Red chilli powder – 2 tsp & dhania powder – 1 tsp
- Rice flour – 1 tsp
- Salt & water –as needed
To temper
- Grated coconut – 3 tbsp
- Big onion – 1 no
- Fennel seeds or cumin seeds – 1/4 tsp ( optional)
- Cooking oil – 2 tbsp
- Mustard seeds – 1 tsp
- Methi seeds – 1/4 tsp
- Jeera – 1/2 tsp
HOW TO MAKE PARUPPU URUNDAI KUZHAMBU - METHOD
- Wash & soak the dal for 2 hours. Drain all the water & set aside.
- In a mixie jar, grind the red chillies, hing, salt, saunf or cumin seeeds & coconut coarsely. Now add the dal & grind it to a coarse, thick paste without adding water.
- Grind Coconut, fennel seeds, big onion to a smooth paste and set aside.
- To that paste , add finely chopped onions , garlic cloves , curry leaves, rice flour and coriander leaves. Add a pinch of cookings soda. Mix well and make big gooseberry sized balls out of it. You can either steam the balls in an idli plate for 15 minutes OR you can cook in the tamarind extract as I did. Beginners please choose the steaming method. If you steaming the balls in idli plate, you should add it the end i.e after adding ground coconut paste.
- In a kadai , heat oil and splutter mustard seeds ,methi seeds , jeera. Then add the finely chopped garlic cloves & onions. Saute well for a minute. Now add the chopped tomatoes & saute till mushy. Add turmeric & sambar powder. Mix well , boil for a minute in low flame.
- Then add the tamarind extract , salt with 2 cups of water.Allow it to roll boil for 5 minutes. Now drop the lentil balls one by one into the gravy. Do not stir immediately. Let the gravy boil for 2-3 minutes in low flame. Now stir the gravy carefully so that the balls are not broken.
- Cover & cook it in medium flame for 5-8 minutes till the balls get cooked & float on top.Take a ball, break it & see whether it is cooked completely. Now add the ground coconut paste , stir well & allow it to boil for 5 minutes. This gravy thickens as time proceeds. So add water accordingly..
Transfer to the serving bowl & enjoy with plain rice adding a drop of ghee !
NOTE
- For variations, you can add 1/4 tsp of jeera instead of fennel seeds while grinding along with coconut.
- Beginners who dont want to cook the lentil balls directly in the tamarind sauce can steam the balls in an idli pot and add them at the end.
