Arachuvitta Vathal Kuzhambu with Sundakkai and Drumstick is a flavorful gravy made that is a South Indian specialty and is perfect for the weekend lunch spread.
Vathal Kuzhambu is my comfort food! Luckily my boys have taken over me and they would eat Vathal Kuzhambu every day of the week. I loved my Mother's Vathal Kuzhambu and have eaten nothing better than hers.
Luckily I have seen her make it many times and I am quite comfortable making a pretty good Vathal Kuzhambu. Just a couple of months before my mother passed away, she told me that she made a different kind of Vathal Kuzhambu called the Arachuvitta Vathal Kuzhambu and it tasted really good.
She gave me the recipe over the phone, but I did not write it down then. This Arachuvitta Vathal Kuzhambu has been in the back of my head since then. I just vaguely remember the recipe and hence never made it.
Few months back, one of the members of a cooking group that I am a part of on Facebook, posted this recipe. I immediately remembered my mother's recipe and I was so happy. Thanks to Jayanthi Nagarajan Madam for her recipe. This Arachuvitta Vathal Kuzhambu tastes just like the kind of vathal kuzhambu we eat at weddings and in restaurants.
The flavors were amazing and it also gave me a chance to use my favorite Sundakkai Vathal / dried Turkey berry. In the past, I have used the Sundakkai usually only in More Kuzhambu, but now I have another recipe that I could use it in.
I made this Arachuvitta Vathal Kuzhambu over the weekend with Beans curry and Tomato Juice rasam. I am working on the 'Meal time dishes' theme this week in BM and the Arachuvitta Vathal Kuzhambu is my first recipe under the theme.
Preparation time - 10 minutes
Cooking time - 40 minutes
Difficulty level - easy
Ingredients to make Arachuvitta Vathal Kuzhambu - Serves 4 to 6
- Tamarind - large lemon size piece
- Nallennai / Gingelly oil - 3 TBSP
- Murungakkai / Drumstick - 15 pieces (2 inch piece)
- Curry leaves - few
- Mustard seeds - 1 tsp
- Tuvaram Paruppu / Toor dal - 1 TBSP
- Red chilies - 2
- Asafetida - ¼ tsp
- Turmeric powder - ½ tsp
- Jaggery / brown sugar - 1 TBSP
- Salt - to taste
To roast and Grind -
- Kadalai Paruppu / chana dal - 2 tsp
- Ullutham Paruppu / Urad dal - 1 tsp
- Red chilies - 6
- Black pepper - ½ tsp
- Rice - 1 tsp
- Vendhayam / methi seeds - 1 tsp
- Asafetida - ⅛ tsp
- Oil - ½ tsp
Procedure to make Arachuvitta Vathal Kuzhambu -
- In a small pan, heat ½ teaspoon of oil and fry all the ingredients mentioned under 'roast and grind' until aromatic.
- Let it cool down and then grind it to a smooth powder.
- Soak the tamarind in about 2 cups of hot water and extract the juice. If needed, add one more cup of hot water and extract that water as well.
- In a heavy bottom pan, heat 1 tablespoon of oil and fry the sundakkai / turkey berry until dark brown. Make sure that you fry it with enough ventilation and in low heat to avoid burning and excessive smoking.
- Remove the turkey berry into a bowl.
- In the same pan, heat the rest of the oil. Add the mustard seeds, toor dal, red chilies, and asafetida and let it fry.
- Add the chopped murungakkai / drumstick and cook it for about 3 to 4 minutes.
- Pour the extracted tamarind water into the pan along with the turmeric powder and salt needed.
- Let the kuzhambu come to a boil and then add the curry leaves. Simmer the kuzhambu for about 10 minutes or until the raw smell of the tamarind disappears and the vegetable cooks.
- Dissolve the ground powder in water and add this to the boiling kuzhambu. Make sure you dissolve the powder in water otherwise it will clump up in the kuzhambu.
- Let this boil for another 7 to 8 minutes. You will notice that the kuzhambu will thicken after we add the ground paste.
- At the end add the fried sundakkai vathal / turkey berry to the kuzhambu and let it boil once more. Turn off the flame and serve it with hot rice and ghee / nei.
Other Side Dish Ideas
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Recipe
Arachuvitta Vathal Kuzhambu with Sundakkai and Drumstick
Ingredients
- large lemon size piece Tamarind
- 3 tablespoon Nallennai / Gingelly oil
- 15 pieces Murungakkai / Drumstick 2 inch piece
- 10 Curry leaves
- 1 teaspoon Mustard seeds
- 1 tablespoon Tuvaram Paruppu / Toor dal
- 2 Red chilies
- ¼ teaspoon Asafetida
- ½ teaspoon Turmeric powder
- 1 tablespoon Jaggery / brown sugar
- to taste Salt
To roast and Grind -
- 2 teaspoon Kadalai Paruppu / chana dal
- 1 teaspoon Ullutham Paruppu / Urad dal
- 6 Red chilies
- ½ teaspoon Black pepper
- 1 teaspoon Rice
- 1 teaspoon Vendhayam / methi seeds
- ⅛ teaspoon Asafetida
- ½ teaspoon Oil
Instructions
- In a small pan, heat ½ teaspoon of oil and fry all the ingredients mentioned under 'roast and grind' until aromatic.
- Let it cool down and then grind it to a smooth powder.
- Soak the tamarind in about 2 cups of hot water and extract the juice. If needed, add one more cup of hot water and extract that water as well.
- In a heavy bottom pan, heat 1 tablespoon of oil and fry the sundakkai / turkey berry until dark brown. Make sure that you fry it with enough ventilation and in low heat to avoid burning and excessive smoking.
- Remove the turkey berry into a bowl.
- In the same pan, heat the rest of the oil. Add the mustard seeds, toor dal, red chilies and asafetida and let it fry.
- Add the chopped murungakkai / drumstick and cook it for about 3 to 4 minutes.
- Pour the extracted tamarind water to the pan along with turmeric powder and salt needed.
- Let the kuzhambu come to a boil and then add the curry leaves. Simmer the kuzhambu for about 10 minutes or until the raw smell of the tamarind disappears and the vegetable cooks.
- Dissolve the ground powder in water and add this to the boiling kuzhambu. Make sure you dissolve the powder in water otherwise it will clump up in the kuzhambu.
- Let this boil for another 7 to 8 minutes. You will notice that the kuzhambu will thicken after we add the ground paste.
- At the end add the fried sundakkai vathal / turkey berry to the kuzhambu and let it boil once more. Turn off the flame and serve it with hot rice and ghee / nei.
meera says
Kindly tell me what can I use instead of drumsticks, in case I want to make this on a day when I do not have drumsticks. Also will you add drumstick leaves to this curry? Will that taste good? Thank you
Sandhya Ramakrishnan says
Meera, you can use any vegetable that you use for kuzhambu. Onion, brinjal, radish, yellow pumpkin and so on. I usually don't add drumstick leaves to this.
Sasmita says
I love to add drumsticks along with pumpkin in my sambar recipe.Your turkey berries addition is a nice choice and unique !! I would love to try this delicious looking dish 🙂
Jayashree T.Rao says
I must try getting my hands on turkey berries. I make sambar with drumstick and it tastes good. Lovely recipe.
Seema Sriram says
I opened to check this recipe when I saw the image. I always go wrong with the podi and it ends up quite watery. I tried this immediately and it was a super suceess. Finally, I have a recipe for vattakozhambu that really works. Thanks to all those step by step images, they helped a lot.
Sandhya Ramakrishnan says
Seema, thanks for trying! I am so happy the recipe worked well 🙂
Priya Srinivasan says
OMG, i totally love this kuzhambu!Steaming hot rice and this kuzhambu, semme combo!!
Those berries peeping on top, so inviting! You have presented it so well sandhya, makes me really hungry !
Padma Veeranki says
Vatha kuzhambu is my most favourite one and that too with sudakkai & drumstick...super combo ...I'm totally drooling over this!!
sapana says
I have never had kuzhambu and never even used turkey berries, every time I see these recipes with turkey berries I am always tempted to try it. Definitely bookmarking to try, if I ever get these berries.
Jagruti's Cooking Odyssey says
My mum adds drumsticks in sambar recipe but never seen turkey berries. Would love to try if we can find those berries here. Sambar looks so delicious.
Lathiya says
Arachuvitta sambar is one of my favorite sambars. But never tried with turkey berry though. This looks delicious.
Uma Srinivas says
Kuzhambu Looks Delicious! I love to use drumsticks in sambar, but never had in kuzhambu. I will try it next time when I get fresh drumsticks.
Vandana says
This looks so delicious. What is turkey berry, I have never heard of it before? I searched on google after reading your post. Is it added to pickles too? I see something similar in readymade mixed pickles. Not sure if it's the same thing. I really want to try this dish so need to hunt for turkey berries. Do you get it in any particular season?
Mayuri Patel says
I've never used turkey berries and have no idea what they taste like. Having said that it now urges me even to try them out. At first I thought you had used kala chana with drumsticks.
Bless my food by Payal says
Look at the very first image. That is just mesmerising. Never tried drumsticks but seeing this toothsome recipe, i think it is must try.
Lata Lala says
Arachuvitta Vathal Kuzhambu with Sundakkai and Drumstick looks fingerlicking good. I could imagine the beautiful flavours of it. Fresh grounded spices always play a vital role to any dish.
Lovely share from your mother's treasured memories.
Divya says
Hi .. I am really sorry about your mother. You must have missed her so much when trying to recollect this recipe. I have been there. I tried this recipe today came very tasty. Thanks to you and your mother for this authentic recipe.
Sandhya Ramakrishnan says
Thanks a lot Divya for trying the recipe. I am so happy that you liked it 🙂
Suma Gandlur says
I must have some berries left from the stash I got from my India trip. I will try if this interesting kuzhambu for sure. The dal and the curry both look so inviting.
harini says
I have seen these berries in the Indian store shelves and am yet to explore these. I shall bookmark to try rhis lip smacking kuzhambu.
Swati says
This looks like a comforting stew with tangy tamarind in it..I never tried this dish.. it's an interesting dish for me to try!! Loved the pics!!
Sushma Pinjala says
Recipe sounds like a very yummy dish. Would love to try this soon.
Ritu Tangri says
This sounds a very delicious recipe. Since drumsticks are scarcely available here, so I can just drool over the pics only 🙂
Jayanthi says
Amazing...looks tempting
Sandhya Ramakrishnan says
Thanks Jayanthi!
Kalyani says
Sounds like a great recipe Sandhya as my husband is very fond of vathal kuzhambu ..
By the way, inthink think the Sundakkai vathal is missing in the ingredient list
Chef Mireille says
I am yet to try drumstick - as I have never seen it fresh though I have seen it frozen - maybe I will try it soon with this recipe
Veena Krishnakumar says
Naakkula jalam oorardhe. Brilliant capture sandhya. Love the presentation
Gayathri Kumar says
I love sunda vathal in vathal kulambu. With the tang from tamarind, it tastes amazing. Looking at your freshly ground spiced vathal kulambu, I am drooling here.
Priya Suresh says
Omg, am literally over that fingerlicking arachivitta vathal kuzhambu, wish i get a bowl of this kuzhambu with some rice and papads.. Makes me hungry already.