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Home » Side Dishes » Sambar, Rasam and Kuzhambu

Published: Jan 14, 2020 · Modified: Sep 14, 2020 by Sandhya Ramakrishnan · This post may contain affiliate links

Chettinad Paruppu Urundai Kuzhambu | Spicy Stew with Lentil Balls

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Taste the perfect blend of tangy and spicy in this delicious Chettinad Style Paruppu Urundai Kuzhambu. Pairs perfect well with rice.

How to make Chettinad Paruppu Urundai Kuzhambu


For the third day of BM, I have a beautiful Paruppu Urundai Kuzhambu from the Chettinad region. I am big fan of Chettinadu cuisine and absolutely love the spicy and flavorful ingredients that they use. Even though Chettinad cuisine comprises a lot of meat based dishes, there are quite a few recipes that we can adapt to vegetarian lifestyle.

Couple of week back we went to dinner at our friend's house. She had made this delicious Chettinad Paruppu Urundai Kuzhambu. I ate the kuzhambu with almost everything. I had asked her immediately for recipe and she messaged me the you tube link that she followed. After going through the recipe, I had couple of doubts and my friend Gayathri clarified it for me.

This is an extensive recipe and definitely something to make on the weekends or days when we have some time in hand. The ingredients list is also pretty long, but they are quite common ingredients that would be available in our pantry.

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Prepping a little ahead to make this kuzhambu will help to make it quicker. Like for example, peel the small onions and keep it ready. Likewise peel the garlic and have it ready. I realized that these 2 processes is what took more time in the whole cooking process.

Paruppu Urundai kuzhambu with rice

Specific ingredients to use for flavor -

There are two specific ingredients that I would highly suggest using for the best taste. One is small onions or shallots also known as Sambhar onions. This definitely adds a lot of flavor to the kuzhambu. The other ingredient is fresh garlic. So not use garlic paste as it does not taste as good as the fresh ones.

How to easily peel the small onions / Sambhar onion -

This is a really quick and the easiest way to peel the small onions. I buy a large bag and peel them and either freeze it or store it in the refrigerator (if using within a week). Trim the edges of the onion using a sharp knife. Now soak the trimmed onions in a bowl of hot water and let it sit for about 15 to 20 minutes. Now the skin will easily peel right off the onions. Try this and there will be no more tears.

Chettinadu Urundai Kuzhambu

How Spicy is this Kuzhambu -

This Chettinad Paruppu Urundai Kuzhambu is supposed to be quite spicy as it is almost the same as Kara Kuzhambu. I have made it medium spicy as per my family's taste, but feel free to increase the heat. I use Kashmiri Red Chili Powder and that gives the kuzhambu a nice color without making it too spicy.

Lentil Balls / Paruppu Urundai -

I have used mostly toor dal / tuvaram paruppu and a little bit of chana dal / kadalai paruppu for making my urundai. You can skip the chana dal if you want to. There are few recipes where they steam the balls before adding it to the kuzhabu. I have added it directly to the boiling kuzhambu and it cooked right inside it. This was the tip that my friend Gayathri clarified and it worked great.

Preparation time - 20 minutes plus about an hour to soak the lentils
Cooking time - About 45 minutes
Difficulty level - Intermediate

Ingredients to make Chettinad Paruppu Urundai Kuzhambu - Serves 4

For the Paruppu Urundai / Lentil Balls -

  • Tuvaram Paruppu / Toor Dal - ¾ cup
  • Kadalai Paruppu / Chana Dal - 2 TBSP
  • Small Onion - 8 (chopped finely)
  • Green chilies - 2 (chopped finely)
  • Garlic - 2 cloves (chopped finely)
  • Red chili powder - 1 tsp
  • Grated coconut - ¼ cup
  • Kasa kasa / poppy seeds - ½ tsp
  • Fennel Powder / sombu podi - ¼ tsp
  • Cinnamon - a small piece (about ¼ inch piece)
  • Salt - to taste

For the Kuzhambu -

  • Tamarind - A lemon sized ball
  • Small Onion - 10 (sliced thinly)
  • Tomato - 1 (chopped)
  • Garlic - 5 cloves (chopped finely)
  • Curry leaves - few
  • Chili powder - 3 teaspoon (I used Kashmir chili powder which is not too spicy)
  • Coriander powder / Dhania powder - 2 tsp
  • Turmeric Powder - ½ tsp
  • Mustard seeds - 1 tsp
  • Methi seeds / vendhayam - 1 tsp
  • Grated Coconut - ¼ cup
  • Fennel seeds / sombu - ½ tsp
  • Salt - to taste
  • Gingelly oil / Nallennai - 4 TBSP
Spicy Chettinad style Urundai Kuzhambu

Procedure to make Chettinad Paruppu Urundai Kuzhambu -

How to make the Paruppu Urundai -

  • Wash the lentils and soak them together for about an hour.
  • In the meantime, prepare the rest of ingredients like peeling and chopping the onions and garlic.
  • Once the lentils are soaked and ready, drain it and then grind into a thick paste adding just salt. Do not grind it too smooth. Leave it a little coarse. Transfer the ground lentil paste in a bowl.
Soaked and ground lentil
  • In a small pan, dry roast the cinnamon and poppy seed until it is aromatic. Make a fine powder, using a mortar and pestle.
Poppy seeds and cinnamon powdered
  • Add this to the bowl along with the ground lentil.
  • In the same pan, roast the coconut until it turns light brown. Add this to the bowl as well.
  • Also roast the finely chopped onion, garlic and green chilies and add it to the bowl along with other ingredients.
Roasted coconut and roasted onion, garlic, green chili
  • Add 1 teaspoon of chili powder and ¼ teaspoon of fennel powder to the rest of the ingredients and mix well using your hands.
  • Make small balls out of this mixture and keep them aside.
Spices mixed together to make lentil balls

How to make Kuzhambu -

  • Soak the tamarind in about a cup of hot water and then squeeze the juice. Add one more cup of water and squeeze it out as well.
  • Prepare the rest of the ingredients and keep it ready.
  • Grind ¼ cup of grated coconut and ½ teaspoon of fennel seeds into a paste and keep it aside.
Ingredients to make Chettinad Kara Kuzhambu
  • Use a slightly wider pan to make this kuzhambu as it helps in allowing the lentils balls / paruppu urundai to cook well.
  • Heat the gingelly oil. This kuzhambu needs quite a bit of oil for flavor. You could reduce the oil if needed but the kuzhambu tastes better with more oil.
  • Add the mustard seeds and methi seeds (vendhayam) and let it fry for about 10 seconds.
  • Now add the thinly slice onions, garlic and curry leaves and fry them until the onions are lightly brown.
  • Add the tomatoes and saute until the tomatoes are slightly soft.
  • Now add the red chili powder, coriander powder, turmeric powder and salt. Let it fry for about 10 seconds.
Procedure to make Chettinad Urundai Kuzhambu
  • Add the tamarind juice and mix well. Also add the ground coconut and fennel mixture. Mix well and let the kuzhambu come to a boil.
Kuzhambu boiling
  • Simmer the flame and let the kuzhambu boil until the oil starts floating on top. If the kuzhambu has thickened when boiling, add about a cup more of water and let it boil. We want the kuzhambu to be slightly on the thinner side as it will thicken when the paruppu urundai is added to it.

Finishing the Chettinad Paruppu Urundai Kuzhambu -

  • Once the kuzhambu has boiled well (takes about 15 to 20 minutes), slowly add the paruppu urundai that we had prepared earlier into the kuzhambu. Make sure you add the balls one by one and also add them separately in the pan without crowding.
  • Once you have added all the balls, gently shake the pan to make sure that all the balls are evened out and has enough space for cooking.
  • Keep the flame on low and cover the pan with a lid. This will help in cooking the lentil balls. Also shake the pan every 2 to 3 minutes to make sure that the balls don't stick to the bottom of pan. DO NOT USE A LADLE TO STIR THE KUZHAMBU. The lentil balls are delicate and will break apart if we stir using a ladle.
  • Cook the kuzhambu for about 10 to 12 minutes, shaking the pan every 2-3 minutes.
  • Serve hot with rice!
Paruppu urundai Kuzhambu simmering

Notes and Observation -

  • This kuzhambu is a slightly lengthier process and prior planning helps.
  • Get the small onions and garlic peeled and chopped. This saves a lot of time.
  • I started making the kuzhambu and when that was boiling, I prepared the soaked lentil for the urundai. This way I was able to save some time.
  • Make the kuzhambu a little bit on the runny side as it will thicken once the paruppu urundai is added.

Other Chettinadu Recipes

Chettinad Masala Cheeyam

Chettinad Vegetable Kurma

Vellai Paniyaram and Milagai Chutney

 If you made this recipe and liked it, give a star rating on the recipe card or let me know in the comments below. You could also share it with me on Instagram using #MyCookingJourney and tagging me @sandhya.ramakrishnan. You could follow me and my recipes on Facebook |Instagram | Pinterest | twitter

Kuzhambu made with lentil balls in a steel bowl

Chettinad Paruppu Urundai Kuzhambu | Spicy Stew with Lentil Balls

A spicy and tangy Vegan stew simmered with delicious lentil balls. A very famous Tamil Nadu recipe that is perfect with rice.
4.8 from 15 votes
Print Pin Rate
Course: Side Dish
Cuisine: Indian, South Indian
Diet: Vegetarian
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 45 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour
Servings: 6 servings
Calories: 288kcal
Author: Sandhya Ramakrishnan

Ingredients

  • For the Paruppu Urundai / Lentil Balls
  • ¾ cup Tuvaram Paruppu / Toor Dal
  • 2 tablespoon Kadalai Paruppu / Chana Dal
  • 8 Small Onion chopped finely
  • 2 Green chilies chopped finely
  • 2 cloves Garlic chopped finely
  • 1 teaspoon Red chili powder
  • ¼ cup Grated coconut
  • ½ teaspoon Kasa kasa / poppy seeds
  • ¼ teaspoon Fennel Powder / sombu podi
  • ½ inch Cinnamon
  • to taste Salt
  • For the Kuzhambu -
  • lemon size ball Tamarind
  • 10 Small Onion sliced thinly
  • 1 Tomato chopped
  • 5 cloves Garlic chopped finely
  • few Curry leaves
  • 3 teaspoon Chili powder I used Kashmir chili powder which is not too spicy
  • 2 teaspoon Coriander powder / Dhania powder
  • ½ teaspoon Turmeric Powder
  • 1 teaspoon Mustard seeds
  • 1 teaspoon Methi seeds / vendhayam
  • ¼ cup Grated Coconut
  • ½ teaspoon Fennel seeds / sombu
  • to taste Salt
  • 4 tablespoon Gingelly oil / Nallennai

Instructions

  • How to make the Paruppu Urundai - 
  • Wash the lentils and soak them together for about an hour. In the meantime, prepare the rest of ingredients like peeling and chopping the onions and garlic. 
  • Once the lentils are soaked and ready, drain it and then grind into a thick paste adding just salt. Do not grind it too smooth. Leave it a little coarse. Transfer the ground lentil paste in a bowl.
  • In a small pan, dry roast the cinnamon and poppy seed until it is aromatic. Make a fine powder, using a mortar and pestle. 
  • Add this to the bowl along with the ground lentil.
  • In the same pan, roast the coconut until it turns light brown. Add this to the bowl as well.
  • Also roast the finely chopped onion, garlic and green chilies and add it to the bowl along with other ingredients. 
  • Add 1 teaspoon of chili powder and ¼ teaspoon of fennel powder to the rest of the ingredients and mix well using your hands. 
  • Make small balls out of this mixture and keep them aside. 
  • How to make Kuzhambu - 
  • Soak the tamarind in about a cup of hot water and then squeeze the juice. Add one more cup of water and squeeze it out as well.
  • Grind ¼ cup of grated coconut and ½ teaspoon of fennel seeds into a paste and keep it aside. 
  • Use a slightly wider pan to make this kuzhambu as it helps in allowing the lentils balls / paruppu urundai to cook well.
  • Heat the gingelly oil. This kuzhambu needs quite a bit of oil for flavor. You could reduce the oil if needed but the kuzhambu tastes better with more oil. 
    Add the mustard seeds and methi seeds (vendhayam) and let it fry for about 10 seconds. 
  • Now add the thinly slice onions, garlic and curry leaves and fry them until the onions are lightly brown. 
  • Add the tomatoes and saute until the tomatoes are slightly soft. 
  • Now add the red chili powder, coriander powder, turmeric powder and salt. Let it fry for about 10 seconds. 
  • Add the tamarind juice and mix well. Also add the ground coconut and fennel mixture. Mix well and let the kuzhambu come to a boil. 
  • Simmer the flame and let the kuzhambu boil until the oil starts floating on top. If the kuzhambu has thickened when boiling, add about a cup more of water and let it boil. We want the kuzhambu to be slightly on the thinner side as it will thicken when the paruppu urundai is added to it. 
  • Finishing the Paruppu Urundai Kuzhambu - 
  • Once the kuzhambu has boiled well (takes about 15 to 20 minutes), slowly add the paruppu urundai that we had prepared earlier into the kuzhambu. Make sure you add the balls one by one and also add them separately in the pan without crowding. 
  • Once you have added all the balls, gently shake the pan to make sure that all the balls are evened out and has enough space for cooking. 
  • Keep the flame on low and cover the pan with a lid. This will help in cooking the lentil balls. Also shake the pan every 2 to 3 minutes to make sure that the balls don't stick to the bottom of pan. DO NOT USE A LADLE TO STIR THE KUZHAMBU. The lentil balls are delicate and will break apart if we stir using a ladle. 
  • Cook the kuzhambu for about 10 to 12 minutes, shaking the pan every 2-3 minutes. 
  • Serve hot with rice!

Notes

  • This kuzhambu is a slightly lengthier process and prior planning helps. 
    Get the small onions and garlic peeled and chopped. This saves a lot of time. 
  • I started making the kuzhambu and when that was boiling, I prepared the soaked lentil for the urundai. This way I was able to save some time. 
  • Make the kuzhambu a little bit on the runny side as it will thicken once the paruppu urundai is added. 

Nutrition

Calories: 288kcal | Carbohydrates: 34g | Protein: 8g | Fat: 15g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Sodium: 109mg | Potassium: 391mg | Fiber: 10g | Sugar: 8g | Vitamin A: 704IU | Vitamin C: 12mg | Calcium: 70mg | Iron: 3mg
Tried this recipe?Mention @Sandhya.Ramakrishnan or tag #MyCookingJourney!
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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Umayal says

    August 10, 2021 at 2:57 pm

    5 stars
    Thank you for the easy recipe. For the Urundai I used the frozen veggie balls from Ikea and followed your recipe for the kolambu. Turned out great, and took me only 20 min.

    Reply
    • Sandhya Ramakrishnan says

      August 17, 2021 at 8:47 am

      That is so awesome! Glad you liked it.

      Reply
  2. GV SRINIVASAN says

    July 05, 2021 at 7:01 am

    5 stars
    Very Very Excellent. But Vurundai absorbing more kuzhambu. What is the solution to solve. Please explain

    Reply
    • Sandhya Ramakrishnan says

      July 13, 2021 at 9:56 am

      Thanks for your feedback. I would suggest starting with a little more liquid when making the kuzhambu so that as the urundai cooks and soaks it will come to right consistency.

      Reply
  3. Tharini says

    July 25, 2020 at 11:00 pm

    I tried this today, and came out really well. Thank you. There is a traditional recipe of this in mt family but I wanted chettinad recipe. It was yummy.

    Reply
    • Sandhya Ramakrishnan says

      July 27, 2020 at 10:04 pm

      I am so happy that the recipe worked well for you. Thanks for sharing your feedback.

      Reply
  4. Jagruti's Cooking Odyssey says

    February 09, 2020 at 6:14 am

    This is such a flavourful and delicious recipe that I don't mind slaving in the kitchen for a long time. Loving all the detailed pictures and recipes.

    Reply
  5. Sushma Pinjala says

    February 04, 2020 at 4:20 pm

    WOw lovely dish Snadhya, I love chettinad recipes. Love the fresh spices used int his cuisine.

    Reply
  6. Priya Srinivasan says

    February 01, 2020 at 5:30 am

    Oh my god, ore naaku ooring sandhya, superb kuzhambu, though lengthy process, the taste is worth the effort!!!

    Reply
  7. Suma Gandlur says

    January 31, 2020 at 3:31 pm

    This has been on my to do list for so long. Though the process appears to be long, the final dish is worth it, I bet.

    Reply
  8. Jayashree T.Rao says

    January 31, 2020 at 7:49 am

    The list of ingredients looks long, but looks like a comfort food. It looks so delicious. Nice share.

    Reply
  9. Uma Srinivas says

    January 30, 2020 at 3:32 pm

    Kuzhanbu looks and sounds awesome. The ingredients lists are big but it worth it to make an authentic dish.

    Reply
  10. Lathiya says

    January 30, 2020 at 2:59 pm

    I had Paruppu urandai kuzhambu once when my neighbor gave me. It was delicious and your post reminds me of that. Have to try this recipe.

    Reply
  11. Anshu says

    January 30, 2020 at 6:36 am

    Wow! what a beautiful recipe it is, full of yumminess and flavors. Loved the detailed explanation and pictorial steps. Bookmarking to try soon!

    Reply
  12. Sandhya Nadkarni says

    January 28, 2020 at 6:10 pm

    What a delicious dish this is, Sandhya! I have not tasted this before but i can imagine the layers of flavor in this lip smacking kuzambu

    Reply
  13. Lata Lala says

    January 27, 2020 at 12:17 pm

    CHETTINAD PARUPPU URUNDAI KUZHAMBU | SPICY STEW WITH LENTIL BALLS sounds so flavourful and tasty. Thank you for sharing detailed recipe that's worth trying.

    Reply
  14. Jolly says

    January 27, 2020 at 10:16 am

    A long list of ingredients and time taking dish but all worth for the deliciousness. Very nicely explained, Yum.

    Reply
  15. Pavani says

    January 27, 2020 at 9:28 am

    That is such a flavor packed dish with the spices and green garlic etc. It is an involved recipe but I am sure it is well worth the time. Also best part is that the urundai are not deep fried. Great share!!

    Reply
  16. Shailender Sharma says

    January 27, 2020 at 1:48 am

    That's such a fabulous recipe. Though a long list of ingredients but these are generally available in every indian kitchen. A must try recipe.

    Reply
  17. Ruchi says

    January 26, 2020 at 2:19 am

    Wow what an amazing recipe. I am just fan of such spicy yummy curry. Very very well written and elaborated recipe. Thanks a ton for sharing such brilliant recipe . Definately making it soon

    Reply
  18. Harini Rupanagudi says

    January 22, 2020 at 10:43 am

    Wow! That is such an elaborate process for the kuzhambu. Will come back to read in detail when I get down to prepare it!

    Reply
  19. Amara says

    January 21, 2020 at 9:43 am

    Awesome share Sandhya, I love Chettinad cuisine for the spice blends and the flavour it brings in. It's an elaborate process but at the end, it's all worth it.

    Reply
  20. Srivalli Jetti says

    January 18, 2020 at 8:52 pm

    Fantastic recipe Sandhya, very nicely prepared and shared.

    Reply
  21. Vaishali Sabnani says

    January 18, 2020 at 5:25 pm

    Oh wow ! Quite a elaborate recipe ! But surely sounds super yum . I recently cooked a Chettinad spread and my family loved it . Shallots and garlic ! Truly add a amazing flavour to these dishes , i had a hard time with sjallots , wish had this peeling tip before . I follow this method for garlic , but didn’t realise it could be used gor onions too .
    Bookmarking it to come back again to read the recipe when I actually come down to making it .

    Reply

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I am Sandhya Ramakrishnan, author, recipe developer and photographer in this journey! 'My Cooking Journey' is all about family friendly Vegetarian and Vegan recipes from around the World with focus on Indian cuisine.

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