A weekend meal cannot get better than this family favorite traditional Milagu Kuzhambu / Black Pepper stew along with some steaming rice.
2015 was a perfectly normal year with things going as smoothly as they could until I received a dreaded phone call one afternoon in early December. This phone call completely shattered my life and it is never going to be the same. I have lost my best friend, my guide, my mentor, my sister – My Mother.
She was the pillar of our small family and now we have lost her. I have acquired most of my skills, cooking and otherwise from her. It is almost a month now since she left us, but the wound is still very fresh.
I am having a hard time doing any of the normal routine and that is when my husband insisted that I should start cooking and blogging as that is something that totally helps me calm down. My greatest critic was my mother, who would check my new blog entry as soon as I published it.
She would call me right after she saw the recipe and comment on how the picture looked, or how I could have altered the recipe. My mother loved to cook and eat. She was open to trying out any new recipe from any cuisine and that is how I was exposed to different cuisines right from a young age.
To continue the legacy and to keep her alive in my thoughts I am going to be cooking as much as I can and remember her in every step. My ever-supportive group, Blogging Marathon steps into its 60th edition this month and I definitely did not want to miss being a part of it.
I had an ACL Replacement surgery end of November and hence I had asked Srivalli to choose some theme for January randomly as I was not in a position to do so myself. My theme for the first week that she had chosen is Family recipes, which has come in an apt time. This is a meal that my mother makes quite often on weekends after a good oil bath.
How to make it a meal -
I made Milagu kuzhambu, Paruppu Thuvayal, and Thakkali pachadi along with some rasam and steaming hot rice this weekend. I have never made Milagu kuzhambu myself before and every time my mother would visit me here, she would make it as often as possible and also would make a big batch of it, to store for later.
The kuzhambu stores quite well outside for 2-3 days and for weeks when refrigerated. It is really refreshing to have it after a good oil bath and is very healthy. My mother always makes the pachadi to help calm down the spiciness.
Preparation time -10 minutes
Cooking time – 30 minutes
Difficulty level – easy
Ingredients to make Milagu Kuzhambu – Makes about 1 ½ cups of kuzhambu
- Tamarind – a small lemon-sized ball
- Gingelly oil – 3 tbsp
- Mustard seeds – 1 tsp
- Asafetida – ⅛th tsp
- Curry leaves – few
- Jaggery – a tiny piece
To fry and grind –
- Red chilies – 4
- Coriander seeds / Dhania – 1 tsp
- Channa dal / Kadalai paruppu – 2 tsp
- Tuvar dal / Tuvaram paruppu – 2 tsp
- Urad dal / Ullutham paruppu – 1 tsp
- Whole black pepper / Milagu – 3 tsp
- Cumin / Jeera – ½ tsp
- Oil – 1 tsp
Procedure to make Milagu Kuzhambu –
- Remove seeds, if any from the tamarind and soak it in half a cup of hot water to allow the tamarind to soften a bit.
- In a small pan, heat 1 teaspoon of oil and fry the coriander seeds, channa dal, toor dal, urad dal, and red chilies until light brown. At the end add the pepper and cumin and fry for about 15 seconds. Do not fry longer after you add the pepper and the cumin as it becomes bitter. Let the mixture cool down a bit.
- Grind the cool mixture to a coarse powder and then add the soaked tamarind along with the water into the mixer and grind it into a smooth paste. Add about 2 cups of water and mix it well.
- In a pan, heat 3 tablespoon of gingelly oil (or any cooking oil). Add the mustard seeds and let it splutter. Now add the asafetida and curry leaves and let it fry for about 10 seconds.
- Slowly add the ground mixture and add the salt needed. Let it come to a gentle boil and then add the jaggery.
- Simmer the kuzhambu for about 20 to 30 minutes or until it thickens and the oil starts leaving the sides of the pan. Make sure you stir it every now and then so that it does not stick to the bottom of the pan.
- Serve the kuzhambu with hot rice and ghee. I made paruppu thuvayal and tomato pachadi along with Milagu kuzhambu to make it a meal.
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Recipe
Milagu Kuzhambu
Ingredients
- Tamarind a small lemon sized ball
- 3 tablespoon Gingelly oil
- 1 teaspoon Mustard seeds
- ⅛ teaspoon Asafetida
- few Curry leaves
- Jaggery a tiny piece
To fry and grind –
- 4 Red chilies
- 1 teaspoon Coriander seeds / Dhania
- 2 teaspoon Channa dal / Kadalai paruppu
- 2 teaspoon Tuvar dal / Tuvaram paruppu
- 1 teaspoon Urad dal / Ullutham paruppu
- 3 teaspoon Whole black pepper / Milagu
- ½ teaspoon Cumin / Jeera
- 1 teaspoon Oil
Instructions
- Remove seeds, if any from the tamarind and soak it in half a cup of hot water to allow the tamarind to soften a bit.
- In a small pan, heat 1 teaspoon of oil and fry the coriander seeds, channa dal, toor dal, urad dal and red chilies until light brown. At the end add the pepper and cumin and fry for about 15 seconds. Do not fry longer after you add the pepper and the cumin as it becomes bitter. Let the mixture cool down a bit.
- Grind the cool mixture to a coarse powder and then add the soaked tamarind along with the water into the mixer and grind it into a smooth paste. Add about 2 cups of water and mix it well.
- In a pan, heat 3 tablespoon of gingelly oil (or any cooking oil). Add the mustard seeds and let it splutter. Now add the asafetida and curry leaves and let it fry for about 10 seconds.
- Slowly add the ground mixture and add salt needed. Let it come to a gentle boil and then add the jaggery.
- Simmer the kuzhambu for about 20 to 30 minutes or until it thickens and the oil starts leaving the sides of the pan. Make sure you stir it every now and then so that it does not stick to the bottom of the pan.
- Serve the kuzhambu with hot rice and ghee. I made paruppu thuvayal and tomato pachadi along with Milagu kuzhambu to make it a meal.
Viji says
Hey Sandhya,
Loved the recipe, followed step by step instruction. It came out so well both milagu Kuzhambu and paruppu thogayal.
Thank you and take care!!
Sandhya Ramakrishnan says
Hello Viji, thanks a lot for trying the recipe and letting me know. Glad you liked it.
Sowmya says
I love this recipe for milagu kuzhambu.. my family loves it!
Sandhya Ramakrishnan says
Thanks a lot for your feedback. I am so happy that you all liked it.
Akhila says
Such a beautiful recipe, it looks yummy
I’m sure your mum would be proud of you, sending you hugs and love xx
Sandhya Ramakrishnan says
Akhila, thanks a lot for you sweet words. It means a lot 🙂
Seema says
Hello, such a beautiful and yummy post. Your mum will be so proud. I am surely going to try this tonight.
Sandhya Ramakrishnan says
Seema, Thanks a lot for your sweet words! Do let me know when you try the recipe 🙂