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Home » Side Dishes » Sambar, Rasam and Kuzhambu

Published: Feb 13, 2018 · Modified: Feb 25, 2021 by Sandhya Ramakrishnan · This post may contain affiliate links

Vengaya Vatha Kuzhambu Recipe

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vengaya vathal kuzhambu pintrest image

Vengaya Vatha Kuzhambu, a classic comfort recipe that makes me feel right at home. Make it as a weekend lunch menu along with some roasted curry.

Vengaya Vatha Kuzhambu

This week I am blogging about different rice and gravy dishes and after blogging about one of my favorite recipes from Northern India - Rajma Masala, today I move on to my hometown. My mother was very famous for her Vathal Kuzhambu and I can slowly start seeing hints of it in me.

My boys love Vatha kuzhambu and there favorite is the Pumpkin Vathal Kuzhambu. This Vengaya Vathal Kuzhambu is my favorite and even though I am a big fan of small onions, this particular recipe of Vengaya Vathal Kuzhambu, I like it with regular red onions.

Anytime I make Vengaya Vatha Kuzhambu, my husband enjoys it for dinner rather than lunch as he says that the longer the Vengaya Vathal Kuzhambu sits, the deeper the flavors penetrate and it tastes even delicious.

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That solves my problem with left overs as no one minds eating this Vengaya Vathal Kuzhambu again the next day or couple of days later. But that brings the other problem, I can never have enough to store for leftovers!

Few notes before I go to the recipe. Make sure you extract juice from tamarind rather than using the paste. It definitely adds more flavor to the recipe. Also use gingelly oil if possible, as that adds to the flavor as well. I always add a bit of jaggery at the end and I would highly recommend it.

Preparation time - 10 minutes
Cooking time - 45 minutes
Difficulty level - easy

Vengaya Vatha Kuzhambu with raw banana curry

Ingredients to make Vengaya Vatha Kuzhambu - Serves 6 -8

  • Tamarind - as big as a large lemon
  • Onion - 1 cup (finely chopped)
  • Gingelly oil - 4 tablespoon (can use any other oil as well)
  • Mustard seeds - 1 tsp
  • Tuvaram Paruppu / toor dal - 2 tsp
  • Red chilies - 4 to 5
  • Fenugreek seeds / vendhayam - 1 tsp
  • Sambhar powder - 3 tbsp
  • Rice flour - 1 teaspoon (optional)
  • Curry leaves - few
  • salt -  to taste
  • Jaggery - a small piece
Vengaya Vathal Kuzhambu with rice and raw banana curry

Procedure

  • Soak the tamarind in 2 cups of hot water for about 15 minutes. Squeeze the pulp well and extract the juice. Add 2 more cups of water to the squeezed pulp and extract that water as well.
Tamarind extract for Vengaya Vatha Kuzhambu
  • In a heavy bottom pan, heat the oil. I use gingelly oil for the flavor, but feel free to use oil of your choice.
  • Add the mustard seeds and let it crackle. Then add the toor dal, red chilies and vendhayam (fenugreek seeeds) and fry for about 15 seconds.
  • Add the chopped onions and saute it for about 2 to 3 minutes until they start to become aromatic.
  • Now add the sambhar powder and give it a quick mix. Add the extracted tamarind water along with salt needed and curry leaves. Mix well and let it come to a boil.
Vengaya Vathal Kuzhambu boiling and simmering
  • Simmer the kuzhambu and let it cook for about 15 to 20 minutes.
  • Add the jaggery to the simmering kuzhambu at this stage.
Adding jaggery to Vengaya Vatha Kuzhambu
  • Check the consistency of the kuzhambu.  Depending on the quality of the tamarind, the kuzhambu could reach the desired thickness on its own, but sometimes we might need to add a little bit of rice flour emulsion to get it there.
  • If the kuzhambu is not to your desired consistency, then add a little rice flour which is mixed with about 4 tablespoon of water to the boiling kuzhambu and mix well. The kuzhambu will thicken and at this stage turn off the flame.
  • Cover the pan with a lid to retain the flavor of the kuzhambu. Serve with hot rice and ghee!
How to make Vengaya Vathal Kuzhambu

Other Kuzhambu Recipes

  • Iru Puli Kuzhambu - Tirunelveli Special
  • Karamani Kara Kuzhambu | Black Eyed Peas Kuzhambu
  • Milagu Kuzhambu – Molagu Kuzhambu – Spicy Black Pepper Kuzhambu
  • Parangikkai Vathal Kuzhambu | Pumpkin Vatha Kuzhambhu

 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

Vengaya Vathal Kuzhambu

Vengaya Vathal Kuzhambu

A spicy stew made with onions and tamarind is a delicacy in South Indian cuisine. Vatha kuzhambu is best when served with steaming hot rice with a dollop of ghee on top.
5 from 7 votes
Print Pin Rate
Course: Side Dish
Cuisine: South Indian
Diet: Vegan
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 40 minutes
Total Time: 50 minutes
Servings: 6 people
Calories: 120kcal
Author: Sandhya Ramakrishnan

Ingredients

  • 3 inch Tamarind as big as a large lemon
  • 1 cup Onion finely chopped
  • 4 tablespoon Gingelly oil can use any other oil as well
  • 1 teaspoon Mustard seeds
  • 2 teaspoon Tuvaram Paruppu / toor dal
  • 4 Red chilies
  • 1 teaspoon Fenugreek seeds / vendhayam
  • 3 tablespoon Sambhar powder
  • 1 teaspoon Rice flour optional
  • few Curry leaves
  • to taste salt
  • 1 teaspoon Jaggery

Instructions

  • Soak the tamarind in 2 cups of hot water for about 15 minutes. Squeeze the pulp well and extract the juice. Add 2 more cups of water to the squeezed pulp and extract that water as well.
  • In a heavy bottom pan, heat the oil. I use gingelly oil for the flavor, but feel free to use oil of your choice.
  • Add the mustard seeds and let it crackle. Then add the toor dal, red chilies and vendhayam (fenugreek seeeds) and fry for about 15 seconds.
  • Add the chopped onions and saute it for about 2 to 3 minutes until they start to become aromatic.
  • Now add the sambhar powder and give it a quick mix. Add the extracted tamarind water along with salt needed and curry leaves. Mix well and let it come to a boil.
  • Simmer the kuzhambu and let it cook for about 15 to 20 minutes.
  • Add the jaggery to the simmering kuzhambu at this stage.
  • Check the consistency of the kuzhambu.  Depending on the quality of the tamarind, the kuzhambu could reach the desired thickness on its own, but sometimes we might need to add a little bit of rice flour emulsion to get it there.
  • If the kuzhambu is not to your desired consistency, then add a little rice flour which is mixed with about 4 tablespoon of water to the boiling kuzhambu and mix well. The kuzhambu will thicken and at this stage turn off the flame.
  • Cover the pan with a lid to retain the flavor of the kuzhambu. Serve with hot rice and ghee!

Notes

Expert tips and FAQ's

  • Use good quality tamarind for the best result. Fresh tamarind works better than tamarind paste.
  • The more the kuzhambu simmers, the better it tastes. 
  • Drumsticks, vegetable preserves, radish or any such vegetable can be used instead of onions. 
  • Small onions or pearl onions gives the kuzhambu the best flavor. 
  • The kuzhambu is best when served with hot rice and dollop of ghee. 

Nutrition

Calories: 120kcal | Carbohydrates: 8g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 10g | Saturated Fat: 8g | Sodium: 6mg | Potassium: 144mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 286IU | Vitamin C: 45mg | Calcium: 10mg | Iron: 1mg
Tried this recipe?Mention @Sandhya.Ramakrishnan or tag #MyCookingJourney!
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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Srividya satish says

    March 15, 2022 at 1:18 am

    5 stars
    Thanks for sharing this recipe. Came out well

    Reply
    • Sandhya Ramakrishnan says

      March 15, 2022 at 10:56 am

      Awesome! Glad the recipe worked well for you. Thanks for letting me know 🙂

      Reply
  2. Deepa says

    April 13, 2020 at 3:16 am

    5 stars
    Awesome recipe! Exactly what I've been looking for... thanks so much for sharing your recipe. I've tried it twice already and it's a hit at home!

    Reply
    • Sandhya Ramakrishnan says

      April 15, 2020 at 10:04 am

      Deepa, thanks a lot for your feedback. I am so happy that the recipe works well for you. It is one of my favorite as well.

      Reply
  3. Anusha says

    April 05, 2020 at 5:57 am

    Amazing recipe turned out really well. Thanks a lot . Thankfully had already made potato only for curry today. The combo was great. Made paruppu thogayal too . On the whole combo was too good . Thanks a lot 😊🙏

    Reply
    • Sandhya Ramakrishnan says

      April 06, 2020 at 4:13 pm

      Anusha, Vathal kuzhambu and potato curry is a combo made in heaven. So happy that you liked the recipe.

      Reply
  4. Alyssa says

    March 11, 2019 at 10:34 am

    5 stars
    Sandhya, thanks! This looks so simple to make, yet looking really satisfying and tasty!

    Reply
  5. Priya says

    March 27, 2018 at 8:23 am

    5 stars
    That looks amazing sandhya! The name vethakuzhambu itself makes me drool!! Steaming hot rice and a ladle of this deliciousness is all I need now!! Lip smacking good !!!

    Reply
  6. Jayanthi says

    March 02, 2018 at 8:56 pm

    I'm drooling here, love the combo. My lunch for tomorrow is decided. Super!

    Reply
  7. sapna says

    March 01, 2018 at 4:25 pm

    5 stars
    I love tamarind based curries and this khuzambu look irresistibly delicious. I am imagining how flavorful it would have tasted with rice.

    Reply
  8. Sushma says

    March 01, 2018 at 4:08 pm

    I love tamarind based gravies. Lovely potato fry too. Awesome meal.

    Reply
  9. Ritu Tangri says

    February 27, 2018 at 6:53 am

    Vatha kuzhambu is quite interesting. I have never heard about it as to us North Indians, South Indian food means certain famous foods like idli , dosa, upma etc. I'm finding this very interesting . Could you tell what will be the right consistency?

    Reply
  10. kalyani says

    February 18, 2018 at 3:09 am

    yummy vatha kuzhambu ! our sunday staple with Potato fry !

    Reply
  11. chef Mireille says

    February 17, 2018 at 2:06 pm

    5 stars
    what an awesome meal - this looks so delicious

    Reply
  12. Mayuri Patel says

    February 15, 2018 at 1:49 pm

    Its amazing how toor dal can be cooked in so many different ways. Your curry is definitely very tempting. I can imagine all the flavors meeting up with a bowlful of rice.

    Reply
  13. Bhawana Singh says

    February 15, 2018 at 6:55 am

    really my mouth watering while commenting. bookmarked. with tamarind I can feel the taste.

    Reply
  14. Priya Suresh says

    February 15, 2018 at 5:59 am

    Vatha kuzhambu with papads and ghee topped rice is quite enough to finish my lunch rite now. My mouth is just watering here, super tempting gravy.

    Reply
  15. Pavani says

    February 14, 2018 at 4:59 pm

    That looks sooo good Sandhya. I'm tempted to make this dish right away 🙂 I'm sure my whole family will enjoy this.

    Reply
  16. harini says

    February 13, 2018 at 12:42 pm

    OMG! this looks so tempting. I totally agree that these gravies taste better the next day. In fact I take a small portion and set aside for myself for the next day 🙂

    Reply
  17. Usha says

    February 13, 2018 at 11:53 am

    Tamarind based gravies always taste better few hours later or the next day. Kuzhambu looks good and a wonderful side dish to serve with rice.

    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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