When I prepared my slow cooker cranberry sauce, I wanted to try some fusion recipe with it. Given the fact that it is sweet and tart, I was planning for a savory recipe. I had sufficient amount, so used my sauce for the cheesecake and with the remaining I experimented quite a few recipes. And one of the most successful recipes was this Cranberry Sauce Vathal Kuzhambu or cranberry sauce gojju.
My hubby, who is also interested in cooking, helped me in these experiments. I had some fresh cranberries too and when I was contemplating if I should prepare some recipes with fresh ones or the home made sauce, M suggested trying recipes with the sauce. As we were discussing, we thought of replacing tamarind with this cranberry sauce in the gojju and we tried that right away. Oh boy, it turned out super awesome. It’s the same onion vathal Kuzhambu/gojju recipe sans tamarind and jaggery. After trying this recipe, I started to use the cranberry sauce as my tamarind replacer. 
Cranberries are a very good source of vitamin C, dietary fiber, and manganese, as well as a good source of vitamin E, vitamin K, copper and pantothenic acid. So I don’t mind using them in my day-to-day cooking. :-)
Ingredients:
- Chopped Onion – ½ cup
- Oil – 1 tbsp
- Mustard Seeds – 2 tsps
- Methi Seeds – 1.5 tsps
- Hing – ¼ tsp
- Water – 2.5 cups + ½ cup + ½ cup
- Cranberry Sauce – 3 tbsps
- Turmeric powder – ½ tsp
- Sambar Powder – 1.5 tbsps
- Salt – 1.5 tsps
- Curry leaves – 1 strand
- Rice flour – 1 tsp
Steps:
- Heat the kadai and add oil.
- Once the oil is hot add the mustard seeds, methi seeds and hing.
- As they start to splutter, add the chopped onions and cook until the onions turns translucent.
- Meanwhile mix the three tbsps. of cranberry sauce with 2.5 cups of water and set aside.
- When the onions are translucent, add the cranberry sauce water to the onion mix.
- Add salt and turmeric and let it simmer for 5 to 7 minutes.
- Then mix the sambar powder and half cup of water and add it to the simmering mix. You can directly add sambar podi but make sure there are no lumps.
- Let it simmer again for 5 minutes. If you prefer thin consistency, add curry leaves and turn off the heat.
- If you prefer thick consistency, then mix 1 tsp of rice flour with ½ cup of water and add it to the Kuzhambu and bring it to boil. Finally add the curry leaves and turn of the heat.
That’s it. Kuzhambu is ready. Serve hot with rice and curry.
Notes:
- Along with onions, you can include veggies like drumstick, brinjals, lady’s finger.
- If your cranberry sauce is too tart, add about 2 tbsps. Adjust the measure as per the tartness.
- Adjust the salt and spices as per your preference.
Cranberry Sauce Vathal Kuzhambu
Ingredients
- Chopped Onion – ½ cup
- Oil – 1 tbsp
- Mustard Seeds – 2 tsps
- Methi Seeds – 1.5 tsps
- Hing – ¼ tsp
- Water – 2.5 cups + ½ cup + ½ cup
- Cranberry Sauce – 3 tbsps
- Turmeric powder – ½ tsp
- Sambar Powder – 1.5 tbsps
- Salt – 1.5 tsps
- Curry leaves – 1 strand
- Rice flour – 1 tsp
Instructions
- Heat the kadai and add oil.
- Once the oil is hot add the mustard seeds, methi seeds and hing.
- As they start to splutter, add the chopped onions and cook until the onions turns translucent.
- Meanwhile mix the three tbsps. of cranberry sauce with 2.5 cups of water and set aside.
- When the onions are translucent, add the cranberry sauce water to the onion mix.
- Add salt and turmeric and let it simmer for 5 to 7 minutes.
- Then mix the sambar powder and half cup of water and add it to the simmering mix. You can directly add sambar podi but make sure there are no lumps.
- Let it simmer again for 5 minutes. If you prefer thin consistency, add curry leaves and turn off the heat.
- If you prefer thick consistency, then mix 1 tsp of rice flour with ½ cup of water and add it to the Kuzhambu and bring it to boil. Finally add the curry leaves and turn of the heat.
- That’s it. Kuzhambu is ready. Serve hot with rice and curry.
Notes
If your cranberry sauce is too tart, add about 2 tbsps. Adjust the measure as per the tartness.
Adjust the salt and spices as per your preference.
I am not a nutritionist. The nutritional information is provided as a courtesy and is an estimate only. It varies depending upon the product types or brands.
