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    Home » Sambhar Varieties » Thiruvathirai Sambar | 7 Kari Kootu / Kuzhambu

    Thiruvathirai Sambar | 7 Kari Kootu / Kuzhambu

    Posted on January 14, 2016 · Last Updated on September 13, 2020 · By Srividhya G · 10 Comments

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    thiruvathirai sambar with a maroon fabric on the side with some greens on the other side

    Mixed vegetable curry or stew with freshly ground spices and coconut specially prepared on the auspicious Thiruvathirai day! This curry is popularly known as Thiruvathirai sambar or seven kari kootu or kuzhambu or thalagam. 

    Check out how to make this recipe in detail with step-wise pictures.

    7 kari sambar thalagam with a maroon fabric on the side with some greens on the other side

    Thiruvathirai-

    Thiruvathira or Thiruvathirai or Arudra Darisanam is a popular event that is celebrated in the states of Tamil Nadu and Kerala. It usually falls in the full moon day of the month of December-January / the Tamil month margazhi.

    It’s a significant event/festival in all the Shiva temples, and a lot of abishekams and rituals will take place.

    Growing up in Periyakulam, which has three major Shiva temples, Arudra Darisanam is a big event. Even though we don’t have a custom of preparing kali and kuzhambu, growing up in Tamil Nadu has its impact. At my mom’s place and husband’s place, we make this Thiruvathirai kali and kuzhambu. 

    The story behind kali and kootu-

    One among the 63 Nayanmaars wanted to offer something for Lord Shiva. But he didn’t have anything except for some dals, broken rice (kurunai), and veggies. So he made Kali with the dal and rice and thick gravy/kootu with all the veggies he had.

    He offered this to Lord Shiva in the temple, and the next day, the neivediyam was inside the shrine, indicating Lord accepted it, and Lord Shiva blesses him with the Arudhra Darshan. So from that point on, Kali and seven kari kootu or the sambar became the prasadam for Thiruvadirai.

    Seven kari kootu | Thiruvathirai sambar-

    We make a thick stew or curry with seven vegetables. Kari here refers to vegetables. You can call this as sambar, kootu, curry, or thalagam. 

    As we add toor dal and freshly ground mix, we always call this as sambar, and it’s a variation of arachuvitta sambar.

    Veggies used for the sambar-

    As Thiruvathirai falls during the winter months, we mostly use seasonal winter vegetables like ashgourd, fresh hyacinth beans, raw banana, etc for this Thiruvathirai sambar. 

     But you can use whatever you have in hand. 

    These are veggies that what I used,

    1. Green beans
    2. Yellow Zucchini
    3. Brinjal
    4. Potato
    5. Carrot
    6. Chayote Squash
    7. Dried field beans

    close up shot of thiruvathiral 7 kari kootu

     I adapted the recipe from Meenakshi Ammal’s “Samaithu Paar” book. There are many versions without toor dal, but mine has a minimal amount of toor dal, though. 

    The steps for this Thiruvathirai sambar might sound lengthy, but it is more like arachuvitta sambar. We first pressure cook the dal, roast the spices, and prepare the masala. Then make the sambar.  

    Now without any further ado, let’s see how to make this Thiruvadirai sambar or the 7 kari kootu-

    Cook the toor dal-

    • Pressure cook ¼ cup of toor dal with ¾ cup of water and ⅛ tsp of turmeric powder in your preferred way and mash it well.

    MashedDal

    Cook the field beans-

    • Pressure cook the hyacinth beans by adding 1 cup of water in your preferred way. Drain the water from the cooked beans and let it cool.

    I cooked my toor dal and the beans using the pot-in-pot method in the stove-top pressure cooker for three whistles.

    Prepare the veggies-

    • Chop all the veggies, and you can microwave potato and carrot for 3 to 4 minutes and parboil them. In this way, you can cook all the veggies together on the stove-top. If you do not precook the potatoes and carrots, cook them partially and then add the other veggies. 

    Prepare the masala for the sambar-

    • Heat a small pan and dry roast the coriander seeds, dried red chilies, chana dal, and fenugreek seeds until the aroma comes.

    roasting the spices for thiruvathirai thalagam

    • Next, add the coconut and cook for 30 to 45 seconds and turn off the heat.
    • Let it cool and grind it into a smooth paste by adding ½ cup of water and set it aside. 

    ground paste for 7 kari kuzhambu

    Prepare the Thiruvathirai Sambar-

    sambar preparation step set

    • Heat a saucepan or kadai and add the oil. When the oil is hot, add the mustard seeds, fenugreek seeds, asafoetida, dried red chili, and curry leaves. 
    • When the mustard seeds splutter, add in the veggies and mix. Next, mix 2 tbsps of tamarind paste with 2 cups of water and add it to the veggies. Add salt as well and cook until the veggies are soft and tender. As all these are watery veggies, they cook well in tamarind water. You can precook them with plain water and then add the tamarind paste as well.
    • When the veggies are aldente, add the ground paste and cooked field beans/mochai. Mix well and let it simmer.

    after adding masala and cooked hyacinth beans

    • Finally, add the cooked toor dal and bring it one boil and turn off the heat. 

    7 kari kootu ready to be served

    • Garnish it with more curry leaves and serve hot with rice and kali. 

    Recipe Notes-

    • Adjust the salt and spices according to your preference.
    • You can add 1 tsp of jaggery also.
    • We need 4 to 5 cups of mixed vegetables for this sambar apart from the hyacinth or the field beans. You can use veggies of your choice. The cooking time might vary depending upon the veggies you use. So adjust the timing accordingly. 
    • I used byadgi variety chilies, and that adds that deep red color. You can add any variety, but the sambar color might vary accordingly. 

    overhead shot of thalagam sambar with tempering on the top

    PS: Follow me on Instagram or join my Facebook Group for more gardening and recipe updates. If you try this 7 kari kootu Thiruvathirai sambar recipe, please don’t forget to comment and rate this recipe. If you have any questions, please leave a comment, and I will get to it asap.  Make sure to follow me on my Pinterest for more healthy and delicious ideas!

    square image of thiruvathirai sambar with a maroon fabric on the side with some greens on the other side
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    5 from 1 vote

    Thiruvathirai Sambar | 7 Kari Kootu / Kuzhambu

    Thiruvathirai sambar - Mixed vegetable curry or stew with freshly ground spices & coconut prepared on the auspicious Thiruvathirai day!
    Prep Time20 mins
    Cook Time50 mins
    Total Time1 hr 10 mins
    Course: Entree, Main Course, rice accompaniment
    Cuisine: South Indian, Tamil Nadu
    Servings: 6
    Calories: 140kcal
    Author: Srividhya G

    Equipment

    • Instant Pot or Pressure Cooker
    • Saucepan or kadai
    • Mixer jar or coffee grinder

    Ingredients

    Measurement Details- 1 cup=240ml; 1 tsp=5ml; 1tbsp=15ml;

      Vegetables

      • 5 green beans cut into 2-inch piece
      • 1 yellow zucchini cut into big chunks
      • 1 brinjal cut into chunks
      • 1 potato peeled and cubed
      • ½ carrot peeled and cubed
      • ½ chayote squash peeled and cubed
      • ¼ cup dried field beans soaked for 8 hours

      Dal

      • ¼ cup toor dal
      • ⅛ tsp turmeric powder
      • ¾ cup water

      To roast and grind-

      • ¼ cup coriander seeds
      • 8 dried red chilies
      • 3 tbsp chana dal
      • 1 tsp fenugreek seeds
      • ¼ cup coconut grated
      • ½ cup water to grind the masala

      For the Sambar-

      • 2 tsps oil
      • 2 tsp mustard seeds
      • 1 tsp fenugreek seeds
      • ½ tsp asafoetida
      • 1 dried chili
      • 10 curry leaves
      • 2 cups water
      • 2 tbsp tamarind paste
      • 2.5 tsp salt or to taste
      • 1 cup water to cook the beans

      Instructions

      Cook the toor dal-

      • Pressure cook ¼ cup of toor dal with ¾ cup of water and ⅛ tsp of turmeric powder in your preferred way and mash it well.

      Cook the field beans-

      • Pressure cook the hyacinth beans by adding 1 cup of water in your preferred way. Drain the water from the cooked beans and let it cool.
      • I cooked my toor dal and the beans using the pot-in-pot method in the stove-top pressure cooker for three whistles.

      Prepare the veggies-

      • Chop all the veggies, and you can microwave potato and carrot for 3 to 4 minutes and parboil them. In this way, you can cook all the veggies together on the stove-top. If you do not precook the potatoes and carrots, cook them partially and then add the other veggies.

      Prepare the masala for the sambar-

      • Heat a small pan and dry roast the coriander seeds, dried red chilies, chana dal, and fenugreek seeds until the aroma comes.
      • Next, add the coconut and cook for 30 to 45 seconds and turn off the heat.
      • Let it cool and grind it into a smooth paste by adding ½ cup of water and set it aside.

      Prepare the Sambar-

      • Heat a saucepan or kadai and add the oil. When the oil is hot, add the mustard seeds, fenugreek seeds, asafoetida, dried red chili, and curry leaves.
      • When the mustard seeds splutter, add in the veggies and mix. Next, mix 2 tbsps of tamarind paste with 2 cups of water and add it to the veggies. Add salt as well and cook until the veggies are soft and tender. As all these are watery veggies, they cook well in tamarind water. You can precook them with plain water and then add the tamarind paste as well.
      • When the veggies are aldente, add the ground paste and cooked field beans/mochai. Mix well and let it simmer.
      • Finally, add the cooked toor dal and bring it one boil and turn off the heat.
      • Garnish it with more curry leaves and serve hot with rice and kali.

      Notes

      • Adjust the salt and spices according to your preference.
      • You can add 1 tsp of jaggery also.
      • We need 4 to 5 cups of mixed vegetables for this sambar apart from the hyacinth or the field beans. You can use veggies of your choice. The cooking time might vary depending upon the veggies you use. So adjust the timing accordingly.
      • I used byadgi variety chilies, and that adds that deep red color. You can add any variety, but the sambar color might vary accordingly.

      Nutrition

      Calories: 140kcal | Carbohydrates: 24g | Protein: 6g | Fat: 4g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 995mg | Potassium: 669mg | Fiber: 8g | Sugar: 11g | Vitamin A: 1638IU | Vitamin C: 131mg | Calcium: 71mg | Iron: 3mg

      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.

      Tried this recipe?Mention @vidhyasvegetariankitchen or tag #vidhyasvegkitchen
      For Video RecipesCheck out My YouTube Channel

      Update Notes- Recipe updated with new pics and recipe cards in 2020.

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      Filed Under: Sambhar Varieties Tagged With: 7 veggie sambhar, ezhu tharn sambhar, pongal sambhar, thiruvadirai kootu, thiruvadirai sambar, thiruvathira kootu, thiruvathirai kootu, Tiruvadirai Sambhar

      Reader Interactions

      Comments

      1. Bharani says

        January 15, 2016 at 8:57 am

        flavorful and yumm :)

        Reply
        • Vidhya@VVK says

          January 15, 2016 at 11:39 am

          Thanks Bharani.

          Reply
      2. Sri Mallya says

        January 15, 2016 at 8:38 am

        Love this healthy and flavorful sambar!

        Reply
        • Vidhya@VVK says

          January 15, 2016 at 8:50 am

          Thanks a lot :-)

          Reply
      3. Traditionally Modern Food says

        January 14, 2016 at 3:01 pm

        My fav.. V call it Kootu.. Yum yum

        Reply
        • Vidhya@VVK says

          January 14, 2016 at 8:47 pm

          Yeah da.. Kari Kootu. Thanks

          Reply
      4. shweta a says

        January 14, 2016 at 1:57 pm

        very tempting and inviting looking dish:) Super yummmmm!

        Reply
        • Vidhya@VVK says

          January 14, 2016 at 8:47 pm

          Thanks a ton and welcome here.

          Reply
      5. Alok Singhal says

        January 14, 2016 at 11:34 am

        What a great taste it must have with so many veggies!

        Reply
        • Vidhya@VVK says

          January 14, 2016 at 8:49 pm

          Thanks Alok.

          Reply

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