Vathal Kuzhambu – Manathakkali vathal kuzhumbu

Vathal Kuzhambu | Manathakkali Vathal Kuzhambu is a tangy gravy prepared with the sun berry or manathakkali as we say in Tamil.  There are many ways to prepare this recipe.  The taste varies depending upon the vathal/dried fryums that we add and the sambhar powder. I don’t use vathal kuzhumbu powder, I just use the regular sambhar powder for this recipe. Its one of the super simple recipe and you don’t need cooked toor dal so its under 30 minutes recipe too :-)

Vathas are nothing but dried vegetable fryums. You can use any types of vathal like vendaikai/Okra, kathirikai/Brinjal, sundaikai/Turkey Berry, manathakkali/garden huckleberry or even appalam/Papad. Yeah, appalam can be used as a ingredient too. Fried appalam soaked in the kuzhambu is yummmm. :-) 

But here are the most commonly used vathals,

Manathakkali is a spinach variety (its a common plant in my native and we had one in our backyard too) and the manathakkali fruit is soaked in buttermilk and sun dried.

Sundai Vathal or Sundaikai Vathal or Turkey Berry is also prepared in the similar way.

Ingredients:

• Manathakkai Vathal – 2 tsps
• Regular oil – 1 tbsp (You can use gingelly oil instead of regular oil)
• Gingelly Oil – 1 tsp
• Mustard seeds : 1 tsp
• Methi seeds :  2 tsps
• Hing – 1 pinch
• Toor Dhal – 1 tsp (optional, but gives nice flavor to the recipe)
• Turmeric powder – 1/2 tsp
• Red Chilly – 1
• Curry leaves –  1 strand
• Sambhar podi – 1 tbsp
• Tamarind juice – 1 cup of juice extracted from gooseberry sized tamarind or dilute 2 tsps of tamarind paste in 1 cup of water.
• Salt – 1 tsp
  • Yes, 1 tsp is more than enough. The store bought fryums are very salty so you don’t need more salt for the recipe.
• Rice flour – 1 tsp
• Water – 1/2 cup + 1/2 cup

Steps:

• Heat the kadai and add the regular oil.
• Make sure the oil is medium hot then add mustard seeds, methi seeds, toor dhal, hing and red chilly (whole piece or break into small pieces)
• Once mustard seeds starts spluttering add the vathal and fry them for couple of minutes.
• Keep the flame in medium and once the vathals get fried add the tamarind juice.
• Add tumeric powder and salt and let it simmer for 5-7 minutes
• I usually mix the sambhar powder with little bit of water (half a cup) and add it the tamarind mixture. You can add the sambhar powder directly also but make sure it doesn’t form any lumps
• Add the curry leaves and let it boil.
• Mix rice flour with 1/2 cup of water (if you want thick consistency make a thick paste by reducing water) and add it to the kuzhambu.
• Let it boil for 5 minutes and thats it vathal kuzhambu is ready. Drizzle the 1 tsp of gingelly oil on top.

Notes:

• As the dried fryums have salt already, add very minimal salt for kuzhambu. And if required add more.
• I used regular oil for tempering and drizzle about a tsp on top. But thats optional and you can do the tempering with gingelly oil also.

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Vathal Kuzhambu - Manathakkali Vathal Kuzhambu

Prep Time

5 mins

Cook Time

25 mins

Total Time

30 mins

 

Vathal Kuzhambu | Manathakkali Vathal Kuzhambu is a tangy gravy prepared with the sun berry or manathakkali as we say in Tamil.

Course: Entree

Cuisine: TamilNadu

Keyword: manathakkali vathal kuzhambu, vathal kuzhambu

Servings: 5

Author: Srividhya G

Ingredients

• Manathakkai Vathal - 2 tsps
• Regular oil - 1 tbsp You can use gingelly oil instead of regular oil
• Gingelly Oil - 1 tsp
• Mustard seeds : 1 tsp
• Methi seeds : 2 tsps
• Hing - 1 pinch
• Toor Dhal - 1 tsp optional, but gives nice flavor to the recipe
• Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp
• Red Chilly - 1
• Curry leaves - 1 strand
• Sambhar podi - 1 tbsp
• Tamarind juice - 1 cup of juice extracted from gooseberry sized tamarind or dilute 2 tsps of tamarind paste in 1 cup of water.
• Salt - 1 tsp
• Yes 1 tsp is more than enough. The store bought fryums are very salty so you don’t need more salt for the recipe.
• Rice flour - 1 tsp
• Water - 1/2 cup + 1/2 cup

Instructions

1. Heat the kadai and add the regular oil.
2. Make sure the oil is medium hot then add mustard seeds, methi seeds, toor dhal, hing and red chilly (whole piece or break into small pieces)
3. Once mustard seeds starts spluttering add the vathal and fry them for couple of minutes.
4. Keep the flame in medium and once the vathals get fried add the tamarind juice.
5. Add tumeric powder and salt and let it simmer for 5-7 minutes
6. I usually mix the sambhar powder with little bit of water (half a cup) and add it the tamarind mixture. You can add the sambhar powder directly also but make sure it doesn't form any lumps
7. Add the curry leaves and let it boil.
8. Mix rice flour with 1/2 cup of water (if you want thick consistency make a thick paste by reducing water) and add it to the kuzhambu.
9. Let it boil for 5 minutes and thats it vathal kuzhambu is ready. Drizzle the 1 tsp of gingelly oil on top.

Recipe Notes

As the dried fryums have salt already, add very minimal salt for kuzhambu. And if required add more.
I used regular oil for tempering and drizzle about a tsp on top. But thats optional and you can do the tempering with gingelly oil also.