Heat a kadai or wok and add the coriander seeds and dried red chilies.
Dry roast it for 90 seconds to 120 seconds over medium heat or until the coriander seeds turn light brown.
Turn off the heat and allow it to cool.
Grind it coarsely and set it aside.
Make the Kuzhambu:
Heat a wok or kadai and add 3 tbsp of sesame/gingelly oil. When the oil is hot, add the mustard seeds, fenugreek seeds, curry leaves, and asafetida. Let it fry for 30 seconds.
Then add the shallots and cook for one minute.
Next add the chopped tomato, drumstick pieces, salt, and the sambar powder. Mix thoroughly and cook for one minute.
Meanwhile, mix 1 tbsp of tamarind paste in 2 cups of water and add it to the kuzhambu.
Over medium heat, let it simmer for 15 minutes so that the drumstick softens. If you are using brinjal or okra, simmer it for 10 minutes.
Now add the freshly ground powder and simmer over medium-low heat for ten more minutes.
After 10 minutes, turn off the heat. Delicious dhaniya kuzhambu is ready.
Serve hot with plain white rice and applam/papad or any dry curry.
Notes
Adjust the salt and spices (number of red chilies and sambar powder) according to your preference.
If you are using tamarind block or pod, use a small lemon sized ball for this recipe. Soak in hot water and extract the juice as mentioned in the post.
Instead of moringa pods, you can use okra or brinjal.
Shallots are preferred, but you can use red onions instead.
You can use garlic cloves as well. Five cloves would suffice for this measure.
Like shallots, I would recommend sesame/gingelly oil for this kuzhambu, but if you can't source it, you can use neutral oil or peanut oil.
You can simmer it for a longer time and make it like a thick stew. If you want thin consistency more like gravy, add ½ cup of water and simmer it.