Vatha Kulambu is a traditional, tangy gravy made using spices, onion and cooking it with tamarind extract & spice powders. Vatha Kulambu is usually prepared with dried veggies or onion and a delicious combo with rice, idli and dosa. Vathal Kuzhambu Recipe – onion version & maa vathal version explained in this post with step by step pictures and video.
Easy Vatha Kulambu a perfect sidedish for rice and even for idli,dosa.
About Vathal Kulambu
It is called as Vathal Kulambu or vatha kuzhambu in tamil, its basically a tamarind based tangy curry to be served with rice.I always make a little more than needed for lunch and reserve it for dinner as sidedish for soft hot idlis..yum.
I always love Vatha Kulambu in hotels and crave for it often but only 2 years back got the trick to cook perfect Vatha Kulambu.One of the few dishes I feel satisfied with my expectation and reality is this Vatha Kulambu, so do try this and enjoy with rice.
Variations
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📖 Recipe Card
Vatha Kulambu
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup small onion around 15-20
- 2 nos garlic cloves
- 2 tablespoon sambar powder
- 1 teaspoon jaggery
- 1 teaspoon gingelly oil
- 1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder
- salt to taste
For tamarind extract:
- 1/4 cup tamarind
- 2.5 cups hot water
To temper:
- 3 tablespoon gingelly oil
- 1 teaspoon mustard seeds
- 1/4 teaspoon fenugreek seeds
- a small sprig curry leaves
- 1 no red chilli
Instructions
- To a mixing bowl add tamarind along with hot water set aside for 10-15 mins. Then mix and crush it well, set aside.
- To a kadai - heat oil add the ingredients listed under 'to temper'. Let it splutter.
- Add onion, garlic along with salt and turmeric powder. Saute until onions turn transparent then add sambar powder.
- Saute for a minute(do not burn the spice powder).
- Extract tamarind water and add it. Discard the fiber part. You can strain and add too. Let it boil.
- Boil for around 15-20 mins until the mixture becomes thick and oil floats on top.
- At this stage add jaggery and gingelly oil. Mix well and switch off.
Video
Notes
- Keeps well in room temperature for 2 days.
- Adding gingelly oil gives nice flavour.If you don't have then use normal cooking itself.
- Use only small onion for this curry.
How to make Vatha Kulambu Recipe
- To a mixing bowl add tamarind along with hot water set aside for 10-15 mins.Then mix and crush it well, set aside.To a kadai – heat oil add the ingredients listed under ‘to temper’.Let it splutter.
- Then add onion,garlic along with salt and turmeric powder.Saute until onions turn transparent then add sambar powder.
- Saute for a minute(do not burn the spice powder).Extract tamarind water and add it.Discard the fiber part.You can strain and add too.Let it boil.
- Boil for around 15-20 mins until the mixture becomes thick and oil floats on top.At this stage add jaggery and gingelly oil.Mix well and switch off.
- Serve hot with rice.
Expert Tips
- Keeps well in room temperature for 2 days.
- Adding gingelly oil gives nice flavour ans has many health benefits too.If you don’t have then use normal cooking itself.
- Use only small onion for this curry.
Maa Vathal Kuzhambu
We usually make this maa vathal kuzhambu or add maa vathal in fish kuzhambu which is so flavourful .If you are a fan of pulikuzhambu then am sure you will fall for this maa vathal kuzhambu too
Remember the homemade s that I posted a while back?! Many of you had asked me how did I use the maavathals. Now with no further delays let get on to to learn Maa Vathal Kuzhambu Recipe.
Lunch Ready with Rice, Mavathal Kuzhambu,Cluster Beans Paruppu Usili and Sutta Appalam!!
Ingredients
Maa Vathal – 10
Tamarind – 1 tablespoon
Small Onion – 10
Tomato – 1 roughly chopped
Garlic pearls – 5
Brinjal – 2 small
Sambar powder – 1 teaspoon
Water – 1 cup
Coconut – 1 tablespoon
Water – as needed
Jaggery Syrup – 1 teaspoon(optional)
Salt – to taste
To temper:
Oil – 2 tablespoon
Mustard Seeds – 1/2 teaspoon
Split Urad Dal – 1/2 teaspoon
Red Chillies – 2
Curry Leaves – a sprig
Method
- Take few maavathals and soak in 1/4 cup hot water,Set aside.Soak tamarind in 3/4 cup warm water,Set aside.
- In a kadai / pan heat oil – add the items listed under ‘to temper’, then add onion, garlic, tomatoes and brinjal saute for 2mins.
- Then add sambar powder and saute till mushy and all the veggies are nicely fried.
- Now add maavathal along with soaked water.Add required salt.Filter and add the tamarind pulp.Add water to adjust the consistency.Let it boil until raw smell of tamarind leaves.Grind coconut to a smooth paste.
- Add coconut paste after brinjal gets cooked.Let it boil for a good 5mins in sim.Add jaggery syrup,bring to a quick boil and switch off.
Serve with hot rice.
My Notes
- Adding coconut mixture is optional , it is added just to thicken the kuzhambu.
- Keeps well for 2 days if refrigerated.
- You can try to get maavathal in departmental store.Also you can use the same recipe for making other vathal kuzhambu like sundaka vathal kuzhambu etc.
- Add 1/2 teaspoon chilli powder if your sambar powder is less spicy.
- You can even add any other vegetable that you use four puli kuzhambu.
- Adding jaggery syrup is optional but I prefer adding it for the slight tangy sweet taste.
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