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    Home » Recipes » Kuzhambu & Other gravies

    Kara kuzhambu recipe | Kara kulambu

    March 20, 2012 by Raks Anand 74 Comments / Jump to Recipe

    Kara kuzhambu recipe with brinjal and drumstick is a classic recipe with the combo made for each other. Let's see how to make this flavorful kara kulambu.

    kara kuzhambu

    If you ask which is the best combo of vegetables for making kara kuzhambu means I would say its brinjal and drumstick.

    Both the veggies goes well with even sambar and same applies for kara kuzhambu too.

    I make this basic kuzhambu and make with other veggies like ladies finger and even Paruppu urundai kuzhambu.

    Love it a lot and this tastes great with rice, sesame oil/ ghee or even tastes good with dosa. I make usually the no-coconut kuzhambu like this, but make this occasionally when I have coconut in stock.

    kara kuzhambu
    kara kulambu recipe

    Method

    1. Chop 1 onion roughly and other onion and tomato finely. Peel the garlic. Extract the tamarind juice. Heat kadai with oil and temper with the items given under ‘to temper’ table in order. Add garlic and onion and fry till transparent. After that, add tomatoes and fry till soft.
      temper
    2. Pour the tamarind extract and enough water, salt, turmeric, sambar powder. Add drumstick cut into desired size. Let it boil for 4 minutes. Then add brinjal and bring to boil. Grind coconut and another onion smoothly with little water and add it to the kuzhambu.
      grind
    3. Let it boil until the brinjal gets cooked and the kuzhambu gets thick. Finally add pepper powder and jaggery and transfer to the serving bowl.
      ready

    Serve with rice and any curry, kootu or poriyal. I had with vazhakkai curry.

    kara kuzhambu recipe
    kara kuzhambu
    Print Pin
    5 from 1 vote

    Kara kuzhambu recipe

    Kara kuzhambu recipe with brinjal and drumstick is a classic recipe with the combo made for each other. Let's see how to make this flavorful kulambu.
    Course Main Course
    Cuisine Indian, South Indian
    Prep Time 15 minutes
    Cook Time 20 minutes
    Soaking time 30 minutes
    Servings 4 people
    Cup measurements

    Ingredients

    • 4 Brinjal
    • 2 Drumstick
    • 1 tablespoon Tamarind Indian gooseberry size
    • 1 Onion
    • 2 Tomato
    • 10 cloves Garlic
    • 1 tablespoon Sambar powder heaped
    • ¼ teaspoon Pepper powder optional
    • ¼ teaspoon Turmeric
    • ¼ teaspoon Jaggery
    • Salt

    To temper

    • 3 tablespoon Sesame oil cooking oil
    • ¼ teaspoon Fenugreek seeds
    • ½ teaspoon Mustard
    • 1 teaspoon Urad dal
    • 1 teaspoon Toor dal
    • 1 teaspoon Cumin seeds
    • 1 sprig Curry leaves

    To grind

    • ½ teaspoon Grated coconut
    • 1 Onion
    Prevent your screen from going dark

    Instructions

    Prep

    • Chop 1 onion roughly and other onion and tomato finely. Peel the garlic.
    • Soak tamarind in ½ cup boiling hot water for 30 minutes. Extract the tamarind juice by adding more water. Total 1 & ½ cups.
    • Kara kulambu
    • Heat kadai with oil and temper with the items given under ‘to temper’ table in order.
    • Add garlic, onion and fry till transparent.
    • After that, add tomatoes and fry till soft.
    • Pour the tamarind extract and enough water,salt, turmeric, sambar powder.
    • Add drumstick cut into desired size. Let it boil for 4 minutes.
    • Then add brinjal and bring to boil.
    • Grind coconut and another onion smoothly with little water and add it to the kuzhambu.
    • Let it boil until the brinjal gets cooked and the kuzhambu gets thick.
    • Finally add pepper powder and jaggery and transfer to the serving bowl.

    Notes

    • Brinjal gets cooked easily, so add it later after drumstick gets cooked almost ¾th.
    • You can add any vegetable of your choice. Even any one of drumstick or brinjal alone.
    • If you don't have sambar powder, you can try with red chilli powder too. But use 2 teaspoon only and add 1 teaspoon dhaniya powder. You may need a teaspoon of rice flour to thicken the kuzhambu. Dissolve in 1 tablespoon of water and add along.
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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Divya Kudua

      March 20, 2012 at 4:39 am

      I love the brinjal drumstick combo too.We make a very similar version called sagle which is more like a semi-gravy poriyal - http://www.divyascookbook.com/2010/05/brinjal-drumstick-masala.html

      Reply
    2. Rasi

      March 20, 2012 at 4:44 am

      Super kozhambu.. one of my fav.. Rak yours looks tempting.. i wish i could take a ladle of it now 🙂

      Ongoing Event : I'm The Star

      Reply
    3. Saraswathi Iyer

      March 20, 2012 at 4:50 am

      Coincidence, I made sambar with this combo. Looks delicious and Nice clicks.

      Reply
    4. srividhya Ravikumar

      March 20, 2012 at 5:09 am

      never say no to this combo....yummmyy

      Reply
    5. Aarthi

      March 20, 2012 at 5:11 am

      karakulambu looks so good raji..yummy with rice

      Reply
    6. Kaveri

      March 20, 2012 at 5:30 am

      I love these kinds of kara Kuzhambu...looks really yum and delicious.

      Reply
    7. Sudha Sabarish

      March 20, 2012 at 5:41 am

      Never tasted kara kuzhambu before as i dont like it.But my hubby loves it.So will try soon.very tempting.

      Reply
    8. lata raja

      March 20, 2012 at 5:44 am

      to me paruupu urundai is the best in karakuzhambu....we had a friend during our college days whose mother used to make it and send it for us.....I have the recipe in drafts, have been too lazy to post anything!
      I love this version and will find both veggies to try this!

      Reply
    9. Vishku

      March 20, 2012 at 5:47 am

      Hi.....
      Sounds interesting... I have only made sambar and curry ... Will try this...How many onions do you use for this recipe

      Reply
    10. Kavitha Bhargav

      March 20, 2012 at 5:48 am

      love the second picture with ghee (oil?) on top

      Reply
    11. Rekha shoban

      March 20, 2012 at 5:52 am

      yummy karakulambu!!!nice presentation and click!

      Reply
    12. Prathibha

      March 20, 2012 at 6:38 am

      I made similar kind of stew(ofcourse not with coconut) wid pumpkin 2day...looks yumm,love the way the brinjals r cut into the same size as drumsticks..

      Reply
    13. NiVi

      March 20, 2012 at 6:40 am

      awesome recipe.. my all time favourite..

      Reply
    14. Sayantani

      March 20, 2012 at 6:52 am

      often make it love the spicy taste with tantalizing flavours.

      Reply
    15. Sharmilee! :)

      March 20, 2012 at 6:57 am

      Love kara kuzhambu...looks yummo. Its lunch time here and ur kuzhambu makes me crave for it now 🙂 Nice clicks too

      Reply
    16. Recipe world

      March 20, 2012 at 7:35 am

      Kuzhambu looks delicious! Wanna have it for my lunch now 🙂

      Reply
    17. Chitra

      March 20, 2012 at 9:26 am

      Lovely post. It made me drool..

      Reply
    18. notyet100

      March 20, 2012 at 9:29 am

      This curry is new for me,..perfect with a bowl of steamed rice,..:)

      Reply
    19. faseela

      March 20, 2012 at 9:43 am

      brinjal n drumstick, lovely combo....superb

      Reply
    20. Rashida shaikh

      March 20, 2012 at 10:27 am

      New to me and seems drumstick goes perfect with brinjal.

      Reply
    21. S.Menaga

      March 20, 2012 at 10:43 am

      சூப்பர்ர் குழம்பு,சுட்ட அப்பளத்துடன் சாப்பிட சூப்பராயிருக்குமே....

      Reply
    22. Hema

      March 20, 2012 at 11:45 am

      Murungakkai and kathirikkai in Kara kuzhambu, sema combination, nice preparation and lovely clicks..

      Reply
    23. jeyashrisuresh

      March 20, 2012 at 12:35 pm

      wonderful combo of drumstick and brinjals. mouthwatering here

      Reply
    24. Ramya

      March 20, 2012 at 12:46 pm

      The last clicks is simple irresistible! make me crave for it!

      Reply
    25. Gayathri Anand

      March 20, 2012 at 1:08 pm

      yummy and delicious ...loved ur step wise presentation .

      Reply
    26. Lavi

      March 20, 2012 at 1:51 pm

      eggplant,drumstick makes good kara kuzhambu combo. ur kuzhambu looks absolutely delicious.

      Reply
    27. Ambika

      March 20, 2012 at 2:01 pm

      Absolutely delicious!!! I LOVE kara kuzhambu and the photos are so amazing! Brinjal and drumsticks are perfect for kara kuzhambu!

      Reply
    28. Suja Manoj

      March 20, 2012 at 2:17 pm

      Yummy and spicy kulambu,beautiful clicks..

      Reply
    29. Anu

      March 20, 2012 at 2:36 pm

      looks delicious. Spicy mouth watering kuzhambu..

      Reply
    30. DivyaGCP

      March 20, 2012 at 3:13 pm

      Kuzhambu looks so yummy and very inviting.. Love your clicks..

      Reply
    31. San

      March 20, 2012 at 4:16 pm

      Kara kuzhambu with ghee on it ia always heavenly. This combo is lovely.

      Reply
    32. Thara

      March 20, 2012 at 4:44 pm

      Hi Raks,
      pic looks mouth watering:-)

      May i know the name of the vessel used in 3rd step, it looks like a transparent one, just curious to know about it.

      Reply
    33. Krithi's Kitchen

      March 20, 2012 at 5:11 pm

      Superb comfort meal!! loving the plating..
      Serve It - Stir Fried

      Reply
    34. Srimathi

      March 20, 2012 at 5:49 pm

      Very delicious looking kozhambu. Such perfect presentation.

      Reply
    35. sangee vijay

      March 20, 2012 at 10:21 pm

      love this combination:Drumstick n Brinjal...kara kuzhambu looks more tempting...very nice recipe,going to try this for sure...last picture makes me feel hungry now...paakave sapidanum pola erukku 🙂

      Reply
    36. Home Cooked Oriya Food

      March 21, 2012 at 2:43 am

      I love this combo too... both my favorite veggies...
      Awesome clicks!

      Reply
    37. Aruna Manikandan

      March 21, 2012 at 4:57 am

      love this combo dear...
      haven't tried kara kozhumbu with coconut , must give a try soon
      Beautiful clicks 🙂

      Reply
    38. Laavanya

      March 21, 2012 at 2:50 pm

      I love kuzhambus like this.... i made with mochai too sometimes. Yummy.

      Reply
    39. Uma

      March 21, 2012 at 4:39 pm

      My way of making kara kulambu was very simple till my marriage. Learnt the correct version only after marriage from MIL. Just looking at the title I went back to the past 🙂 No doubt, brinjal and drumstick make a wonderful pair which goes well with steamed rice.

      Reply
    40. Vanamala Hebbar

      March 21, 2012 at 4:53 pm

      sambar looks superb..

      Reply
    41. vidhas

      March 21, 2012 at 5:06 pm

      Love this kulambhu, awesome clicks.

      Reply
    42. vijiraja

      March 21, 2012 at 5:11 pm

      raks..it looks so yummy

      Reply
    43. Nagashree

      March 22, 2012 at 2:32 am

      Yum, I love both veggies and your kulambu looks perfect with rice.

      Reply
    44. Priti

      March 22, 2012 at 3:06 am

      Looks yum and nice pics

      Reply
    45. Priya

      March 22, 2012 at 4:06 am

      My mouth is water as I read this post! And I just had my dinner! lol..

      Can't wait to try this! Yum!

      Reply
    46. Mahek

      March 22, 2012 at 10:07 am

      This is a must try gravy for me...
      I have one question.. I love the pot on the stove the brown one (what is it?) and I also love the one that you have displayed it in ...where did you buy it??

      Reply
    47. Shobha Kamath

      March 22, 2012 at 10:12 am

      Simply delicious !

      Reply
    48. Priyaram

      March 22, 2012 at 1:22 pm

      first click super...looks yummy

      Reply
    49. Vardhini

      March 22, 2012 at 2:22 pm

      We make kuzhambu with this combo too. Lovely clicks Raks.

      Vardhini
      Event: Legumes
      Event: Fenugreek/Kasuri Methi

      Reply
    50. [email protected]

      March 22, 2012 at 5:36 pm

      Looks lovely raji, I made one last week with cauliflower 🙂

      Reply
    51. Cynthia

      March 23, 2012 at 2:02 am

      I'm drooling here!

      Reply
    52. Archana

      March 23, 2012 at 6:19 am

      Hmmm what a lovely combo love it. I am drooling and drooling here.

      Reply
    53. An Open Book

      March 24, 2012 at 10:25 am

      i am making this for lunch today, cant wait 🙂

      Reply
    54. Jayasri Ravi

      March 24, 2012 at 5:54 pm

      Mmm.., that's what your clicks make me.., Love this combo.., I love the smell of drumstick, when I buy them I use them in everything possible :).., If could pick up your bowl.., I don't have to cook anything tonight!

      Reply
    55. PriyaVaasu

      April 03, 2012 at 6:21 am

      mouth-watering!!!! karakuzhambhu and appalam awesome combo!!! i really envy your Gas-top Glass bowl raji!!!! i m trying my best to get it for me here, kidaika matengarathu!!!! 🙁

      Reply
    56. RENU

      April 06, 2012 at 2:55 pm

      looks nice colorful.

      Reply
    57. Nikki

      August 29, 2012 at 12:20 am

      i tried it and it was superb......thanks for the recipe......

      Reply
    58. Maria Albina

      February 06, 2013 at 4:16 pm

      Tried this last night, and was superb with cabbage poriyal..
      So much I loved this dish, that I saved some for next day's lunch, and trust me its out the world!
      Raks Rocks!

      Reply
    59. Maria Albina

      February 06, 2013 at 4:16 pm

      I tried this last night and it was superb with cabbage poriyal...
      So much did I loved this one, that I saved it for the next day's lunch, and trust me, it was heaved..
      You rock, raks!

      Reply
    60. Nandini Adhyapak

      February 08, 2013 at 11:53 pm

      What variety of brinjal is best for this recipe?

      Reply
    61. Nandini Adhyapak

      February 08, 2013 at 11:53 pm

      Which variety of brinjal is best for this recipe?

      Reply
    62. Sonia

      April 09, 2013 at 10:40 pm

      It says grind one onion with coconut. Doesn't raw onion give a bitter taste?

      Reply
    63. JeGana

      June 23, 2013 at 10:02 am

      hi!! m a greatest follower of your recipies.. only 2day got d chance to reply u. i made this kara kulambu 2day. it came out so well and evryone @ hme strtd praising me for my cookng skills.. thanku so much.. keep gng good work. for this kulambu i temepered d onion and coconut with 1/2 tsp jeera in a little oil and then ground it to avoid d biter taste of onion.

      Reply
    64. JeGana

      June 24, 2013 at 5:19 am

      hi! i'm one of the greatest follower of your blog. tried so many recipies but only today got the time to reply you. I tried this kara kulambu and it came out so well that everyone at home loved it and started praising me for my improving cooking skills. A special thanks to you for that. Keep up your good work and keep going.!
      P.s: i tempered the coconut and onion with 1/4tbsp of jeera and 10 pepper seeds in oil and then ground it. Dont know it added any taste or not but one of my aunt told me to do this way.

      Reply
    65. santhu

      June 25, 2013 at 2:05 pm

      hi Raks

      Big thanks to you. I tried this recipe with out coconut and came out nice ; tangy and spicy !!! I had a question about adding brinjal after tamarind paste. would that work? I heard veggies won't cook if we add tamarind first.

      The one correction I did was adding tamarind at the end. thanks.

      Reply
    66. Sonia Punnen

      August 20, 2013 at 1:52 pm

      The dish is similar to sambhar but it tastes delicious.hope to try many of your other recipes too.

      Reply
    67. aishwarya sethuram

      March 12, 2014 at 11:04 am

      Hi Raks, I have not tried karakozhambu so far! today it turned out so well! Thanks for the wonderful recepie:-)

      Reply
    68. krsomasundr

      July 21, 2014 at 7:30 am

      Hi Raks, This recipe is great and came out very well.

      Reply
    69. kamalaveni

      August 16, 2015 at 8:19 am

      Nice kulambu, the stepwise pictures are good, neat and detailed explanation. Please give the onion and Tomotto and tamarind in grams or cup measure.

      Reply
    70. Ramya Ganeshmurthy

      December 13, 2015 at 9:22 am

      Hi,
      Just tried your Kara Kuzhambu recipe and it came out very well.Just wanted to check with you if I could provide a link to yr recipe page from my blog in which I wanted to have links of tried and tested recipes.....
      Thanks and regards
      Ramya

      Reply
    71. Raks anand

      December 13, 2015 at 9:27 am

      Sure

      Reply
    72. S

      June 28, 2016 at 11:04 am

      Excellent combo .Ur proportions are just perfect

      Reply
    73. chandhra subburamaniyam

      June 28, 2016 at 11:26 am

      If jaggery not available what can I do

      Reply
    74. Raks anand

      June 28, 2016 at 11:32 am

      Just add white sugar

      Reply

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    Raks anand

    Hi, I'm Rajeswari Vijayanand! I am the person behind Rakskitchen, sharing recipes with pictures & videos.

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