Mambazha kuzhambu is made with ripe mangoes, the tiny mango variety is cooked in tamarind based gravy. Yummiest mango you would ever taste.
I have tasted mambazha kuzhambu a lot of times as amma makes it in mango season. We get tiny mangoes which they sell in 'kooru' (they sell as clusters), best for making kuzhambu. Amma makes both kuzhambu and sambar with such tiny mangoes. I never made or had it after marriage.
Once when Rakesh invited us for lunch to his home, his mom Mrs.Rama made yummy mambazha kuzhambu. I was in heaven and took me back to my childhood once I tasted it. Her method was different from how amma makes. She had slow cooked the mangoes in the tamarind gravy until it got split open by itself and absorbed the spices.
Amma makes a quicker version by slitting the skin manually and add to gravy to fasten the process. I made it yesterday and loved it a lot, thoroughly enjoyed it. Vj too loved it. At first he was surprised to see a full mango on his plate with kuzhambu. But later he just loved it and finished in no time. I added just two one for him and one for myself. The gravy won't hold more than that sadly 😁.
Check out my poondu kara kuzhambu recipe.
Mambazha kuzhambu
Ingredients
- 2 Ripe mango neelam variety or any tiny mango variety
- 10 small onion/ shallot
- 1 tablespoon packed tamarind
- 1 tablespoon sambar powder
- 1 teaspoon kashmiri red chilli powder
- ¼ teaspoon turmeric
- Salt as needed
To temper
- 2 tablespoon Sesame oil
- ½ teaspoon mustard
- 1 pinch asafoetida
- ¼ teaspoon fenugreek seeds
- ½ teaspoon urad dal
- ½ teaspoon toor dal
- 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
- 1 sprig curry leaves
Instructions
- Soak tamarind in hot water for 30 mins, extract juice and adjust the water to make it 2 cups.
- Slit the mangoes along the seed, either side halfway through.
- In a kadai/ heavy bottom pan (I used my kalchattheat sesame oil.
- Splutter mustard, followed by fenugreek seeds, urad dal, toor dal, asafoetida, curry leaves.
- Add chopped onion. Fry till deep golden in colour.
- Place mangoes and pour in the tamarind juice. Add one more cup of water.
- In goes turmeric, salt, sambar powder, red chilli powder. Mix well.
- Bring to boil and simmer for 10 mins. Turn the mangoes in regular intervals, few times.
- Once the skin colour of mango is changed, the mangoes must be cooked.
- Dissolve rice flour in a tablespoon of water and mix in to the kuzhambu.
- After this, only couple of minutes, the kuzhambu will thicken.
- It gets thicker as it cools down, so switch off accordingly.
Video
Notes
- I added kashmiri red chilli powder just for the colour. You can skip it.
- Choose ¾th ripe mangoes. This way the texture wont be too soft after it gets cooked.
- Mom adds finely chopped garlic along with onion. I skipped.
Mambazha kuzhambu method:
- Soak tamarind in hot water for 30 mins, extract juice and adjust the water to make it 2 cups.
- Slit the mangoes along the seed, either side halfway through. In a kadai/ heavy bottom pan (I used my kalchatti) heat sesame oil. Splutter mustard, followed by fenugreek seeds, urad dal, toor dal, asafoetida, curry leaves.
- Add chopped onion. Fry till deep golden in colour. Place mangoes and pour in the tamarind juice. Add one more cup of water.
- In goes turmeric, salt, sambar powder, red chilli powder. Mix well. Bring to boil and simmer for 10 mins. Turn the mangoes in regular intervals, few times.
- Once the skin colour of mango is changed, the mangoes must be cooked. Dissolve rice flour in a tablespoon of water and mix in to the kuzhambu. After this, only couple of minutes, the kuzhambu will thicken. It gets thicker as it cools down, so switch off accordingly.
Me and Vj had the mango as side dish as well as had as such. Yummy both the ways. The kuzhambu also is so flavourful because of the neelam mango.
Preethi krishnakumar
Hi rajeshwari
I have never made mambazha kuzhambu/sambhar in my entire life. Would.love to make it. I m living in Chennai. So which Mango should I use to make the kuzhambhu. I m aware of banganganapalli and Imampasand pls let me know
Raks Anand
I suggest to use something really small variety of mangoes. Because you have to boil it in the gravy and it should be small enough to fit in your vessel. Something like Neelam variety works