Manathakkali vathal kuzhambu is a tangy and spicy tamarind based gravy prepared with dried blacknight shade berries. No onion no garlic step by step pictures recipe.
I took these manathakkali vathal from my mami during my last trip to India. I have made vathal kuzhambu couple of times and it's about to finish as I took very very less.
So I thought before running out of it, I should post this recipe in my blog. Not a big fan of vathal in kuzhambu, I better like to have it fried and had as curd rice side dish. Yet wanted to make this time because felt like having after a bad viral infection 🤒.
We always make kuzhambu with small onion and garlic, but making without both was really so easy and was done in a jiffy. Even for the kootu I did not add onion today. So the whole cooking work was done so easily I felt😀.
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Recipe card
Manthakkali vathal kuzhambu recipe
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp Tamarind or store bought paste - 2 tbsp
- 1.5 tablespoon Manathakkali vathal
- 1 tablespoon Sambar powder
- 1 teaspoon Kashmiri red chilli powder for color
- ¼ teaspoon Turmeric
- ½ teaspoon Jaggery
- 1 teaspoon Rice flour
- Salt
To temper
- 1 tablespoon Oil
- ½ teaspoon Mustard
- 1 teaspoon Urad dal
- 1 teaspoon Toor dal
- 1 teaspoon Cumin seeds
- ⅛ teaspoon Asafoetida
- Curry leaves - a sprig
Instructions
- If using tamarind, soak in hot water for 20 mins, extract tamarind juice and adjust the total quantity of water to measure 3& ½ cups.
- Heat a kadai with oil. Splutter mustard, add urad dal, toor dal, cumins seeds, curry leaves and asafoetida.
- Roast until dals turn golden. Add manathakkali vathal and roast for a minute.
- Transfer the content to a heavy bottomed vessel.
- Add sambar powder, turmeric, red chilli powder, salt and mix well with tamarind extract.
- Boil for 15 mins. Towards end, dissolve rice flour in a tablespoon of water and mix.
- Add jaggery, mix well and switch off the flame.
Notes
- If you do not have sambar powder, you can add red chilli powder and coriander powder as replacement.
- Adding jaggery enhances the taste. But do not add more.
- Using sambar powder is best for balanced taste as well as thickens easily.
Stepwise photos
1. If using tamarind, soak in hot water for 20 mins, extract tamarind juice and adjust the total quantity of water to measure 3 & ½ cups.
2. Heat a kadai with oil. Splutter mustard, add urad dal, toor dal, cumins seeds, curry leaves and asafoetida. Roast until dals turn golden.
3. Add manathakkali vathal and roast for a minute. Transfer the content to a heavy bottomed vessel. Add sambar powder, turmeric, red chilli powder, salt.
4. Since I used tamarind paste, I added water, boil well with tamarind extract.
5. Boil for 15 mins. Towards end, dissolve rice flour in a tablespoon of water and mix.
6. Add jaggery, mix well and switch off the flame.
Serve with mild poriyal, kootu as accompaniment. Mix with rice, sesame oil and enjoy. (chow chow kootu recipe)
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