Pakoda kuzhambu recipe, with coconut milk

Pakoda kuzhambu is a flavourful south Indian gravy with coconut milk as base and deep fried pakodas cooked soft in the gravy.

I saw this pakoda kuzhambu in a Tv show by Rakesh and really it was tempting.

Only that, the ingredients in the recipe was known and not the exact measurements. Still went ahead and tried which turned out finger licking good.

I was first now sure about the pakoda itself as it needed only ½ hour soaking as per the recipe.

I thought it would turn out too hard and crispy. But it turned out really soft and flavourful.

I understood it's all in how smooth we grind and the amount of water that goes in.

I know the gravy is a winner since it's coconut milk base. The first time when I tried, I had a helping hand from Vj, So made it with fresh coconut milk.

This time, I made with store bought UHT coconut cream. So the texture was bit different. I found fresh coconut milk, the best 😊.

Step by step pictures

1. Soak chana dal for just ½ hour. Meanwhile, finish all the prep work.

2. Grind ginger garlic paste with cashew, fried gram dal and chilli (add little water if needed).

3. Once chana dal is soaked, drain and grind to smooth paste with little water. The batter should be soft.

4. Add finely chopped onion, garlic, green chili, coriander leaves, curry leaves and salt (cooking soda if adding) to the ground dal and mix.

5. Heat oil and make small pakodas out of the batter. Cook in medium flame well.

6. Turn in between once, to ensure even cooking. Drain in paper towels. Repeat to finish the batter.

7. Now to the gravy. Heat a heavy bottomed kadai and add oil. Temper with cumin/ fennel, cashew nuts and curry leaves. Add finely chopped onion.

8. Give it a fry and add the prepared ginger garlic paste. Fry for a minute in medium flame or until oil oozes out and raw smell turns to be aromatic.

9. Add red chilli powder, coriander seeds powder and give it a fry. well.

10. Add coconut milk and mix .

11. Boil well for a minute. Add cubed cooked potato.

12. Add the fried pakodas (you may not need all, just ½) and 1 & ¼ cup more water.

13. Simmer for 5 minutes or until the pakodas get soft. Switch off the flame, garnish with coriander leaves, ghee and lemon juice.

Serve with rice, chapati. We had with rice, it was yummy!

Related recipes

• Onion Pakoda recipe
• Corn pakoda
• Thakkali kuzhambu recipe
• Cashew pakoda recipe

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Pakoda kuzhambu recipe

Pakoda kuzhambu, flavourful south Indian gravy with coconut milk as base and deep fried pakodas cooked soft in the gravy.

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 20 minutes

Servings 3 people

1x2x3x

Cup measurements

Ingredients

For pakoda

• ½ cup Chana dal
• 6 Small onions shallots
• 1 Green chilli finely chopped
• 4 cloves Garlic
• 2 tablespoon Coriander leaves finely chopped
• 4 Curry leaves
• oil to deep fry
• 1 pinch Cooking soda optional

To temper

• 1 tablespoon Oil
• ½ teaspoon Cumin seeds fennel seeds
• 5 Cashew nuts
• 1 sprig Curry leaves

Kuzhambu

• 1 Potato cooked
• 8 Small onion
• ¾ teaspoon Red chilli powder
• 1 teaspoon Coriander seeds powder
• 1 cup Coconut milk thick
• 2 tablespoon Coriander leaves chopped
• 1 teaspoon Lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon Ghee
• Salt

Grind to paste

• 6 cloves Garlic
• 1 inch Ginger
• 4 Cashew
• 1 teaspoon Fried gram dal pottu kadalai
• 2 Green chilli

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Instructions

• Wash and soak chana dal firstly for just ½ hour. Meanwhile, finish all the prep work.
• Grind ginger garlic paste with cashew, fried gram dal and chilli (add little water if needed).
• Once chana dal is soaked, drain and grind to smooth paste with little water. The batter should be soft.
• Add finely chopped onion, garlic, green chili, coriander leaves, curry leaves and salt (cooking soda if adding) to the ground dal and mix.
• Heat oil and make small pakodas out of the batter. Cook in medium flame well.
• Turn in between once, to ensure even cooking. Drain in paper towels. Repeat to finish the batter.
• Now to the gravy. Heat a heavy bottomed kadai and add oil.
• Temper with cumin/ fennel, cashew nuts and curry leaves. Add finely chopped onion.
• Give it a fry and add the prepared ginger garlic paste.
• Fry for a minute in medium flame or until oil oozes out and raw smell turns to be aromatic.
• Add red chilli powder, coriander seeds powder and give it a fry. Add coconut milk, salt and mix well.
• Bring to boil, add cubed cooked potato.
• Add the fried pakodas (you may not need all, just ½) and 1 & ¼ cup more water.
• Simmer for 5 minutes or until the pakodas get soft.
• Switch off the flame, garnish with coriander leaves, ghee and lemon juice.

Notes

• Originally, the ginger garlic paste is ground with khasa kasa in place of pottukadalai. Grinding ginger garlic paste with cashew, pottukadalai/ kasakasa not only gives enough volume to grind ginger garlic in a mixer, but also helps in preventing the coconut milk from splitting.
• Since I used store bought coconut cream, I used ¼ cup of the coconut cream and diluted with water to make total 1 cup.

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