Paruppu Kulambu is an another version of sambar.This is a less spicy lentil curry served with rice in southern villages of Tamilnadu and Kerala .I guess this curry was invented by our ancestors before sambar powder sachets made their route to villages.Even today this is the daily menu in most of the houses in my father's native place, Uvari .So we call it as "Uvari Paruppu kulambu".They use the vegetables grow in their kitchen garden to make paruppu kulambu.And it is the most yummiest sambar i have ever had.
INGREDIENTS:
To pressure cook:
Toor dhal (red gram/ pigeon pea) - 1 cup
shallot onion- 3
garlic- 3 pearls
green chilli - 5
asafoetida- 1/4 tsp
turmeric powder- 1/4 tsp
sesame oil - 1 tsp
water 2 cups
vegetables to cook separately:
Indian Eggplant/brinjal (cut into big chunks)- 2 (small size)
Tomato - 1 (chopped)
drumstick(cut into 2 inch length pieces)- 1
Green unripe mango - 3 small pieces (optional)
You can substitute the brinjal ,mango and drumstick combo by white pumpkin/winter melon.
other items:
tamarind - 1 inch length.
cumin seeds - 1/2 tsp
oil - 1 tsp
mustard seeds- 1/2 tsp
currry leaves - 1 brig
chopped onion - 1 tsp
salt - 1 1/2 tsp
Method:
Soak the toor dhal for 1/2 an hour.
Cook all the items given to pressure cook in a pressure cooker with weight for 5 whistles.
In another vessel add the tamarind extract and boil the other vegetables till tender.
Add salt to taste.
Mash the toor dhal with cumin seeds and add it to boiled vegetables.
Heat a pan with 1 tsp oil.
Add mustard seeds . After the mustard seeds crackle, add the chopped onions and curry leaves and fry them till they become crispy.
Immediately add this to the dhal mixture.
Put off fire as the curry just begins to boil.
Add a tbsp of shredded coconut to get the authentic taste.
Do not over heat the Paruppu kulambu, otherwise it will not taste good.
Serving suggestions:
serve hot with rice. Goes fine with Kerala's big red grain rice.
Any vegetarian fry or non vegeatarian fry can be served as side dish.
