Tag Archives: Kozambu

Recipes: Kadamba Kuzhambu

Posted on by
Reply

This is another typical recipe which is usually served in temples. It is a no-onion, no-garlic recipe. My mother was talking about this recipe and so I got her to make it while she was here. In Tamil, Kadamba means mixed and this can be eaten as a sambar or a gravy which makes this dish very versatile. The masala is similar to arachavitta sambar and the vegetables are cut similarly to how we cut them for avial. You can use pretty much all root vegetables, including pumpkin, potatoes, sweet potatoes, carrots, drumsticks, raw bananas, beans etc. This was the first time I made this and it was so yummy.

Kadamba Kuzhambu

Ingredients:

  • 2 raw bananas, cut into bite-sized pieces
  • 2 potatoes, cut into bite-sized pieces
  • 1 sweet potato, cut into bite-sized pieces
  • 2 carrots, cut into bite-sized pieces
  • 2 drumsticks, cut into bite-sized pieces
  • 1 small piece of white pumpkin, cut into bite-sized pieces
  • 1 tsp mustard seeds
  • 5-6 curry leaves
  • 1½ tbsp + 1 tsp chana dal
  • 2½ tbsp coriander seeds
  • 10-12 dried red chillies
  • ½ cup fresh coconut
  • 1 lemon-sized ball of tamarind, soaked in hot water for 30 minutes
  • ½ cup toor dal, soaked for 20 minutes
  • 1 tbsp oil
  • Finely chopped coriander leaves to garnish
  • 2 tsp jaggery powder
  • ½ tsp turmeric powder
  • 2 tsp sambar powder (optional)
  • Salt to taste

Method:

  • In a small pressure cooker, pressure cook the toor dal with ¼ tsp turmeric powder till it is soft and the dal has broken down completely. This usually will take around 3 whistles in the cooker. When the pressure reduces, open the cover of the cooker and then whisk the dal well. Keep aside.
  • Mash the tamarind when it becomes cool to touch and then squeeze the tamarind and drain the water so the fibres get separated and you have the water. Alternatively, use 3-4 tbsp tamarind paste which you can get at any Indian store.
  • In a pan, dry roast 8-10 dried red chillies, 1½ tbsp chana dal and 2½ tbsp coriander seeds and once the seeds start to brown, add in the coconut and roast, stirring continuously, until the coconut loses moisture and turns brown. Remove from the flame, and let it cool completely and then grind to a fine powder and keep aside.
  • Heat oil in the same pan and when the oil heats up, add in the mustard seeds, balance chana dal and dried red chillies which have been broken into 2-3 pieces each. Let the mustard seeds splutter and then add the chopped and washed vegetables.
  • Now add the balance of turmeric powder and sambar powder and let the vegetables cook for about 5 minutes. When the vegetables are almost cooked, add the tamarind water and salt as required. You can also add in the jaggery powder if you are using it at this point. Let the water come to a boil and let it simmer for another five minutes.
  • Next, add the cooked dal and the ground powder and mix well. At this point, check for seasoning and add if anything is missing. You can also add extra water if the kuzambu is still thick.
  • Let it come to a boil and let it boil for five minutes.
  • Garnish with finely chopped coriander leaves and shut off the flame. Let it stay covered for 10 minutes for the flavours to infuse and serve hot with rice.

Recipe: Orange Kozambu

Posted on by
Reply

During the Chinese New Year period, here in Singapore, you get lots of different types of Mandarin oranges. I love Mandarin oranges and during that time, on a call with my mum and sister, we started talking about the Orange Kozambu my mum used to make. Inspired by that call and the two cartons of Mandarin oranges I had in the house, I made some of this delicious kozambu. I made it slightly different from how my mother makes it, making it more like my Milagu Kozambu and I felt this was a better way to make it as it kept for more than a week in the fridge. This is perfect with some rice and any stir-fried curry on a cold or rainy day. You can increase the number of peppercorns depending on your spice tolerance.

Orange Kozambu

Ingredients:

  • 2 mandarin oranges
  • 2 tsp Peppercorns
  • 7-8 Red Chillies
  • 2 tsp Urad Dal
  • 3 tsp Chana Dal
  • 1 tsp Cumin Seeds
  • 3 tsp Coriander Seeds
  • 1 tsp Mustard Seeds
  • Tamarind piece as big as a piece of lime (make sure you remove all fibre from the tamarind as well as any seeds which may be there). Alternatively, you can use 1-2 tbsp tamarind paste
  • Salt to taste
  • 2-3 tbsp jaggery powder
  • ¼ tsp Asafoetida
  • 2 tbsp Gingelly Oil (if this oil is not available, then use the oil you use for your daily cooking)

Method:

  • Peel the oranges and remove any fibre from the peel as well as the segments.
  • Chop the orange peel into fine pieces and remove the seeds from the segments and chop them also finely.
  • Wash the peel and the segments and keep them aside.
  • In a pan, heat about 1 tbsp gingelly oil and after the oil warms up, add the tamarind piece, peppercorns, red chillies, urad dal, chana dal, asafoetida, cumin seeds and coriander seeds and fry them until the urad dal turns a golden brown colour.
  • If you are using tamarind paste, don’t add the paste to the oil, instead, you can use it while cooking the kozambu.
  • Once the spices cool down, blend them to a fine paste and keep aside.
  • Heat the balance gingelly oil and when the oil warms up, add the mustard seeds and let them splutter.
  • Then add the chopped mandarin orange peel and segments and fry for about 5-7 minutes, until the peel is fully cooked.
  • Then add the blended paste and enough water to make the kozambu to the consistency you require. This kozambu will thicken slightly when cool, so thin it accordingly.
  • Add salt to taste as well as some jaggery if you find it spicy and let it cook till the orange peel and segments are fully cooked and the mixture becomes thick and reduces.
  • Check for seasoning and switch off the gas.
  • Serve hot with rice and any curry. Potatoes go very well with this kozambu.