This recipe of Ezhu kari kuzhambu| Ericha Kuzhambu |Thiruvathirai Kuzhambu is the best combination for Thiruvathirai Kali. Thiruvadharai or Aarudhra darshanam is celebrated in the month of margazhi. Ezhu Kari kuzhambu is made of seven vegetables and hence it gets the name. When I was talking to my mother this morning, she was mentioning that traditionally this was made with up to 21 vegetables. The bottom line is use as much as vegetables you get your hands on. When doing a little research on the background of this recipe, I came to know that during this month, the farmers harvest root vegetables and hence this recipe is made of many root vegetables.
What Vegetables can we use to make this Thiruvathirai Kuzhambu?
The list of vegetables that can be used (to my knowledge) are, potatoes, sweet potatoes, raw banana, sepangazhangu, senakazhangu, yellow pumpkin, white pumpkin/chow chow, mocha (Broad beans), avarakkai, bean, carrot, peas, kondakadalai (chickpeas). This recipe is also made on Pongal / Sankranthi day to accompany the Chakkara pongal (sweet Pongal). This kuzhambu is also known as ‘Ericha kuzhambu’. This used to be one of the recipes that people in olden days used to carry over and it tastes great over the period of next couple of days. Little bit more of jaggery or brown sugar is added each time the kuzhambu is heated and it is heated through entirely and thoroughly to keep it from spoiling. The ericha kuzhambu tastes wonderful with dosai.
Ingredients to make Ezhu kari kuzhambu
Vegetables (from the above list) – ½ cup to a cup of each (chopped into medium size chunks)Tamarind – lemon sizeSāmbhar powder – 1 tspToor dal – about 2 cups of cooked dalSalt- to tasteAsafetida – ½ tspCurry leaves – fewOil – for seasoningJaggery/brown sugar – 2 tbspMustard seeds – 1 tspUrad dal – 2 tsp
Fry together in a teaspoon of oil and grind into a smooth paste the following ingredients
Kadalai paruppu (channa dal) – 2 tbspCoriander seeds – 2 tbspUrad dal – 1 tbspRed chilies – 6-8 (depending on your tolerance)Coconut – ½ cup (grated)
Procedure to make Thiruvathirai Kuzhambu
Pressure cook the toor dal and keep aside.
Cut the vegetables into medium size chunks. This could be done the night before to ease the process.
Soak the tamarind in water and squeeze the juice. Combine the vegetables with the tamarind juice and add the Sāmbhar powder and asafetida. Do not add salt at this point. Let the vegetables cook well and then add the salt.
Meanwhile, fry all the ingredients mentioned and grind it into a smooth paste.
Let the ezhu kari kuzhambu boil well and check the vegetables, if they are cooked. This could take at least 45 mins, since certain root vegetables take longer to cook. Once the vegetables are cooked, add the salt and let it boil once.
Now add the ground mixture and the cooked dal and let it come to boil. Let it simmer for 15-20mins and then add the jaggery.
Season the thiruvathirai kuzhambu with mustard seeds, urad dal, asafetida, and curry leaves. Serve hot with kali.
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