Kuzhambu facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Kuzhambu

Ennai kathirikkai kuzhambu (Stuffed eggplant kuzhambu)
Place of origin	Tamil Nadu, India
Region or state	South India and Sri Lanka
Created by	/
Main ingredients	tamarind, vegetables

Kuzhambu (Tamil: குழம்பு, pronounced Koo-luhm-boo) is a very popular and tasty dish from Tamil Nadu in India and Sri Lanka. It's a bit like a stew or gravy, and its main flavor comes from tamarind. You can find it with different meats, vegetables, or sometimes lentils.

Kuzhambu is usually a watery dish. It starts with a base made from tamarind and a mix of spices. These spices often include ground coriander seeds, fenugreek, and a type of lentil called toor dal. You can add fresh or dried vegetables to it. Sometimes, fresh coconut or dried lentil balls, called vadagam (Tamil: வடகம்), are also used.

This dish can be thin like a soup or thick like a gravy. It's a favorite side dish to eat with rice. You'll find it especially popular in southern India, in places like Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, and Kerala. In other parts of India, like Telangana and Andhra Pradesh, Kuzhambu is known as Pulusu. In Karnataka, it's called Saaru. There are so many kinds of Kuzhambu, with each area and family having their own special way to make it!

Some people think that lentils (dal) are always a main part of Kuzhambu. But that's not quite right! While some types, like paruppu (Tamil: பருப்பு, meaning dal) Kuzhambu, do have lentils, most Kuzhambu dishes only use a small amount of dal for flavor or when they start cooking the spices.

How to Make Kuzhambu

Making Kuzhambu can be a bit different depending on the type you want to create. But there are some basic steps that are usually followed.

First, you start by heating some vegetable oil in a pan. Then, you add whole spices like curry leaves, black mustard seeds, cumin seeds, and dry red chili pepper. Sometimes, split urad dal is also added at this stage. This step is called "tempering" and it helps bring out the flavors of the spices.

Next, if your Kuzhambu will have vegetables, you cut them up and add them to the pan. Small onions called shallots and garlic usually go in first. After that, you might add pureed or diced tomatoes. Then, salt and ground spices (which are often mixed beforehand) are added. Finally, you pour in tamarind juice, which is made by soaking tamarind in water, or you can use tamarind concentrate mixed with water.

If you're making Kuzhambu with meat or fish, you first cook the vegetables as described. Then, you add the meat or fish and let it mix with the cooked vegetables. After that, a special broth made from ground coconut, water, and a spice mix (masala) is added. Meat Kuzhambu is usually thicker than vegetable versions. The dish then cooks for about 20 minutes and is typically served hot with rice.

Different Kinds of Kuzhambu

Mor Kuzhambu aka Buttermilk curry

Poondu Kuzhambu

Meen Kuḻambu

There are hundreds of different kinds of Kuzhambu popular in Tamil cuisine! Here's a small list of some common ones. All these types usually have a base of tamarind, urad and toor dals, and spices like curry leaves, chili, and salt. Many also include tomatoes or tomato juice.