Milagu Kuzhambu with garlic and curry leaves

Name: Poondu Milagu Kuzhambu
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 20 min
Ingredients: 3-4 red chillies; 3 tsp peppercorns; 1 tsp urad dal; 15-20 curry leaves; 8-10 cloves garlic; 2 tbsp tamarind paste, diluted with 1/2 cup water; 3 tbsp sesame oil; 1 tsp mustard seeds; 1 red chilli; 4-6 curry leaves; 8-10 cloves garlic; 1/2 tsp turmeric; 1 tsp ghee (optional, use sesame oil to keep it vegan); 1 tsp jaggery; 1/2 tsp freshly cracked black pepper

April 12, 2021 (Last Updated: July 27, 2021)

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My Amma’s Poondu Milagu Kuzhambu is the perfect weekend lunch meal you are looking to reset your heart, stomach and life after a week. The flavours work beautifully – tamarind, garlic,curry leaves and pepper!

I left home in 2010 to study in Singapore. In the first year, my cooking was limited to making dishes that required no grinding – like a simple sambar, a rasam, or just eat rice with podi and curd. Of all the dishes ever, I missed this milagu kuzhambu the most. It reminded me so much of home that when Amma asked me what she can make for me during her first trip to Singapore in 2011, I asked her to make this for me.

Amma checked my simple single-shelf pantry in a shared kitchen and realized I didn’t have any peppercorns. I did have a bottle of ground pepper but no actual pepper. Then, I told her I have enough garlic when she asked me for curry leaves. Until this point, I had no idea the milagu kuzhambu I loved so much required curry leaves. I mean, why would I know – it is not green in colour!

From being that girl who had no idea what goes into this dish, I can now say I make a pretty mean milagu kuzhambu. This is my tummy reset meal after a week of eating meals like dal and rice, or rotis with sabzi and sandwiches.

This meal will make you happy.

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Poondu Milagu Kuzhambu

A flavourful, pepper gravy with garlic and spices to warm your meals. This is not very 'spicy' as the tamarind and jaggery mellow the fiery pepper!

Course Main Course

Cuisine Indian

Keyword 30 minute meals, kuzhambu, side dish

Prep Time 10

Cook Time 20

Servings 3

Ingredients

To Roast

3-4 red chillies
3 tsp peppercorns
1 tsp urad dal
15-20 curry leaves
8-10 cloves garlic

For Kuzhambu

2 tbsp tamarind paste, diluted with 1/2 cup water
3 tbsp sesame oil
1 tsp mustard seeds
1 red chilli
4-6 curry leaves
8-10 cloves garlic
1/2 tsp turmeric
1 tsp ghee optional, use sesame oil to keep it vegan
1 tsp jaggery
1/2 tsp freshly cracked black pepper

Instructions

Making the spice mix

In a pan, add a tsp of oil and roast the chillies and remove
Dry roast urad dal and peppercorns
Dry roast curry leaves
Add a tsp of oil and roast the garlic pods till mildly brown
Remove and grind to a smooth paste
Add tamarind paste/tamarind water for consistency
To the ground mixture, add required turmeric and salt

Making the Kuzhambu

In a kadai add the oil, red chilli, mustard, curry leaves and garlic
Roast garlic until golden brown
Pour the ground spice and tamarind mix to the cooked garlic
Simmer the kuzhambu for 7-8 minutes
Add a tsp of ghee/sesame oil
Add jaggery and simmer for 3-4 minutes
Add some fresh curry leaves and cracked pepper. Enjoy!

Notes

For this kuzhambu, sesame oil is ideally suited. I add ghee at the end because of my preferences. It can be skipped if you are keeping the dish vegan.
Garlic is optional in this recipe.

Step by Step Instructions on how to make Milagu Kuzhambu

Making the spice mix

In a pan, add a tsp of oil and roast the chillies and remove

Next, roast the urad dal and peppercorns

Dry roast curry leaves

Add a tsp of oil and roast the garlic pods till mildly brown

Remove and grind to a smooth paste

Add tamarind paste/tamarind water for consistency

To the ground mixture, add required turmeric and salt

Making Milagu Kuzhambu

In a kadai add the oil, red chilli, mustard, curry leaves and garlic

Roast garlic until golden brown

Pour the ground spice and tamarind mix to the cooked garlic

Simmer the kuzhambu for 7-8 minutes

Add a tsp of ghee/sesame oil

Add jaggery and simmer for 3-4 minutes

Add some fresh curry leaves and cracked pepper. Enjoy!

This recipe was first shared in my Instagram on February 28, 2021

I shared this on Instagram a few weeks ago and was soon flooded with so many recreating it in their kitchens. There was a sense of comfort, I suppose in knowing that even if going home is not possible, it is possible to bring home to us in a pot of kuzhambu.

Please leave a comment below if you made this recipe, have any questions or thoughts! Your comment will help me learn more about your preferences and will help other readers.