We normally eat vathakuzhambu rice with sutta appalam or fried appalam. But making vathakuzhambu with that very same appalam which is used as a side dish as the main ingredient is something that can be used as both the dish and its accompaniment. Vathakuzhambu a traditional South Indian Tambrahm dish is generally prepared with sundried vegetables, berries or even fresh veggies. The spices added to it enhance the taste of the dish and so do the veggies added to it.
The ingredients needed to make this Appala Vathakuzhambu:
Gingely OIl - 4 tbsp
Pappad - 4 or 5 nos
Mustard seeds - 1/4 tsp
Methi seeds - 1/4 tsp
Red Chilly - 2 nos
Channa dal - 1 tsp
Curry leaves - 1 tbsp
Manathakkali vathal - 2 tbsp (optional)
Vathakuzhambu powder - 4 tbsp
Asafodeita Powder - 1/4 tsp
Methi Powder - 1/4 tsp
Sesame seeds powder - 1/2 tsp
Tamarind - 1 lemon size tamarind
or
Tamarind paste - 6 tbsp
Salt - to taste (Better use crystalized rock salt -Kal uppu)
Method:
Add 1 1/2 cups of water to Tamarind Paste. Or prepare a thick extract from the lemon sized tamarind soaked in warm water for about 15 mins.
Cut the appalams or pappadams into small pieces. Fry them and set aside to remove the oil from it.
In a hard bottom pan add 2 tbsp of gingely oil and heat it. Add mustard seeds and when it splutters add the fenugreek seeds, channa dal, curry leavess and red chillies. Saute them well. Once the channa dal starts turning golden, add the manathakkali vathal if you are adding it and fry it till it gets crispier. Add the vathakuzhambu powder and let it get fried in the oil.. Now add turmeric powder and salt to the tamarind extract and add it slowly to the pan. Keep stirring till everything gets mixed well. Reduce the flame to medium and let it boil till the oil starts oozing out from the sides. Now add another tbsp of oil and keep it covered for about 3 mins. Open and let it simmer to semi thick paste like consistency. Add the fried pappad, another spoon of oil, methi powder and sesame powder.
Do not mix. Just cover so that the taste and smell of the powders seep in. It will enhance the taste of the kuzhambu. Before serving give it a stir and serve it with hot rice ghee or gingelly oil. Or serve it as a side dish to curd rice.
Instead of adding pappad and let it soak and making it get soggy, you can add it just before serving and immerse it and serve it so that the crispiness of the pappads are not lost fully.
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