Spicy, tangy Vendaikkai puli kuzhambu made with fresh ladies finger, spice powders and tamarind.
This puli kuzhambu tastes wonderful with hot steamy rice and appalam. A simple potato roast or carrot poriyal or cabbage poriyal would also make a wonderful combo.
Ladies finger has a unique taste and consumed by a vast variety of people all over India. Bhindi masala and roti is one pair that you can see in many North Indian homes for dinner or lunch.
Also today I used rice flour mix as a thickening agent for this kulambu. You can also use ground coconut paste/coconut milk instead of rice flour. Or leave it as is without any extra thickening item and it is perfectly fine. This Bendakaya pulusu will be good to store for up to one week.
Vendaikkai puli kuzhambu | Ladies finger in tamarind gravy
Few tasty tamarind based gravies are:
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Vendaikkai puli kuzhambu | Ladies finger tamarind gravy
Ingredients
Ingredients:
- 250 g Ladies finger (Vendaikkai)
- 2 tbsp gingelly oil
- ½ tsp mustard
- ½ tsp fenugreek seeds
- 1 tsp urad dal
- 1 onion (8 shallots/small onions)
- 4 garlic
- 1 to mato
- ¼ tsp turmeric powder
- ¾ tsp chilli powder
- ½ tsp sambar/kulambu powder
- 1 cup tamarind water (lemon size tamarind)
- ¾ tsp salt (as per taste)
- 1 cup water
- 1 tsp rice flour
Instructions
Preparation:
- Wash and pat dry the ladies finger vegetable with a cotton cloth.
- Chop them to an inch sized pieces.
- Cut onions and crush garlic pods, keep ready.
- Soak tamarind in warm water for 15 mins, squeeze and extract thick water, keep aside.
- Mix rice flour with water with a fork, keep ready. This acts as a thickening agent.
Recipe:
- Heat gingelly oil, add mustard seeds and let them splutter.
- Add fenugreek seeds and urad dal, fry them to golden color.
- Now add shallots/onion and curry leaves.
- Saute onions until they become soft and add garlic pods.
- Add chopped ladies finger and saute well for few minutes.
- Keep sauteing well the vegetable until the slimy fibers of okra disappear completely.
- In a few minutes of open frying in medium heat, ladies finger shrinks in size.
- Add tomato now and cook for a few minutes.
- Put turmeric powder, chilli powder and sambar/kulambu chilli powder.
- Mix and add some water to cover and cook the vegetable.
- Add salt and tamarind water. Let the tamarind and salt extracted by bhindi for few minutes.
- Finally, add the rice flour mix and cook two minutes until the gravy becomes thick.
Video
Notes
1) First of all, use dry Vendaikkai pieces and make sure to dry them well with a cotton cloth before cooking. Extra moisture makes the gravy slimy.
2) Next fry the vegetable with onion in oil well before adding tomato.
3) Further, the rice flour mix acts as a thickening agent and you can just avoid it or use coconut milk instead of rice flour. I prefer my kulambu to be thick and less sour hence I add rice flour towards the end.
Nutrition
Preparation:
- Wash and pat dry the ladies finger vegetable with a cotton cloth.
- Chop them to an inch sized pieces.
- Cut onions and crush garlic pods, keep ready.
- Soak tamarind in warm water for 15 mins, squeeze and extract thick water, keep aside.
- Mix rice flour with water with a fork, keep ready. This acts as a thickening agent.
Recipe:
- Heat gingelly oil, add mustard seeds and let them splutter.
- Add fenugreek seeds and urad dal, fry them to golden color.
- Now add shallots/onions and curry leaves.
- Saute onions until they become soft and add garlic pods.
- Add chopped ladies finger and saute well for few minutes.
- Keep sauteing well the vegetable until the slimy fibers of okra disappear completely. In a few minutes of open frying in medium heat, ladies finger shrinks in size. Add tomato now and cook for a few minutes.
- Put turmeric powder, chilli powder and sambar/kulambu chilli powder.
- Mix and add some water to cover and cook the vegetable for 5mins.
- Add salt and tamarind water. Let the tamarind and salt extracted by bhindi for few minutes.
- Finally, add the rice flour mix and cook for two minutes until the gravy becomes thick.
Tips:
1) First of all, use dry Vendaikkai pieces and make sure to dry them well with a cotton cloth before cooking. Extra moisture makes the gravy slimy.
2) Next fry the vegetable with onion in oil well before adding tomato.
3) Further, the rice flour mix acts as a thickening agent and you can just avoid it or use coconut milk instead of rice flour. I prefer my kulambu to be thick and less sour hence I add rice flour towards the end.
Serving suggestions:
Serve this Vendakka puli kulambu with hot boiled rice and these side fry items for a delicious lunch.
