Vathakuzhambu

Vathakuzhambu is a traditional dish from South India which is served with white rice, papads. This tangy, sweety, spicy gravy tastes good with a side of any fry or pappads. I have been eating this Vathakuzhambu since childhood and enjoyed this dish with my favorite baby potato fry or Bindi fry. Mostly my mom and my grandma prepare this dish in the same way and their versions are unbeatable. I was fortunate to taste my grandma's Vathakuzhambu even at her 85th age. Recently she passed away after having suffered terribly in the bed for more than 2-3 years. Somehow this dish reminds me more of her.  I love my Grandma and this is my tribute to my lovely special Grandma, my Patty.

Ingredients

Thick Tamarind Extract  -  2 Cups

Small Onions \ Shallots -  10

Oil - 2 tbsp

Gingelly Oil - 1 tbsp

Turmeric Powder - 1 tsp

Sambar Powder - 2 tbsp

Coriander Powder - 1\2 tbsp

Red Chilli powder - 2 tsp

Jaggery - 1 small piece

Salt - To Taste

Water  - 1 cup

Mustard Seeds - 3 tsp

Jeera \ Cumin Seeds - 1 tsp

Hing \ Asafoetida - 1 Dash

Thoor Dal \ Thuvaram Paruppu \ Kandhi Pappu - 1 tbsp

Dry Red Chilli - 1 or 2.

Curry Leaves - 1 stem.

Method

1. Make a thick Tamarind Extract and keep it ready. Cut the small onions and keep them ready too.
2. Keep all the ingredients handy before starting the preparation.
3. In a round thick bottomed vessel, add oil first. ( Not the Gingelly Oil now). When its heated, add Hing, Mustard Seeds, Cumin Seeds, Thuvar Dal , Dry red chillies, Curry leaves in the order and fry them.
4. When its done, add the small sambar onions and fry them till they turn golden brown.
5. On a low flame, add all the required powders to the contents in the vessel and fry them along with the contents well.
6. Now add the extracted tamarind juice, jaggery, salt and water. Mix everything together and allow them to boil on a medium flame for few minutes with the lid covered.
7. Open the lid and check to see whether the gravy is completely set with no raw smell of the tamarind juice.
8. Finally you could confirm the completion by noticing some oil oozing out of the gravy and the gravy would have become thicker in consistency.
9. Now the tangy, spicy Vethakuzhambu is ready to eat with hot white rice.

Tips \ Variations

Try to make the Vethakuzhambu with some dried Vathals like "Manathakkali Vathal , Sundaikai Vathal, etc." It tastes good with real Vathals. This time I tried using small onions.

Don't forget to add a small piece of Jaggery which is the taste maker to the Kuzhambu.

If you are making this for a festival or for special occasions, you can gracefully add little more Gingelly Oil to make it more delicious and flavourful.