Blogging Marathon #137 Week 2, Day 1
Theme : Gravies made with Lentils/Beans

Poricha Kuzhambu was one of those staple recipes at my home. It would get repeated at least a few times in a month. The versatility of the dish makes it an easy dish to repeat. You can make this with whatever leftover veggies you have in your fridge. I usually stick with the combination here, swapping out brinjal for chow chow every now and then.

This recipe has three main components. One is the cooked veggies, other is the cooked dal and the third and most important one – the ground coconut paste that combines everything together and brings in a ton of taste and flavor.

My mother and grand mother used to cut out the spice level in this recipe. They would use only one chili and also no pepper. Also sometimes they don’t bother with the roasting part too. They just grind everything together and still it turns out good. That’s the beauty of recipes like these- your own version is going to be unique and still would taste good!

Read on for the recipe.

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup toor dal
• 1 medium carrot, diced
• 1 cup chopped beans
• 1 chayote/chow chow, peeled and chopped
• 1 medium potato, peeled and chopped
• 1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder
• Salt as needed
• To roast and grind:
  • 1 teaspoonful oil
  • 1 teaspoon jeera seeds
  • 1 teaspoon black pepper Corns
  • 2 red chilies
  • 1 small piece of hing
  • 1/4 cup coconut
• For Tadka
  • 1 teaspoon oil
  • 1/2 teaspoon mustard seeds
  • 1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds
  • a sprig of curry leaves
  • 1 red chili, broken
  • 1/2 teaspoon urad dal

Method:

1. Pressure cook dal. Keep aside.
2. Cut the veggies into even sized cubes. Add everything to a thick based pot and add enough water to submerge the veggies. Add turmeric powder and salt as needed and cover and cook until veggies are done.
3. In a small pan, add oil, roast the cumin, hing, red chilies and peppercorns. Once it changes color slightly, remove from heat and grind it with coconut until everything becomes a very smooth paste, adding water as needed.
4. Once veggies are cooked, add this ground paste to it. Mix well and let it cook for a couple of minutes.
5. Now add the cooked dal. Mix and let it cook for a couple more minutes. Add more water if you want a runny consistency for the kuzhambu. Check salt and make adjustments. Remove from heat, set aside.
6. Make a Tadka using oil, mustard seeds, jeera, red chilies, curry leaves and urad dal. Add to the kuzhambu, serve with rice or quinoa.