Kongu Thakkali Kuzhambu | Coimbatore Style Vegan Tomato Curry

Sharing is caring!

Kongu Thakkali Kuzhambu is a delicious side dish served with Idli, Dosa, uttapam, rice in the Kongunad region of Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu. Yes I know it is difficult to understand the meaning of the first 3 words in the title for my non south Indian friends and so is it for me. Kongu/Kongunad is a region in Combatore. Thakkali means tomato and Kuzhambu means a watery based dish. It can be watery like a broth or thick like a gravy.

Varieties of Kuzhambu

There are a number of varieties of kuzhambu and each state in the south or I would say each house has its own variety. Kuzhambu can be made with or without dal. There are varieties of kuzhambu such as paruppu (dal) kuzhambu and pattani kuzhambu that contains lentils but a vast majority do not contain dal beyond a small quantity used for tempering. (Source Wiki)

Preparation of Kuzhambu

The preparation of kuzhambu varies greatly with the type of kuzhambu prepared but the basic preparation is more or less the same. The basic preparation method includes the tempering of curry leaves, mustard seeds, cumin seeds, red pepper, and dal in coconut oil or sesame oil. If it has vegetables, they are cut and shallow fried along with shallots, garlic, and tomatoes. Salt and spices are added next and the dish is cooked for 15-20 minutes and usually served with idli, dosa, or rice.

Why Kuzhambu?

So for this month, we are virtually traveling to Tamil Nadu for our group Shhhhh Cooking Secretly Challenge. I was paired with Priya Vijaykrishnan who blogs at Sweet Spicy Tasty. She has a wonderful collection of typical south Indian recipes. She prepared this delicious Thiruvaadhirai Kootu with the 2 secret ingredients I gave to her, turmeric and lentil of her choice.

Now it was a tough job to be paired with a South Indian for a South Indian Cuisine :-). She gave me 2 secret ingredients Coriander and cumin seeds and was kind enough to even change them if I need them. Thank You Priya for the versatile ingredients, I was able to recreate a new dish.

However, I did accept the challenge and had a few ideas in my mind. But in some, it was coriander and some cumin. I wanted a mix of both and something which will slip into my daily food and is easy to cook with easily available ingredients. I know at times I make it difficult for myself but in the end, I get an easy and delicious recipe for myself and my readers.

Searching for recipes leads me to multiple sights having different Kongu Thakkali Kuzhambu recipes. So what I did was a mix of multiple recipes to adapt to what I had in my pantry and to please our taste buds. Since I make idli often and have gotten bored with the usual Sambhar, Chutney or Podi on the side. I decided to make this easy and lip-smacking Kongu Thakkali Kuzhambu.

I would say the flavour does intensify after a few hours. So in the evening when I asked my husband to try even he liked it. I was very doubtful of this as the curry has shallots in it and my DH does not like much of onion. But all the flavours were infused nicely and we enjoyed some on their own as a soup and some with rice.

What goes in Kongu Thakkali Kuzhambu

As said earlier, the recipe is quite simple. It first involves a tadka in mustard seeds, curry leaves, dal, red chilly, and shallots. The shallots are then cooked till they are soft and translucent. Chopped tomatoes are being added next, cooked further for 5-6 minutes until mushy. Then goes in fresh coconut and everything is pureed to a fine paste once cooled. Water is added to desired consistency. The curry was then cooked further for 15-20 minutes.

Fennel seeds in the curry here give a nice flavor and the gram dal a nice texture. I have not used any tamarind here but one can add a bit of it if you need it more on the sour side.

So here goes the recipe for Kongu Thakkali Kuzhambu

Few More Regional recipes

• Baked Shana Jhieg | Meghalaya Starter/ Snack
• Sana Thongba | Manipuri Paneer curry (No onion, No Garlic)
• Chakki ki Sabji |Ate ki Sabji (Tangy and Spicy Gravy with whole wheat flour dumplings)
• Idli Podi
• Akki Roti
• Kashmiri Dum Aloo (No Onion, No Garlic)
• Authentic Pakodi/Pakoda Kadhi
• Mizoram’s Panch Phoran Tarkari
• No Oil Tomato Chutney from Nagaland
• Odia’s Sapuri khatta | Pineapple Sweet & Sour Chutney
• Dal Makhani | Indian Style Creamy Black Lentils
• Moong Dal Pakoda (Fritters)
• Thukpa | Vegetable Noodle Soup

Kongu Thakkali Kuzhambu | Coimbatore Style Vegan Tomato Curry

Kongu Thakkali Kuzhambu (Vegan Tomato Curry) is a delicious side dish served with idli, dosa, uttapam, rice in the Kongunad region of Coimbatore, Tamilnadu.

4.95 from 19 votes

Print Pin Rate Save Saved!

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Indian, Tamil Nadu

Keyword: Gluten Free, Vegan, Vegetables

Prep Time: 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 30 minutes minutes

Cooling Time: 15 minutes minutes

Author: Renu Agrawal-Dongre

Ingredients

To saute and grind

• 1 tbsp Coconut oil
• 1 tbsp Chana (graDal
• 1-2 Dry Red chilly
• 1/4 tsp turmeric
• 1 tsp Coriander Seeds
• 1/2 tsp Cumin seeds
• 1 tsp Sambar Masala ** Refer notes for Gluten-Intolerance
• 8-10 Curry leaves
• 1/2 tsp Black Peppercorns
• 1/2 tsp Fennel seeds
• 3-4 Tomatoes
• 2-3 Shallot Onions
• 1/2 Cup fresh coriander
• Salt
• 3-4 cup water

For Tempering

• 1 tsp Coconut Oil
• 1 tsp mustard seeds
• 1 shallot onion roughly chopped
• 1/4 Cup Fresh grated coconut or Desiccated Coconut

Instructions

To saute and grind

• Heat oil in a pan.
• Once hot add in the channa dal, dry chillies, curry leaves.
• Saute for a few seconds.
• Now add in the fennel seeds, cumin, pepper corns and coriander seeds and give a quick stir.
• Stir fry this on low until aromatic.
• Now add the chopped onions and shallow fry until it is translucent.
• Add in the chopped tomatoes, turmeric powder and salt.
• Cook this on slow until the tomatoes are soft and mushy.
• Now add the freshly grated coconut and cook it further for 5 mins.
• Switch off and let this cool.
• Once cooled, grind it into a smooth paste with enough water.

Kongu Thakkali Kuzhambu | Coimbatore Style Vegan Tomato Curry

• Heat oil in a large wok or a pot.
• Once hot add in the mustard seeds and curry leaves.
• Let it crackle. Now add in the shallots and stir fry again until translucent on slow.
• Once done add in the paste, sambar masala and 2-3 cups of water or as desired.
• Let the mixture come to a boil. Then let this simmer on low for 10-15 minutes until the raw flavour goes.
• Garnish with coriander and serve it with rice or Idli.

Notes

• Tamarind can be added if one likes the curry to be on the sour side.
• Red chilies can be adjusted to taste.
• Check the ingredients of Sambar Masala for gluten intolerance thoroughly. 
• Sambar Masala might have Asafoetida
• Asafoetida (Hing) powder available in shops contains wheat and is not gluten-free. Gluten intolerant people can either skip it completely or opt for Gluten Free Asafoetida (Hing)

 

Tried this recipe?Share your feedback @cookwithrenu_ad or tag #cookwithrenu_ad

Disclaimer: I am not a nutritionist. The nutritional information is provided as a courtesy and is an estimate only. It varies depending upon the product types or brands.

Tried this recipe? Please comment and rate the recipe. Share your pics and tag us.

Subscribe to my email list to get the new recipes straight into your mailbox.

Disclaimer & Privacy Policy

Sharing is caring!