Karamani kuzhambu | Thatta payaru kuzhambu
This delicious and slightly tangy curry is made with karamani, onions, tomatoes, tamarind extract, spices and ground coconut paste. Serve this curry with hot steamed rice topped with sesame oil with a side of appalams or vadams.
Equipment
- 1 Pressure Cooker
- 1 High speed blender
- 1 Kadai
Ingredients
- ½ cup karamani red or white
For tempering
- 1 tbsp oil
- ½ tsp mustard seeds
- ½ tsp split urad dal
- ½ tsp cumin seeds
For kuzhambu
- ⅓ cup chopped shallots or onions
- 1 tbsp chopped garlic cloves
- 1 sprig curry leaves
- 2 dry red chillies
- ½ tsp turmeric powder
- 1 big tomato chopped
- 1 tbsp tamarind
- 3 to 4 brinjals
- ½ tbsp sambar powder or
- 1 tsp coriander powder + 1 tsp red chili powder
- ¼ tsp asafoetida
- ¼ tsp fenugreek powder optional
- Coriander leaves
- Salt to taste
For coconut paste
- ⅓ cup tightly packed shredded coconut
- 1 tsp fennel seeds
Instructions
Cooking karamani / thatta payaru / cowpea
- Wash and soak the karamani for 4 to 6 hours. You can even soak them overnight.
- Next, take them in a pressure cooker and add a little salt. Add water till it covers the karamani.
- Close the pressure cooker and cook for 5 whistles on medium flame and simmer for 5 minutes. Let the pressure release naturally. Your karamani is cooked and ready to use. Keep it aside.
- If you forgot to soak the karamani, dry roast them in a pan on medium flame till it turns aromatic and slightly browned. You can continue to pressure cook the karamani as mentioned above. Check for doneness. If it's not cooked properly, pressure cook again for 3 whistles and let the pressure release naturally.
Preparation of tamarind water
- Take one tablespoon of tamarind in a bowl. Add warm or hot water till it covers the tamarind. Let it rest for 10 minutes.
- After 10 minutes mix everything together with hands applying little pressure and separate the tamarind pith. The remaining water is the tamarind extract.
Preparation of coconut paste
- In a mixer jar, add the shredded coconut and fennel seeds. Add a little bit of water and blend into a smooth paste. Coconut paste is ready.
Making karamani kuzhambu
- Heat oil in a pan. Once the oil is hot enough add mustard seeds. Once the mustard seeds crackle add split urad dal. Once the dal is browned add cumin seeds.
- Next add chopped onions, garlic and curry leaves.
- Add salt, turmeric powder and saute everything till the onions turn translucent.
- Now add chopped tomatoes.
- Cook till the tomatoes turn mushy.
- Chop brinjal into bite sized pieces and add to the pan.
- Add a little bit of water and cover and cook till the brinjals are cooked.
- Next add sambar powder or red chili powder and coriander powder.
- Add tamarind extract.
- Now add cooked karamani and bring it to a boil.
- Add the ground coconut paste.
- Add required water.
- Bring everything to a boil and cover and cook for 10 minutes on low flame.
- When the oil floats on top after 10 minutes add chopped coriander leaves and switch off the stove.
- Serve with hot steamed rice!!
Notes
- You can replace brinjals with bottle gourd, drumsticks or even potatoes.
- You can replace karamani with brown chickpeas and make this curry.
- Preferably use shallots instead of onions and try not to skip the garlic as these both give a unique flavour to the curry.
- Try to use sesame oil for tempering for an authentic and unique flavour.