Kathirikai Sundakkai Vathal Kuzhambu Recipe

Here is a delicious Chettinad Vatha Kuzhambu made with sundakkai (turkey berries) and brinjal cooked in a tangy and sweet sauce of tamarind and jaggery along with a perfect blend of homemade spices. Serve it along with hot steamed rice, ghee and a poriyal for lunch or dinner.

Archana Doshi
3253 ratings.

The Kathirikai Sundakkai Vathal Kuzhambu Recipe is a delicious Chettinad style tangy gravy which is simmered along with tamarind, jaggery, homemade spices and along with sundakkai and brinjal.

Vatha meaning dried is a common ingredient that are added in Kuzhambus in Tamil Nadu and the common kind of Vatha that are used in Kuzhambus are Manathakkali, Veppam Poo and Appalam. It is traditionally called Kuzhambu when tamarind pulp and spices are combined and cooked  with dried (vatha) ingredients and sometimes with season vegetables. 

Serve this delicious Kathirikai Sundakkai Vathal Kuzhambu along with Hot Steamed RiceCapsicum Masala Poriyal Recipe and Elai Vadam for an elaborate Tamilnadu Style lunch.

If you like this recipe of Kathirikai Sundakkai Vathal Kuzhambu Recipe, here are a few more Kuzhambu Recipes you can try. 

  1. Appalam Vathal Kuzhambu Recipe (Spicy and Tangy Papad Curry)
  2. Manathakkali Kai Vathal Kuzhambu Recipe (A Spicy Tamarind Curry)
  3. Pachai Sundakkai Puli Kuzhambu Recipe (Turkey Berry Tamarind Based Gravy)

Cuisine: Chettinad
Course: Lunch
Diet: Vegetarian
Prep in

5 M

Cooks in

30 M

Total in

35 M

Makes:

4 Servings

Ingredients

  • 2 tablespoons Sundakkai (Turkey Berries)
  • 2 tablespoons Sesame (Gingelly) Oil
  • 1/2 teaspoon Mustard seeds (Rai/ Kadugu)
  • 1/4 teaspoon Methi Seeds (Fenugreek Seeds)
  • 2 sprig Curry leaves
  • 1/4 teaspoon Asafoetida (hing)
  • 12 Pearl onions (Sambar Onions) , peeled and quartered
  • 6 Brinjal (Baingan / Eggplant) , quartered and soaked in salt water
  • 50 grams Tamarind , soaked in water
  • 2 tablespoons Sambar Powder , homemade
  • 1 cup Water
  • 1 tablespoon Jaggery
  • Salt , to taste

How to make Kathirikai Sundakkai Vathal Kuzhambu Recipe

  1. To begin making Kathirikai Sundakkai Vathal Kuzhambu, prep all the ingredients and keep ready.

  2. Extract the tamarind water, until you get 2 cups of tamarind water from the soaked tamarind. Keep this aside.

  3. Heat oil in a pan over medium heat; add the sundakkai and roast until it is dark brown in colour and crisp. Once roasted, keep the sundakkai to the side.

  4. Preheat oil in a pan over medium heat, add the mustard seeds and fenugreek seeds. Allow it to crackle.

  5. Add the curry leaves, asafoetida, onion and brinjal (drain the water it was soaked in). Saute the onion and brinjal until the onion is roasted and brinjal is cooked and roasted. Cover the pan so the brinjal cooks faster.

  6. Once done, add the roasted sundakkai, tamarind water, water, homemade sambar powder, jaggery and salt. Simmer the Kathirikai Sundakkai Vathal Kuzhambu for 15 to 20 minutes until the raw taste from the tamarind goes away and the vathal kuzhambu has thickened. 

  7. Give the Kathirikai Sundakkai Vathal Kuzhambu a stir occasionally so that the gravy does not stick to the bottom. Once done, check the taste and adjust the salt and spices accordingly. Turn off the heat and transfer the Kathirikai Sundakkai Vathal Kuzhambu to a serving bowl and serve hot.

  8. Serve this delicious Kathirikai Sundakkai Vathal Kuzhambu along with Hot Steamed Rice, Capsicum Masala Poriyal Recipe and Elai Vadam for a delicious Tamilnadu Style lunch. 

Kathirikai Sundakkai Vathal Kuzhambu Recipe is part of the Indian Curry And Gravy Recipe Contest