Minimal ingredients, fresh roasted spices and a kick from both black peppercorns & garlic – that’s Poondu Milagu Kuzhambu – best with hot rice and a dollop of ghee! Easy recipe with step-wise pictures for Poondu Milagu Kuzhambu – Garlic Pepper Gravy.
We all need recipes that are simple, easy to make and are delicious with hot rice. Today’s recipe of Poondu Milagu Kuzhambu is one such recipe. If you overlook the humongous task of peeling the garlic, there are no other vegetables and there is zero chopping. This Kuzhambu, Garlic Pepper curry gets done in less than 30 mins and is perfect with hot rice & a dollop of ghee. As it happened, we were out of all vegetables and our fridge was empty – a common sight ever since the lockdown. Except for potatoes, onions and tomatoes we were out of every other cold stored vegetable. In such occasions I always end up making Poondu Kara Kuzhambu but I am running dangerously low levels of my mother-in-law’s sambar powder. I have to make a new batch in my blender and until then, I am preserving every bit of her sambar powder.
So I wanted to make a Kuzhambu that didn’t use Sambar Powder and is quick to make. I stumbled on this recipe from Agrahara recipes Youtube channel. There is something very soothing and relaxing about our elder generation cooking – it is very natural, nothing is made up and I even love their cute goof-ups! I got inspired by this recipe and with small changes to suit our taste preferences, I ended up making this Poondu Milagu Kuzhambu. On a side note, I want to shoot my mom’s cooking but she wont budge even after pestering for years now. So I take every chance to learn recipes her way and document them here, she on the other hand, tries other stuff from here 😀
What I like the most about this recipe is that it is not just garlic and black peppercorns in this curry but a lot of other spices freshly roasted and ground to make the base of the Poondu Milagu Kuzhambu! Apart from the spices, I also used a batch of homegrown curry leaves – such a flavorful addition and it nearly took my recipe closer to the Karuveppilai Kuzhambu but with an extra kick of black pepper. I made a big batch of it which stayed really fresh in the fridge and worked great after reheating in microwave the next day! If you don’t like garlic, you can totally skip it. Or if you want more texture in the curry, add shallots or finely chopped onions. All you need is hot rice and some ghee, additionally fryums would be great – super delicious meal done!
How to make Poondu Milagu Kuzhambu | Garlic Pepper Curry
📖 Recipe
Poondu Milagu Kuzhambu | Garlic Pepper Curry
Equipment
- Thick Bottomed Kadai/Fry Pan
- Blender
MEASUREMENT
1 cup = 250ml, 1 tablespoon = 15ml, 1 teaspoon = 5ml
Ingredients
To Roast and Grind –
- 1.5 teaspoon Black Peppercorns
- 2 teaspoon Coriander Seeds
- 1.5 teaspoon Urad Dal
- 1.5 teaspoon Toor Dal
- 1 teaspoon Cumin Seeds
- 4 Dried Red Chillies
- ½ teaspoon Fenugreek Seeds
- ¼ cup Fresh Curry Leaves
- ¼ teaspoon Asafoetida
- 1 teaspoon Oil
- Salt as needed
- Water as needed
To make Gravy –
- 10-15 Garlic Pods
- 2 tablespoon Gingelly Oil/Sesame Oil
- ½ teaspoon Mustard Seeds
- ¼ teaspoon Asafoetida
- 1.5 tablespoon Tamarind Paste
- 2 teaspoon Jaggery Powder
- ½ teaspoon Turmeric Powder
- Salt as needed
- Water as needed
- Few Fresh Curry Leaves
Instructions
- In a pan heat 1 teaspoon oil. Add Urad Dal, Toor Dal, Black Peppercorns, Fenugreek Seeds, Dried Red Chillies, Coriander Seeds and fry on low flame until golden.
- Once the spices are roasted and are golden brown, add cumin seeds and asafoetida (I used solid/katti perungayam for extra flavor). Fry for another couple of minutes.
- Now add fresh curry leaves and fry for 3-4 mins.
- Add salt, mix well and let the mixture cool down completely.
- Blend into a smooth paste by adding water as needed.
- In the same pan, heat 2 tablespoon Gingelly Oil. Add mustard seeds, asafoetida and garlic pods. Fry for a couple of minutes and then add curry leaves.
- Now add the prepared spice paste. Wash down the blender jar with some water and add it to the pan too.
- Add turmeric powder, tamarind paste and jaggery powder.
- Add salt as needed. Mix well.
- Let it cook on low flame for 12-15 mins until it is bubbling and oil oozes out from the sides. Adjust the consistency of the curry by adding more water or cooking further to reduce it.
- Serve hot with rice with a drizzle of gingelly oil or ghee.
Nutrition
Detailed step-wise picture recipe of making Poondu Milagu Kuzhambu | Garlic Pepper Curry
In a pan heat 1 teaspoon oil. Add Urad Dal, Toor Dal, Black Peppercorns, Fenugreek Seeds, Dried Red Chillies, Coriander Seeds and fry on low flame until golden.
Once the spices are roasted and are golden brown, add cumin seeds and asafoetida (I used solid/katti perungayam for extra flavor). Fry for another couple of minutes.
Now add fresh curry leaves and fry for 3-4 mins.
Add salt, mix well and let the mixture cool down completely.
Blend into a smooth paste by adding water as needed.
In the same pan, heat 2 tablespoon Gingelly Oil. Add mustard seeds, asafoetida and garlic pods. Fry for a couple of minutes and then add curry leaves.
Now add the prepared spice paste. Wash down the blender jar with some water and add it to the pan too.
Add turmeric powder, tamarind paste and jaggery powder.
Add salt and water as needed. Mix well.
Let it cook on low flame for 12-15 mins until it is bubbling and oil oozes out from the sides. Adjust the consistency of the curry by adding more water or cooking further to reduce it.
Serve hot with rice with a drizzle of gingelly oil or ghee.
Recipe Notes
- Adjust spices as per preference.
- Both curry leaves and garlic are optional, can be avoided if unavailable.
- Adjust the amount of tamarind paste and jaggery powder depending on the taste preference.
I would be delighted to know if you have tried this recipe, don’t forget to share your feedback and comments below. If you have any questions, you can e-mail me! I am also available on Facebook, Pinterest, Instagram and Twitter 🙂
Claudia
This turned out absolutely fantastic. I am drooling just thinking about it. What a perfect meal.
Ramya
Thank you so much 🙂