Onion Garlic Spicy Curry/Vengayam Poondu Vathal Kulambu

Table of contents

1. About the dish
2. Preparation time
3. Cooking time
4. Ingredient
5. Preparation

1. About the dish

Vathal kulambu is a traditional and authentic dish of  Tamil Nadu, a state in southern part of India. Vathal means sun dried and kulambu means curry. The perfect blend of tangy and spicy of sambar powder (combination coriander, chili, turmeric and more) make this recipe rich in flavours. My Mom defines the best vathal kulambu consistency as the thickness of honey. This is one of the recipe which needs several tries to achieve the best consistency. As we tried every time, we understand how much spiciness and tanginess is needed. I almost able to achieve it after many trial and errors. I made this recipe with onion and garlic.

2. Preparation time

It takes 10 to 15 minutes to chop the ingredients and soak the tamarind (but if you are using tamarind paste you skip this). I suggest you for tamarind pulp instead of tamarind paste for the best taste.

3. Cooking time

 

It takes almost 20 minutes to make the curry like paste.

4. Ingredients

The ingredient listed below for the people of two.

Onion                   -  1 big onion
Garlic                   -  1 cloves (9 to 10)
Tamarind              -  1 big lemon size
Sambar powder    -  2 table spoon
Turmeric               - 1/2 tea spoon
Hing                      -  1/2 tea spoon
Sesame oil             -
Salt

For seasoning

Mustard seed   - 1/2 teaspoon
Urid dhal         - 1/2 teaspoon
Chana dhal      - 1/2 teaspoon
Peanuts            - 1/2 teaspoon
Curry leaf

5. Preparation

1. Soak the tamarind in water for 10 minutes, Use the water as required to keep the tamarind water as thick as possible.
2. After 10 minutes, strain the tamarind water from its pulp and keep the thick tamarind water as side.
3. Now take a pan or kadai, add 2 table spoon of sesame oil. Once it gets heated, add 1/2 teaspoon of mustard seed, 1/2 teaspoon of urid dhal, 1/2 teaspoon of Chana dhal, 1/2 teaspoon of peanuts and some curry leaves.
4. Once all dhal gets roasted, add chopped onion and chopped garlic. Let it get well roasted or wait till onion garlic flavour emerge.
5. The important step in vathal kulambu is to add 2 tablespoons of sambar powder at this stage, let onion, garlic, and sambar powder gets roasted well. Note to keep the flame on low while adding sambar powder to avoid suffocation of the spiciness of sambar powder. To know better, I have uploaded the picture of this stage.

• After 2 minutes, add thick tamarind water to it. Also, add 1/4 teaspoon of turmeric, and hing to it.
• Finally add salt as needed. Let it boil for 10 to 15 minutes to thicken.
• After 10 minutes, vathal kulambu becomes thick and the sesame oil starts to get separated from the curry. Refer the picture below.

• After 5 minutes, as Vatha kulambu becomes as thick as honey, switch off the flame.
• I suggest to keep this curry in thick bottom and narrow pan or kadai to achieve perfect consistency.
• Finally after 20 minutes. vathal kulambu is ready to serve. 

• when the perfect consistency is achieved, it can be kept at room temperature for 4 days.
• Vathal kulambu served with pappad tastes good.