24 November, 2006

Tomato Kulambu

Cold weather, chill in the air, grey sky, naked trees, damp roads, slippery footpath, grumpy faces…. Yup… its winter…
Christmas lights, cosy couch, warm blanket, sizzling cup of coffee, hot bowl of soup, beautiful memories… Yup… it’s also a winter.
Winter has two faces. One is that of cold and gloomy and another of warmth and cosiness. Choice is ours to make. Every season has its own charm, its own beauty… So why most of us neglect that and look at negatives? May be its human nature… I have seen many people grumbling for summer in winter and winter in summer. This way they forget to enjoy life. The life has so many things to offer. So why don’t we enjoy our present than brooding over past and dreaming about future.
Mmmm... As far as I’m considered, when it comes to food in winter it has to be spicy, hot and peppery… What else can be better than hot and spicy Chettinadu Kulambu to beat the cold winter? So here is my second Chettinadu recipe, Tomato Kulambu.

Tomato Kulambu

Ingredients:
4-5 medium sized Tomatoes, cut into big cubes
3-4 Green Chillies, sliced
Few Curry Leaves
2 medium Onions, sliced lengthwise
1/2 tsp Turmeric Powder
1 cup Tarmarind Extract
1 tsp Black Pepper Powder
1 tsp Jaggary
To Grind I:
5-6 Red Chillies
1/4 inch Ginger
1/2 tsp Jeera/Cumin Seeds
2 tbsp Grated Coconut
To Grind II:
1/4 cup Grated Fresh Coconut
2 tsp Poppy Seeds

Hot and Spicy Tomato Kulambu

Method:
Heat little oil and fry green chillies, onion and curry leaves.
Add ground paste-I,tomato pices, turmeric powder and little water.
Cover and cook till tomatoes become soft.
Add tamarind extract and cook for few minutes in reduced flame.
Add salt, jaggary, ground paste-II and allow the gravy to come to boiling point.
Remove from fire and serve hot with plain rice.

Chettinadu Tomato Kulambu


Variations:
Omit tamarind extract and add thick coconut extract.
You can add potatoes and drumsticks along with tomatoes.

Final Verdict:
Wooha… Hot, spicy, peppery, delicious… Tomato Kulambu was all these and much more. Although it was spicy it also had a touch of sour and sweetness to it from tamarind extract and jaggary I added. The colour was rich and dark, reminded me of ruby studded gold bowl;) It did certainly kicked my cold;) I love spicy food and nothing can beat Chettinadu Kulambu. It was perfect for our cold winter night’s dinner.

Tomato Kulambu

24 comments:

  1. Supriya..woohoo..you rock my dear, simply rock. Its almost 3:00am, i am about to head to bed and i see your Tomato Kulambu. Cosh, feel like going to the kitchen and making it right now...~soft smile~...lovely dish...you are right about the winter though...i just popped out tonite, it very drizzly and dank BUT loved it..yes but then the next day..i am want the summer...go figure!!...its all in the mood i guess...take care...peace my friend...i am off to la la land...~soft smile~..

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  2. hey suppi :
    i loved the way u wrote about the winter ...yup i love winter too and even A ...all the more hugging and cuddling plus everything looks so very dull yet so very romantic ...to add zest to all this ur dish looks yummmmmmmmm ..spicy the food them i am definately in to try it out ....
    luvs
    Seema

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  3. Looks so nice Supriya. Nice presentation as usual. Tks for sharing. Viji

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  4. Supriya,I have always wanted to learn how to make kulambu.I always wondered if it was any similar to the familiar andhra dish called Pulusu.Thanks for the recipe,dear,sure will make it now.

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  5. Hey Supriya,
    nice curry with tomato. i love tomato in each way :) . will give this too a try some time.
    Hey, Next veg 0f wwek is -spinach & fenugreek. Can i consider you in ? Will u get time to make us feel better by your spicy dish, made of Spinch? well, do reply to this.
    thanks for being around. :)
    Hugs to you
    -Pooja

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  6. Hi Supriya

    I love Chettinad food. Thanks for posting this recipe. Just waiting to try it out.

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  7. hi dilip:)
    he he he... dont cook in the middle of night:)
    glad to know u liked the pics and recipe:) give it a go sometime, hope jyotsna too like it:)

    hi seema,
    he he he... u r soooooooo true:) any season is beautiful when u r with ur loved ones:) and try this lulambu, its spicy, sweet and sour:) tastes great with just plain white rice..

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  8. hi viji,
    glad u liked the presentation:) do give it a try sometime, especially in this cold winter:)

    hi vini,
    i have posted another kulambu recipe in my blog sometime back. in that i have not used any coconut. both kulambu are very good in its own way...
    i have not tried making pulusu till now.. i guess i will try it soon:)

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  9. hi pooja,
    will my palak kofta do? i'm planing to make aloo palak tomorrow but i'm not sure whether i will have enough time to post the recipe. but will try... just let me know girl... a tight hug to u too:)

    hi lakshmi,
    u are my kind of girl then... even i love chettinadu food especially kulambu. and hey i have posted another kulambu sometime back... so u can take ur pick:)

    cheers
    supriya

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  10. hi Supriya,
    That will do, but better i think if you come up with something new too. well , what ever you wish.
    both are fine.
    Thanks dear !

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  11. Oooohh..love the new layout, hot and spicy! and your "tomato kulambu' is new to me! Your description of winter is so accurate...its either the winter aahs or blahs for many..for me, you know the answer. Do post some pictures of London in the upcoming winter...after you come back, of course!

    Kudos,Trupti

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  12. wow Supriya, that looks so delicious and nice photographs.
    Cheers
    lakshmi

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  13. Hey Sia...Thanks a lot for showing your concern and visiting my blog.
    I love your blog and try to visit everyday. You click amazing pics.
    Hats off to you...!

    Nidhi (Zip Code - 43235).

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  14. hi trupti:)
    thanks girl... trying to make it little more hot and spicy.. glad u liked it;)
    and yup will post the snaps once i come back:)

    hi lakshmi,
    thanks dear:) hope u try it sometime:)

    hi nidhi,
    we r all with u:) wish they has unlimited voting, 5 votes a day is too less:) all the best to u:)

    cheers to all:) happy weekend:)

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  15. Dear Supriya..had Tomato Kulambu tonite. It was lovely. I added drumsticks and potatoes as you suggested. It was great. Many thanks for sharing...~smile~

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  16. Looks awesome, Supriya! Tomatoes are crazily expensive right now (ok thats an exaggeration, but it IS costlier right now). But I'm saving this for later. :)

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  17. hi dilip,
    just love ur enthu:) i'm really glad that u tried kulambu and liked it:)

    hi vani,
    he he he.. shall i send u some tomatoes from here?;) i have got big box of them:)

    cheers
    supriya

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  18. Hi Supriya,

    Excellent presentation,Chettinadu kuzhambhu.....I heard their dishes will be spicy as well as v.tasty.I got chance to have only twice...

    Will try surely dear...

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  19. Hi Supriya,

    Excellent presentation,Chettinadu kuzhambhu.....I heard their dishes will be spicy as well as v.tasty.I got chance to have only twice...

    Will try surely dear...

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  20. hi usha:)
    thank u and yup they r very spicy but u can add jaggary and tamarind according to ur taste. do give it a try sometime as its very easy to cook:)
    cheers

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  21. Hey SUpriya! I tried this yesterday (it so happened that I found tomatoes at my Indian store at QUARTER the price of my regular grocer!) and it tasted delicious! My grinder was not working well so it came out watery but the taste was unbeatable! I will post it when I do a "cooking from the blogs" post. Thanks for sharing, Sup!

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  22. hi vani,
    i'm so glad u liked it. try adding coconut cream instead of grinding coconut sometime:) and do try my other kulambu which i made using tamarind as it dont require much grinding:)
    cheers
    supriya

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  23. Hi supriya.Love your blog.The best one i feel.This dish is new to me.will give a try and get back to you.

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  24. Hey, Sup! I hope you're having loads of fun and eating lots of yum food in India! :) Just wanted to let u know that I posted the tomato kolambu that I made from your recipe. Thanks again, sweetie! It was really good!

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