Paruppu Urundai Kuzhambu | Urundai Kuzhambu

Preparation time: 20 minutes (includes steaming step)Cooking time: 15-20 minutes

Ingredients

For urundai:

½ cup channa dal

¼ cup toor dal

 1-2 red chillies/green chillies (see notes)

1tbsp finely chopped onions

Finely chopped coriander leaves

½ tsp fennel seeds/sombhu (optional)

Pinch of asofoetida

Salt

For kuzhambu (gravy):

1 onion (finely chopped)

1-2 tomatoes

2tsp thick tamarind paste

1tsp chilli powder

1tsp coriander powder

½ tsp turmeric powder

½ cup thick coconut milk

½ inch cinnamon stick/pattai

1tsp mustard seeds

Few curry leaves

Salt

Oil

Method:

How to make urundai:

• Wash and soak both the dhals for about 30 minutes. Drain the water completely and grind coarsely in a mixer.
• Chop the onions finely and add to the ground dal. Add asofoetida, salt and chopped coriander leaves.  Mix well.

• Grease ur hands with little of oil and also grease the idli plates.
• Make small koftas by rolling the dhal in between ur hands gently.
• Steam in the idli cooker for 10-15 mins or till it cooks soft.
• Insert a tooth pick to check whether it is cooked perfectly. Keep aside.

For the gravy:

• Heat oil in a wok and splutter mustard seeds follow by cinnamon stick and curry leaves.
• Sauté onions till transparent and then add tomatoes. Cook till it turns gooey.

• Add chilli powder, coriander powder and turmeric powder. Stir well.
• Dilute the thick tamarind paste in 1 cup of water. Add the diluted tamarind juice and stir well.
• Add another cup of water to the gravy. Once it reaches the gravy consistency add coconut milk keep for 30 secs in medium flame.

• Then slowly add the urundai one-by-one. Bring to boil and switch off the flame.

• Garnish with coriander leaves and serve hot with steamed rice.

 Notes:

1. I used green chillies instead of red chillies. If using green chillies chop finely and mix with the ground dal. If using red chillies grind along with the dal. If u doesn’t prefer spice in ur urundai, skip adding the chillies in the urundai. When u dunk the urundai in the gravy it will absorbs the spice from it.
2. I dint use fennel seeds. If ur using, powder it in the mixer first and then add the dal. Since fennel seeds won’t grind properly when added along with the dal.
3. If u likes the smell of fennel seeds, u can also temper the gravy with dat instead adding to the urundai.