Kadalai Kuzhambu Recipe - Using Coconut Milk

Today is a my mom-in-law's b'day and I wanted to do something for her that would be meaningful to both of us. Before I go any further I have to say how lovely she is to me, like my own mom 🙂

She is an amazing cook too and Kadalai Kuzhambu is one of the first recipes I learnt from her since TH loves it. Its simple and looks mild but is amazingly flavourful, just like all her dishes are. She is super fast in the kitchen and is normally done cooking for the day by the time I am up (err.. which is around 7 in the morning :D).

Chickpeas / Kabuli Chana

Ingredients:
Chickpeas / Kabuli Chana - ½ cup
Thick coconut milk - ¾ cup
Tamarind - one marble sized ball (or 2tbsp if you are using paste)
Rasam Powder - 1 tbsp
if using your own sambar powder, use ½ teaspoon and ½ teaspoon red chilli powder.
Turmeric powder - a pinch
Hing/Asafoetida/Kayam - ½ tsp
Salt - to taste
Oil and mustard seeds - for tempering

How to make Kadalai Kuzhambu:

1. Soak the chickpeas overnight in 3 cups water. Pressure cook and keep aside. Or, just use canned chickpeas.

2. Use ½ cup warm water and blend the tamarind with your hand to extract the juice. If using paste, dilute it in ½ cup water.

3. Heat a pan and bring the tamarind water to boil. Add turmeric powder, hing, salt and the sambar powder to this. Sim and let it boil for 10 minutes.

4. Add the cooked chickpeas and boil for another 10 mins.

5. Remove from fire, add coconut milk and mix well. Adjust salt.

6. Heat some oil in a small saucepan and temper some mustard seeds. While hot, pour on the above gravy and mix well. You can even use some curry leaves at this stage.

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Serve hot with rice. TH loves it with parippu usili.