Pongal Kuzhambu | Chettinad Style Mixed Vegetable Kulambhu | Step By Step Picture Recipe

     Pongal kuzhambu - a spicy, tangy mixed vegetable curry prepared during the harvest festival of Tamilnadu.Curry  is made with the freshest vegetables available that season.Those veggies make the gravy so delicious.

  I love everything about Pongal.The big drawing/kolam on the yard where the rice is cooked.The sweet aroma and ghee floating on top of the Sakkarai Pongal.The sweetest sugarcane that decorates the house and vilaku satti.The aroma of fresh ginger getting burnt on the wood stove.Missing those days.
       Nowadays traditions changed, City people are making pressure cooker rice to save time and space.They are not aware of how tasty the wood stove Pongal will be.This method of cooking is environment-friendly and give a great taste to the rice(I remember my mom using wood stove for day to day cooking until I am 10).The copper vessel infuses some extra flavor on the  rice.
     The preparation starts from the day before by doing kolam in the yard and the prints/art on the vessel Pongal is being cooked.Collecting the vegetables, sugar cane and the ginger plant that is being tied to the cooking vessel.For every festival, everyone should clean the house and gods place/Saami veedu including the lamp/vilaku.It is one of the  biggest tasks for any women in our place.Some people wear new clothes. We don't wear it often but we get it we are lucky.
    In our mom side this kulambu with two to three sides like Palakai kootu is being made but in in-laws side, there is a tradition of making 3 types kulambu one with Parangikai and 5 different sides(stir fry).So we used to have a big feast along  with sweet Pongal, white Pongal, papad, yogurt and plain dal.Here I am not getting all the vegetables and I am left with gas stove.I am worried that my kid won't know the importance of harvest festival if this continues.Now off to the recipe.

Step By Step Recipe for making Chettinad Style Pongal kuzhambu:

• Wash and chop the vegetables into 1-inch pieces.
• Chop onion, garlic, tomatoes too after washing.Slit the green chilies and prepare tamarind paste if you don't have.
• Pressure cook 1/4 cup of Toor dal for 3-4 whistles or until mushy.
• In a big Kadai/pan add gingelly oil.Add mustard seeds wait until it pops.Add cumin and fenugreek seeds as well.Then add curry leaves and green chilies.When it pops add garlic and onion.Saute until the onions become translucent.

• Add tomato and cook until it turns mushy.Add chopped vegetables.Saute for some time until the raw smell goes off.Add sambar powder and saute.

• Finally, add tamarind paste, required salt and water.
• Allow it to boil for some time.Reduce the flame and keep on low until the kulambu becomes thick and the oil floats on top.Now add the mushy Toor dal and allow the curry to boil for 1-2 minutes.

• Serve it with plain rice or mushy rice.
• This tastes great the next day.If it's short of spice, salt, sourness You can add and allow it to boil for some more time.

                                          How to make pongal kuzhambu

                    chettinad style pongal kulambu

 Cuisine:  Indian   Category: Sides   Prep time:10 minutes
Cook time:40 minutes Total Time:50-60 minutes Serves: 4-5   

Ingredients:

• 1 sakara valli kilangu/sweet potato.
• 10 avarakai/broad beans.
• 10 pieces of pumpkin.
• 1 eggplant/Kathirikai.
• can add raw banana pieces too
• 1 tsp thick tamarind paste/puli paste.
• 1 green chili/pacha milagai.
• 3 garlic/poondu.
• 1 onion/vengayam.
• 1 tomato/thakkali.
• 2 tsp sambar powder.

To temper:

• 2 tbsp gingelly oil/nalla ennai.
• 1/2 tsp mustard seeds/kadugu.
• 1/2 tsp cumin seeds/sombu.
• 1/2 tsp fenugreek seeds/vendhayam.
• Few curry leaves.

Method:

• Wash and chop the vegetables into 1-inch pieces.
• Chop onion, garlic, tomatoes too after washing.Slit the green chilies and prepare tamarind paste if you don't have.
• Pressure cook 1/4 cup of Toor dal for 3-4 whistles or until mushy.
• In a big Kadai/pan.Add gingelly oil to the pan.
• Add mustard seeds wait until it pops.Add cumin and fenugreek seeds as well.
• Then add curry leaves and green chili.When it pops add garlic and onion.
• Saute until the onions become translucent.
• Add tomato and cook until it turns mushy.
• Add chopped vegetables.Saute for some time until the raw smell goes off.
• Add sambar powder and saute.
• Finally, add tamarind paste, required salt and water.
• Allow it to boil for some time.Reduce the flame and keep on low until the kulambu becomes thick and the oil floats on top.
• Now add the mushy Toor dal and allow the curry to boil for 1-2 minutes.
• Pongal kulambhu ready.Serve it with plain rice or mushy rice.
• This taste great the next day.If it's short of spice, salt, sourness You can add and allow it to boil for some more time.