Paruppu Urundai Kuzhambu

           Hey guys! Presenting you all the most delicious tasting curry, Paruppu Urundai Kuzhambu. This is a very famous traditional south indian dish and it tastes very unique. It's a very simple dish and it tastes super awesome when it's paired with white rice and papad. The Paruppu Urundai (Channa dhal balls) can be added to the boiling curry directly or if you are not very sure about doing it, just steam them in an idly pot for 5 minutes and add them to the curry. Make this curry and am very sure you will go for an extra scoop of rice, even when you are not hungry☺️ Let's jump into the ingredients and recipe.

INGREDIENTS: 

FOR THE CURRY:

* Tomato- 1 medium sized 

* Garlic- 10 pealed

* Tamarind juice- 2 cups of thin concoction (I have used a medium lemon sized ball of tamarind)

* Kuzhambu milagai podi- 6 tbspns

( If you don't have Kuzhambu milagai podi, add 3 tbspns of chilli powder and 4 tbspns of coriander powder)

* Turmeric powder- 1 tspn

* Jaggery- 1 tspn

* Salt- as needed

* Gingelly oil- 6 tbspns

(This oil adds a beautiful flavour to the curry, if you don't have this oil, then add the normal oil that you use for cooking)

* Vadagam- 1 tbspn

(You can substitute vadagam with mustard seeds- 1 tspn, jeera- 1 tspn, methi seeds- 1/2 tspn and few curry leaves)

FOR URUNDAI (CHANNA DHAL BALLS):

* Channa dhal- 1 cup

* Dry red chilli- 3

* Garlic- 6

* Hing- 1/2 tspn

• PREPARATION TIME: 15 mins
• SOAKING TIME OF DHAL: 2 hours
• COOKING TIME: 30 mins
• SERVES: 4

PROCEDURE:

STEP 1: PREPARING CHANNA DHAL MIX FOR URUNDAI: 

* Soak Channa dhal with red chillies and garlic for 2 hours.

* Once the dhal is soaked well, grind it coarsely, like you grind for Channa dhal Vadai, without adding water.

* Add hing, 1/2 tspn salt, mix it well and keep it aside.

STEP 2: PREPARING THE CURRY:

* Take a wide bottom pan. Heat the pan and add oil. Once the oil is hot, add the vadagam and let it fry for a minute. (In case you don't have vadagam add mustard seeds, jeera, methi seeds and curry leaves)

* Now add garlic and saute it until it turns light brown.

* Add the chopped tomatoes and saute it for 5 mins until they becomes mushy.

* Once the tomatoes turn mushy, add turmeric and Kuzhambu milagai podi and saute it for another 5 mins. (Add chilli powder and coriander powder if you don't have Kuzhambu milagai podi)

* Now add the tamarind juice and mix it well.

* Add enough salt for the curry and let the it boil on a medium-high flame for 15 mins until you can see the oil oozing out.

* Add 1 tspn of jaggery for taste as it boils.

* Once you see the oil on top of the curry, it's time to add the Channa dhal Urundai.

* Take the Channa dhal mix and make small lemon sized balls.

* Now add the Urundai one by one carefully to the boiling curry without breaking it. Make sure to leave some space between the balls, so that they don't stick together and break.

(If you are making this curry for the first time, I would suggest you to steam the balls for 5 mins and then add to the curry, so that they don't break easily. After steaming the balls, add them to the curry and let it boil for 5 mins and your curry is ready)

* Set the flame on medium. Cover the pan and let the Urundai cook for 5 mins.

* After 5 mins open the lid and add some curry on top of the Urundai and shake the pan a little bit, so that the Urundai gets coated by the curry evenly. Again lid the pan cook and it for another 5 mins.

* You will know the balls are cooked, when you can scoop them easily from the curry and texture of the ball would have become little harder once it's cooked. 

* Now the super tangy and tasty Urundai Kuzhambu is ready. Serve it with steaming hot rice, papad and enjoy!!!