Chettinad Milagu Kuzhambu | Pepper Kulambu Recipe | How To Make Milagu Kuzhambu | Pepper Kuzhambu | Instant Rasam Paste | Pepper Curry Recipe

Are you bored of the regular Sambar & Dal menu? Bring in some spice into your life with this tongue tickling Chettinad Milagu Kuzhambu. As the name implies, this gravy uses peppercorns, which adds an extra zing to the dish!! You can also use this as an Instant Rasam Paste…..Double Dhamaka..Right??

Chettinad cuisine is incomplete without black pepper. The medicinal properties of black pepper are immense, it aids digestion, helps relieve cold and cough, a powerful antioxidant, reduces inflammation and improves overall health. A pinch of finely ground pepper along with honey is very good for cold. When somebody at home is suffering from cold the lunch menu will definitely include Pepper Rasam, especially in South Indian homes. It improves appetite by helping in digestion. 

I had a few requests from my readers to share Travel-friendly food. I know, I have been postponing this for a while…. This is my first post to the “TRAVEL-FRIENDLY FOOD SERIES”. This recipe works great as an Instant Rasam Paste.

Each person’s approach to eating while traveling is unique to them, and might not work for everyone. Travel is the time when one is devoid of proper food and is likely to fall prey to food poisoning, dehydration, indigestion and so on. This is one useful recipe which I rely upon many times when I have guests visiting us from India and we travel through Europe. All you need to do is to add boiling water to 2-3 tablespoons of this paste and you have that comforting soul food in 2 minutes!! I sometimes do the same even at home, but, with the perk of garnishing with fresh coriander. This method is quick, easy and avoids any wastage of ingredients. Isn’t that cool?

Chettinad Milagu Kuzhambu is a healthy food, especially during the winter season. It is super cold here and I made my batch….Why don’t you give it a shot?

Off to Chettinad Milagu Kuzhambu!!

Easy steps to follow for Chettinad Milagu Kuzhambu:

• Grab all the ingredients!!
• Soak tamarind in 1/4 cup hot water (or soak in water & microwave for a minute) and peel garlic pods.
• Extract tamarind juice and set aside.

• Heat oil in a pan over medium heat and roast dry red chillies, coriander seeds, lentils (Tur dal, urad dal & chana dal), cumin seeds, Fenugreek seeds and Fennel seeds (I’m skipping them, as I use this as an instant rasam paste).
• After a minute, add peeled garlic pods, curry leaves and asafoetida. Roast until the lentils turn golden brown and then turn off the heat. Let them cool down before grinding.

• Transfer to a blender and grind to a smooth paste adding quarter to half a cup of water little by little (or as required to run the mixer to get a paste).

• Heat another pan with 2-3 Tablespoons of oil, season with mustard seeds, Urad dal and dry red chillies.
• When mustards seeds begin to splutter, add curry leaves and asafoetida.

NOTE: 

This recipes uses a little more oil, especially if you want to store it for longer period.

• Now, add the ground paste and sauté for a minute.
• Add the tamarind extract, salt and a little jaggery (1 teaspoon).

• Add 1 cup of water and let it boil for 6-8 minutes in low heat with occasional stirring. Adjust water according to the consistency you are looking for.
• When oil leaves around the pan, it’s time to turn off the heat. But, also check the consistency you are looking for!!
• Transfer to a bowl and store it. It becomes a shade darker and also thicker in consistency once it cools down.
• Serve with plain rice, little gingelly oil (Sesame Oil) or ghee .

How to make Instant Rasam?

• To use it as an Instant Rasam Paste, all you need to do is to add a cup of boiling water to 2-3 tablespoons of this paste and you have piping hot rasam in 2 minutes. Adjust the amount of paste and water depending on the quantity of rasam you need as well as to suit your spice levels.
• The kuzhambu stores quite well outside for 2-3 days and for 3-4 weeks when refrigerated. You can also freeze to increase it’s shelf life.

A Quick Summary:

Print Recipe

Chettinad Milagu Kuzhambu | Pepper Kulambu Recipe | Instant Rasam Paste

Chettinad Milagu Kuzhambu or Pepper Kulambu Recipe is a spicy curry with a blend of black peppercorns along with other spices & cooked in a tamarind based gravy.

Prep Time15 minutes mins

Cook Time15 minutes mins

Total Time30 minutes mins

Course: Side Dish

Cuisine: Indian (South Indian)

Author: Padma Veeranki

Ingredients

To Roast & Grind:

• 1 teaspoon Oil
• 1 Tablespoon Black pepper
• 3-4 Dry Red chillies
• 1 Tablespoon Coriander seeds
• 1 Tablespoon urad Dal
• 1/2 Tablespoon Tur Dal
• 1/2 Tablespoon Chana Dal
• 1 teaspoon Cumin Seeds
• 1/2 teaspoon Fenugreek Seeds
• 1/2 teaspoon Fennel Seeds
• 4-5 Garlic pods
• Few Curry leaves
• A generous pinch of Asafoetida
• 1/4-1/2 Cup Water to grind

For Tempering & Gravy:

• 2-3 Tablespoons Sesame Oil Gingely Oil
• 1 teaspoon Mustard seeds
• 2-3 Dry Red Chillies
• 1 teaspoon Urad Dal
• Curry leaves
• A pinch of Asafoetida
• Small Lemon Size Tamarind soak in hot water
• Salt to taste
• A small piece of Jaggery
• 1 Cup Water or as desired

Instructions

Preparing Paste:

• Heat oil in a pan over medium heat and roast all the ingredients under the section "To Roast & Grind". When the lentils turn golden brown and then turn off the heat.
• Cool down and grind to a smooth paste adding water little by little.

Tempering & Gravy preparation:

• Heat another pan with oil over medium heat. Season with mustard seeds, Urad dal and dry red chillies.
• When mustards seeds begin to splutter, add curry leaves and asafoetida.
• Now, add the ground paste and sauté for a minute.
• Add the tamarind extract, salt and jaggery. Add water for desired consistency.
• Boil for 6-8 minutes over low heat with occasional stirring.
• When oil leaves around the pan, turn off the heat.
• Serve with plain rice, little gingelly oil or ghee .

My Notes:

1. Gingely oil/Sesame oil works best and gives the authentic taste, So, don’t skip it.
2. Adjust the quantity of peppercorns as per your taste. 
3. Optionally, you can add a teaspoon of sesame oil at the end and turn off the heat.
4. If you would like to have the gravy in watery consistency, add more water.
5. Coconut is not a part of traditional Milagu kuzhambu, you can include if you like it for extra flavour and to reduce the spiciness of the dish.
6. You can also totally cut down on the red chilies and include only black pepper, gravy prepared this way will look slightly blackish.
7. If you do not wish to store for long, you can also fry a few shallots and grind along with the to paste. Roasted ground garlic gives nice earthy flavour to the dish, but you can also skip to make it no onion no garlic recipe.
8. Add 1 cup of boiling water to 2-3 tablespoons of this paste and you have piping hot instant rasam in 2 minutes!!

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Do check out other CHETTINAD RECIPES & VEGETABLE GRAVY RECIPES from blog!!!

Many more to come!!…..STAY TUNED!!

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Happy Cooking 🙂

Cheers!!

Padma.