Karuvepillai Poondu Kuzhambu/Curry Leaves with Garlic Gravy(South Indian Style)

Posted on by tingleurtastebuds

Curry Leaves are the magical condiment of South Indian Cuisine. Anything made is temepered with these magical leaves. Yes it adds magic to the dishes. It has lot of good qualities. But when temepered we remove them and discard instead of eating them. Including them in our diet helps in hairgrowth, prevents greying of hair, helps in digestion, keeps anaemia at bay, fights diabetes …….. the list is more. Just google the benefits of curry leaves and you will know for yourself.

This magical herb is used in flavouring the dishes, but we discard the goodness herb. We don’t eat them so in the urge to include this beneficial herb in our diets I have come up with few curry leaf recipes. This is one such gravy with lot of curry leaves and the hero of the dish is curry leaf. You want to know who is the heroine, yes it is none other than garlic and yes curry leaves and garlic are made for each other. Can even say they are match made in heaven.

So let’s get our hands on this recipe. I followed this recipe from Samayal Samayal program in Vijay TV. Am a fan of Chef Venkatesh Bhat. He’s so good. In the recipe he had deep fried the curry leaves and garlic, but I didn’t want to deep fry so have just roasted in a pan using little oil. Do try and let me know if you liked it.

Curry Leaves with Garlic Gravy/Karuvepillai Poondu Gravy

Cuisine: South Indian| Category: South Indian Gravies/Kuzhambu | Prep time: 10 to 15 mins | Cook time: 20 mins | Serves: 3

Ingredients

  • Curry Leaves – 1 Cup
  • Garlic -1 whole (or 10 big cloves)
  • Onion – 1 No Medium Sized (Fine Chopped)
  • Tomato – 1 1/2 Nos. Medium sized (Fine Chopped)
  • Ginger Garlic Paste – 1 tbsp.
  • Tamarind Paste – 1 tsp. (Increase or decrease accordingly)
  • Turmeric Powder – 1/2 tsp.
  • Red Chili Powder – 1 tsp. (Increase or Decrease accordingly)
  • Coriander Powder – 1 tbsp.
  • Jaggery – 3/4 tsp. (Increase or Decrease accordingly)
  • Asafoetida – 1/4 tsp.
  • Mustard – 1/2 tsp.
  • Dry Red Chili – 1 No.
  • Salt as needed

METHOD with VISUAL CLICKS

Take all your ingredients ready.
Heat a tablespoon of oil in a vessel.
Add the curry leaves.
Roast them until crispy and set aside.
Add little more oil to the vessel.
Now roast the garlic till it gets cooked & set aside.
Set both aside.
Meanwhile chop the onion and garlic finely as shown.
Take little oil in the same vessel and temper mustard.
After the mustard splutters add the onion and saute till they become brown.
Add the dry red chili after tempering the mustard itself(I forgot -wink)
After the onion caramelizes add the ginger garlic paste and cook till the raw smell goes.
Next add the tomato and cook till they become mushy.
Leave 1/4 th of the curry leaves and garlic for adding it in the end to the gravy.
Meanwhile puree 3/4th of the crispy curryleaves and garlic together by adding little water.
Like this.
Add turmeric, coriander and red chili powders and mix without burning.
Now add the blended curry leaves and garlic mixture to this.
After the gravy is cooked for few mins add required salt.
Now add the tamarind paste.
Add the remaining fried curry leaves and garlic pieces.
After sometime add the jaggery.
Finally add a lavish sprinkle of asafoetida.
Allow it to come to a boil. Check the taste and then switch off.

Note : Allow the curry leaves to become crispy. This brings out the flavor.

The garlic can be chopped even smaller.

Using a non-stick helps the garlic from not sticking to the surface while roasting them.

Browning the onion is important for the taste.

Balance the red chili powder, jaggery and tamarind paste. This is the secret to get the best gravy.

The gravy should be semi thick or thick not runny. So be careful while adding water.

The Kuruvepillai Poondu Kuzhambu/Curry Leaves Garlic Gravy is ready to be served with Rice/Idly/Dosa of your choice. Try and let me know if you liked it.

20 thoughts on “Karuvepillai Poondu Kuzhambu/Curry Leaves with Garlic Gravy(South Indian Style)”

  6. I’ve always wondered how to cook with curry leaves. I’ve seen them at the market before. Your recipe makes such a lovely dish. I guess I have no excuses next time I see curry leaves at the store. 🙂

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