Paruppu Urundai Kuzhambu | Lentils balls curry | Urundai kulambu recipe

Paruppurundai kuzhambu/Lentils balls gravy is vegetarian’s kola urundai kuzhambu(meat balls gravy). This is an irresistibly lip-smacking curry with awesome flavor.

I love it sooo much and I am addicted to this aroma. No extra side-dish is required for this. Just rice dunked in this gravy, with alternate bites of lentils balls is a fulfilling meal to me.. Left-over gravy goes well with idli/dosa in the night. Your kids deserve this protein-rich treat ! This is also recommended for dads-to-be.

Preparation

1.Take chana dal and toor dal in a vessel. Wash it twice and soak it in water for half an hour.2.Take a goodeberry(nellikkai) sized tamarind and soak it in a cup of warm water for 10 mins. Then, rinse it well with fingers until it disperses well. Strain the tamarind extract through your fingers.3. Throw away the pulp and seeds and keep the tamarind extract ready. In a mixie jar, grind saunf(sombu), 1 red chilli and 2 garlic.4.Drain water completely from soaked dal and add to mixie jar in batches and grind neither smoothly nor coarsely.5.Fine chop 6 small onions, few curry leaves, coriander leaves and add to ground dal. Chop other 6 small onions roughly to use for gravy. 6.Add 1/4 cup of grated coconut, a generous pinch of asafoetida and 1/4 tsp salt. Mix well.7.Make small balls and keep ready.8.In a mixing bowl, add a tbsp of sambar/curry(kuzhambu) powder, tamarind extract, 1/2 tsp salt.9.Grind 4-5 coconut pieces and a small onion using little water to a smooth paste. Add it to the mix.10.Add 2 cups of water, mix well, taste it and adjust salt,water and chilli powder, if required. Chop a tomato and keep ready. In hot oil, add mustard seeds and urad dal.11.Once mustard seeds splutter, add chopped onions and curry leaves. Once onions turn translucent, add chopped tomato and fry well.12.Once oil separates, add asafoetida. Pour the gravy mix.13.Cook covered in medium-high for 10-15 mins until raw smell leaves. Then put the stove in medium heat and gently drop dal balls one by one.14.Again, cook covered for 10-15 mins until balls are cooked thoroughly.                  Enjoy with hot rice …

Tips/Tricks

• Chana dal should be dominant and so it is used more than toor dal in this recipe.
• You shall steam lentils balls using steamer or idli pot for 10 mins and then add to boiling gravy and cook for 5 more mins. But I like to add it directly as the dal slightly mixes with curry while cooking and thickens the gravy and also enhances the taste.
• You shall replace curry powder with your usual gravy powder. Or just add 1/2tbsp dhaniya powder + 1/2tbsp plain chilli powder+ 1 pinch turmeric powder + 1 pinch Jeera powder +1 pinch pepper powder.