Vendhayakeerai Karakulambhu/Fenugreek leaves in Tamarind Sauce

When I was watching Revathi Shanmugam's cookery show she mentioned about the kara kulambhu using methi aka vendhayakeerai.
As we make sambar and kootu out of methi leaves and making karakulambhu sounds interesting.So wanted to try, fortunately I had a bunch of fresh methi leaves lying in the refrigerator,with no second thought I tried this kulambhu.
The kulambhu came out so delicious and flavorful with the fresh methi leaves/fenugreek leaves.I served the kulambhu with rice along with snakegourd kootu and papad.Here goes the recipe..................

Basic Information

Preparation Time ~ 15 minutes
Cooking Time ~ 20 minutes
Serves ~ 3

Ingredients

Ingredient	Quantity
Fenugreek leaves/vendhayakeerai	3/4-1 cup
Onion(finely chopped)	1(medium size)
Tomato(finely chopped)	1(medium size)
Garlic/poondu(chopped)	5 fat cloves
Sambar powder	1 tbs
Turmeric powder	1/4 tsp
Tamarind/puli	small lemon size
Thalipu vadagam	1/2 tsp
Curry leaves/karivepillai	1 sprig
Salt	1 1/4tsp
Oil	2 tbs

Method

Soak the tamarind in 1/2 cup of water and extract the juice,to this add sambar power,turmeric powder,salt.Mix it well and keep it aside.
Heat a pan with oil and add the vadagam and fry it,add in the curry leaves,onion and garlic.Saute it until transparent.
Now add in the fenugreek leaves and saute it till it wilts,add the chopped tomato,cook it till mushy.

Add in the tamarind mixture and around a 1/2-3/4 cup of water,let it cook till the raw smell goes off in a medium flame.

Vendhayakeerai Karakulambhu is ready.

Enjoy........................................................

• Instead of thalipu vadagam,1/2 tsp of mustard seeds and 1/8 tsp of fenugreek seeds can be used.
• Sambar powder can be substituted with red chilly and coriander powder.
• Do not chop the fenugreek leaves otherwise it may be bitter.

Posted in: Sambhar/Kuzhambu/Rasam