Milagu Kozhambu Recipe

Chettinad recipes are lip smacking delicious for it’s peppery, spicy food. One of the main ingredient in any Chettinad cuisine is black pepper corns. The heat from the pepper corns is so unique and delicious, any spice lover will agree to it. Milagu Kozhambu is a unique and simple recipe that comes to rescue when you don’t have any vegetables leftover in your refrigerator and you want to make something quick curry for your lunch/dinner recipe.  Pearl onions (Sambar Onions), Garlic, Methi Seeds (Fenugreek Seeds), Mustard seeds (Rai/ Kadugu), Gingelly oil, Tamarind, Salt, Curry leaves, Jaggery, Whole Black Peppercorns, Coriander (Dhania) Seeds, Arhar dal (Split Toor Dal), Dry Red Chillies, White Urad Dal (Split), Asafoetida (hing), Curry leaves   20 Pearl onions (Sambar Onions) 5 cloves Garlic 1/4 teaspoon Methi Seeds (Fenugreek Seeds) 1 teaspoon Mustard seeds (Rai/ Kadugu) 2 tablespoon Gingelly oil , + 1 teaspoon Tamarind , lemon sized soaked in 3/4 cup water Salt , to taste 2 sprig Curry leaves 1 teaspoon Jaggery For milagu masala powder 2 tablespoon Whole Black Peppercorns 1 tablespoon Coriander (Dhania) Seeds 2 teaspoon Arhar dal (Split Toor Dal) 4 Dry Red Chillies 1 teaspoon White Urad Dal (Split) 1/4 teaspoon Asafoetida (hing) 1 sprig Curry leaves     15   25     To begin making the Milagu Kozhambu recipe, dry roast all ingredients mentioned under the list ‘for milagu masala powder’. Let the spices cool and grind into powder.Heat gingerly oil in a pan. Add crushed garlic and shallots and saute till the onions turn translucent. Add fenugreek seeds.Extract the juice of tamarind and pour into the pan. Boil the tamarind juice until oil separates from the sides of the pan.Add 4 heaped tablespoon of milagu masala powder along with salt to taste, stir well. Let it cook for 5 minutes on low flame.Meanwhile heat 1 teaspoon oil in another pan. Add mustard seeds and let it splutter. Add curry leaves and a pinch of asafoetida. Add the tempering into the curry. Serve hot.Serve Milagu Kozhambu along with Carrot and Beans Thoran and Steamed Rice for a weekday meal.