This item, I hope will be a well known recipe in all communities in South India .I also found many blogs on this gravy. As usual the chettinad recipe is little bit different from them. This kuzhambu will be there during all chettiar marriage lunch. I usually find this recipe very handy as it does not demand too many ingredients. Tomatoes will always be there in every home. Garlic and onion also will be there. So we can make a tasty gravy out of this which will go excellent with rice as well as idly or dosa. For packed lunch also this gravy will be good. My children don’t like the taste of packed sambar rice as it will get thicker after some time. So I always prefer this gravy for packing lunch.


Ingredients to grind
Cocunut-2 to 3 table spoons
Cumin seeds-1 teaspoon
Fennel seeds-1 teaspoon
Kaskas-1 teaspoon
Cashew nut or pottukadalai-5
Cardamom-1
Clove-1
Cinnamon-small piece
Garlic-3 pods
Small onion-5Ingredients for the gravy
Tomatoes-3 to 4
Small onion-20
Garlic-10 pod
Coriander powder-1 table spoon
Sambar powder-1 table spoon
Tamarind-little (qty used for sambar)

Procedure
Pour 1 teaspoon oil in a kadai and roast all the items given in to grind. Grind them to a smooth paste.
Remove the skin of tomatoes by boiling it for 2 minutes or put the tomatoes in hot water for 5 minutes and take off the skin. Those who have microwave can microwave it for a minute. Peel of the skin and smash it using a spoon.
Mince the onion and garlic
For the gravy, pour two tablespoon oil in the kadai. Season the gravy with a small piece of cinnamon, a cardamom, a teaspoon of fennel seeds and little curry leaves. Now add the minced onion and garlic pieces and sauté for few minutes, add the smashed tomatoes also. Soak the tamarind and the salt required in two cups of water. After some time squeeze off the tamarind and add 1 table spoon coriander powder and 1 table spoon sambar powder into that water and pour into the kadai. Allow the gravy to boil for 5 minutes. Now mix the grinded paste in half a cup of water and add that also into the gravy. Half close the kadai and allow the gravy to cook for 8 to 10 minutes in low fire. The gravy should become semisolid. Before switching off the stove a tablespoon of gingili oil if added will give good flavor to the gravy.If desired the gravy can be garnished with coriander leaves while serving