🥕 7 Vegetables (Kai) Used
You can mix & match, but a traditional combination is:
- Raw banana (Vazhakkai)
- Drumstick (Murungakkai)
- Pumpkin (Poosanikai)
- Brinjal (Kathirikai)
- Ash gourd (Pooshanikkai / White pumpkin)
- Cluster beans (Kothavarangai)
- Broad beans / Snake gourd / Yam (choose one)
🥥 Ingredients
- Mixed vegetables (7 kai) – 3 cups (chopped)
- Tamarind – lemon-sized (soaked & extracted)
- Turmeric powder – ¼ tsp
- Jaggery – small piece
- Salt – to taste
For Grinding
- Fresh coconut – ½ cup
- Dry red chillies – 4–5
- Coriander seeds – 1½ tbsp
- Cumin seeds – 1 tsp
- Black pepper – ½ tsp
For Tempering
- Sesame oil (nalla ennai) – 2 tbsp
- Mustard seeds – 1 tsp
- Fenugreek seeds – ¼ tsp
- Curry leaves – few
- Asafoetida (hing) – a pinch
🍲 Method
- Cook all 7 vegetables with turmeric and salt until soft.
- Add tamarind extract and let it boil well to remove raw smell.
- Add jaggery and mix gently.
- Grind coconut, red chillies, coriander seeds, cumin, and pepper to a smooth paste.
- Add the ground paste to the kulambu and simmer for 5–7 minutes until thick and aromatic.
- Heat sesame oil, add mustard seeds, fenugreek, curry leaves, and hing.
- Pour the tempering over the kulambu and switch off the flame.
🍚 Serving Suggestions
Serve hot with:
- Ven Pongal & Sakkarai Pongal
- Steamed rice + ghee
- Along with avial, poriyal, appalam & payasam
🌾 This kulambu tastes even better the next day!
