FRESH TURKEYBERRY VATHA KUZMABU / KALYANA VATHA KUZHAMBU

Hi All,

Though I have tasted many variations of vatha kuzhambu in my home town, this one is the best among all. I make this kuzhambu with fresh turkey berries but you can make it more exotic and more perfect with dried turkeyberry or dried nightshade berries(Manathakali) .

In marriages they serve a vathakuzhambu which will be very different and the taste will be very unique. I have tried to replicate its taste so many times and finally nailed it with this recipe.

I got this recipe from my neighbour and I loved it at first instance. Even my family who does not love the turkeyberries loved it.

For perfect ,authentic taste pls follow the recipe as it with recipe ratios, and you will be really amazed with results.Also pls refer the tips for your easy understanding on small tips.

 Here below is the recipe,

COOKING TIME : 30 mins.

SERVINGS : 8 members.

INGREDIENTS :

Fresh or Dried turkey berries – 1 cup.

Mustard – ½ tsp.

Cumin – ½ tsp.

Fenugreek / Venthayam – ¾ tsp.

Garlic – 10 pods.

Onion – 2 nos ( big).

Tomato – ½ no.

Chilli powder – 1 tsp.

Turmeric powder – ¼ tsp.

Sambar powder – 1 tsp.

Tamarind – 1 gooseberry sized .

Salt – for taste.

Jaggery – 1 tsp.

Gingelly oil – 1 tblsp.

Curry leaves - a sprig

TO GRIND – 1.

Oil – 1 tsp.

Onion – 1 no (medium sized).

Tomatoes – 2 no (small sized).

Dry red chillies – 5.

Coriander seeds – 2 tbslp.

TO GRIND -2.

Coconut – 2 tblsp.

Tomato – 1 no (small).

METHOD :

1) Mash turkery berry with any weight object, add them in water. Then wash it twice or thrice and remove the seeds little. 

2)  Heat oil in pan add chopped onion, saute till golden .Then add chopped tomato and saute till mushy.

3)  Remove from flame and in the same kadai add dried red chillies and coriander seeds and fry till dark brown. Remove from flame.

4)  When cooled grind all the above ingredients(Step 2 and step 3)  to fine paste without water.Keep them aside till use.

5)  Grind coconut and tomato to fine puree.

6)  Soak tamarind in warm water for 10 mins, extract the juice and discard the pulp.

7)  Heat oil in kadai, add mustard, cumin, fenugreek and saute in low flame till cumin pops.

8)  Then add garlic, chopped onions, tomatoes,curry leaves and saute till mushy.

9)  Add chilli powder, turmeric powder, sambar powder and saute for few seconds.

10)  Add turkey berry and fry for 3 mins till masala coats well with berries.

11)              Add tamarind juice, salt and boil for 5 mins till berries are half cooked in tamarind.

12)              Add ground masala (Step 4 ) , 1 cup water and boil till kuzhambu reaches required consistency.

13)              Finally add coconut paste (Step 5) ,jaggery, boil once and remove from flame.

14)              To get the wonderful appealing red colour like in our marriage functions, heat 1 tsp oil ,switch off the flame add chilli powder , give a mix and add it to kuzhambu. This will give beautiful colour and wonderful flavour to kuzhambu.

NOTES :

1)  To get exact taste like kalyana veetu samayal, pls follow the recipe and ratios perfectly..

2)  Don’t skip the last (step 13) to get the perfect colour and aroma .

3)  In the above recipe tomatoes and onion used are of medium sized.

4) Use only gingelly oil or coconut oil. 

5) While cleaning turkey berry, do not remove all the seeds, little seeds in berry is ok too. 

6) Roasting the grinding ingredients to dark colour gives you dark beautiful colour to kuzhambu.

Happy Cooking!!!