Kara Kuzhambu or spicy sambar is a delicious dish served in hotels with South Indian meals. The spicy flavor and taste of powdered Bengal gram and fenugreek seed mixture enriches Kara Kuzhambu. The dish can be easily prepared at home and our well illustrated Kara Kuzhambu will surely guide you. Kara Kuzhambu can be enriched with a combo of nutritious veggies like drumstick, okra or brinjal as per choice. I would personally go in for okra and brinjal which makes an excellent combination. Adding coconut milk in the end renders flavor and thickens spicy Kara Kuzhambu. Enjoy tasty Kara Kuzhambu with white steamed rice.

Prep Time | 20 minutes |
Servings |
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Ingredients
- Vegetable of your choice(Drumstick, Okra, Brinjal (Eggplant) or Potato) - 1 cup
- Onion(cut lenthwise, medium) - 1 no
- Tomato(medium) - 1 no
- Garlic pods(crushed) - 6 nos
- Tamarind thick extract - 1/2 cup
- Coconut milk - 3/4 cup
- Asafoetida powder(Kayam) - 1/4 tsp
- Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp
- Sambar powder - 1 1/2 tsp
- Bengal gram(Kadala parippu) - 1 tsp
- Black gram(Uzhunnuparippu) - 1/2 tsp
- Fenugreek seeds(Uluva) - 1/4 tsp
- Chilly powder - 1 tsp
- Curry leaves(A few) -
- Mustard seeds - 1/4 tsp
- Cumin seeds(Jeerakam) - 1/4 tsp
- Safflower oil - 2 tsp
- Salt(As reqd) -
Ingredients
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Instructions
- In a pan, fry the Bengal gram, black gram and fenugreek seeds until slightly brown.
- Grind these to a coarse powder and keep it aside.
- Heat oil in a pan.
- Add mustard seeds, black gram and cumin seeds.
- Add a little bit of asafotetida powder and curry leaves.
- Add drumstick and fry for 5 mins.
- Add tomato, turmeric powder, chilli powder and sambar powder.
- :- Make sure tomato is well cooked.
- Let it boil for 6 mins.
- Simmer it for few mins on a low heat.
- :- Make sure you mix powdered dals with some water and make it a paste before you add it to kuzhambu. This is to avoid any lumps floating in kuzhambu. :- If you`re using (Okra/Vendakka), make sure you fry these in a frying pan and add it at the end.
- :- Serve with steamed rice and pappad.
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11 comments
it was really delicious. all our family members liked it very much.
Very good,after so many tries i got the right recepie,thank u
This recipe came out really well…..the measurements were so perfect and it tasted like my mother`s recipe back home.
Hats off to u Lalitha for a superb and perfect recipe!!!
Fantastic recipe! I used to eat this kind of kara kuzhambu in college in Chennai, all those wonderful memories came rushing back after eating it today. Thank you Lalitha.
It came out superb.my husband liked it a lot. Thank you.
Tastes really good. Suits rice as well as breakfast items.
I just tried this recipe for lunch with hot steamed rice. was fantastic. my two sons who usually a rent fond of indian food just loved it.
Thanks a lot for this wonderful recipe.it was like the one we get at Hotel Saravana Bhavan..all of us liked it a lot…great work!!
I prepared. It was really good, better than sambar cooked before.
The recipe was really nice.It was just like the Kara Kolambu made by my mom.My husband liked it a lot.Thanks for this tast Kara kolambu