• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

Padhuskitchen


  • HOME
  • ABOUT
  • RECIPE INDEX
  • VIDEOS
  • USEFUL TIPS
  • TESTIMONIALS
  • FESTIVAL RECIPES
    • Avani Avittam
    • Pongal Festival
    • Vinayaka Chaturthi
    • Thiruvathirai
    • Navratri Recipes-Navratri Sundal Recipes
    • Varalakshmi Vratham
    • Karadaiyan Nombu
    • Tamil New Year
    • Adi Perukku
    • Krishna Jayanthi
    • Diwali
    • Karthigai Deepam
    • Christmas
    • Onam
  • Side Dish For Chapati
  • CONTACT
  • Privacy Policy

Vatha Kulambu-Vatha Kuzhambu recipe-Sundakkai Vathal Kulambu

February 12, 2011 by PadhuSankar 51 Comments

Though I prepare a variety of South Indian Kuzhambu, my all time favorite is of course, Vatha kulambu.This is a very traditional and authentic South Indian (Tamil) recipe.You can prepare this with manathakkali (black nightshade) or sudakkai (Turkey Berry) Vathal or any other vathal .It is usually served with rice and papads. Today we will learn how to make sundakkai vathal kulambu following this easy recipe.

Vatha Kuzhambu-Sundakkai Vathal Kulambu

Sundakkai Vatha kuzhambu

Sundakkai Vathal Kuzhambu


Sundakkai Vathal Kuzhambu

 Prep Time : 5 mins

 Cook Time : 20 mins 
 Serves:3-4
 Recipe Category: Kuzhambu Recipes
 Recipe Cuisine: South Indian
 Author:Padhu Sankar

   Ingredients needed

   Tamarind – lemon sized ball
   Sambar powder – 2 tbsp (I used homemade sambar powder)
   Sundakkai vathal – 3 tbsp
   Curry leaves – little
   Salt as required

   For the seasoning

   Oil -3 tbsp (sesame seed oil preferable)
   Mustard seeds- 1 tsp
   Fenugreek seeds- 1/2 tsp
   Red chilli – 2 (break it )
   Asafoetida/Hing- 1/4 tsp

Preparation

Soak tamarind in approximately 3 1/2 cups of warm water and extract thick juice. Discard the pulp.

Method

1.Heat oil (use only sesame seed oil for authentic taste ) in a heavy bottomed kadai /pan, add mustard seeds, when they splutter, add fenugreek seeds, hing, dry red chilli , curry leaves and sundakkai vathal.

2.Saute for a few minutes, then add tamarind extract, sambar powder and salt required.

3.Let it boil on medium flame until the gravy reaches a saucy consistency (as seen in the picture) and oil separates.

Note– You can replace sundakkai with other vegetables like drumstick, cluster beans, brinjals,yellow pumpkin, ladies finger, broad beans,butter beans to make this spicy South Indian kuzhambu.

Since vathals have salt in it, be cautious while adding salt to the kulambu while making it with vathals

Check out more South Indian Kuzhambu Varieties 

Meet you all again with more interesting recipes, until then it is bye from Padhu of Padhuskichen.

Related posts:

Aval Pori Urundai-Nel Pori Urundai Recipe-Karthigai Deepam Special Recipes

Masala powder

Vazhaithandu Soup-Plantain Stem (banana stem) Soup Recipe-Healthy Soup Recipes

Instant Mor Kuzhambu-More Kulambu Recipe (without coconut)-Indian Lunch Ideas

Filed Under: Kuzhambu Varieties, Uncategorized Tagged With: Tamil Brahmin recipes, Uncategorized




Previous Post: « Paneer Bhurji-Paneer Bhurji Recipe-How to make Paneer Bhurji
Next Post: Channa Masala-Chole Masala-How to prepare Channa masala »

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. revathi

    February 13, 2011 at 7:18 am

    lovely traditional recipe…. it looks yummy.
    Reva

    Reply
  2. revathi

    February 13, 2011 at 7:19 am

    traditional recipe… it looks yummy..
    Reva

    Reply
  3. Aruna Manikandan

    February 13, 2011 at 7:49 am

    My favorite too dear….
    looks perfect 🙂

    Reply
  4. kothiyavunu.com

    February 13, 2011 at 8:03 am

    Simply delicious!!

    Reply
  5. Kalpana Sareesh

    February 13, 2011 at 9:11 am

    Simply superrr..

    Reply
  6. Rani acharyulu

    February 13, 2011 at 9:25 am

    Hi
    Looks great,simply delicious. I tasted this this recipe in Coimbatore. Thanks for remind me this yummy… recipe.

    cheers

    Reply
  7. The Foodie

    February 13, 2011 at 10:01 am

    My family favourite.. i love to eat this with curd rice

    Reply
  8. Jaisy James

    February 13, 2011 at 10:45 am

    looks yummy

    Reply
  9. Priya Sreeram

    February 13, 2011 at 11:05 am

    looks perfect ! my fav too

    Reply
  10. Santosh Bangar

    February 13, 2011 at 11:50 am

    TRADTIONAL DISHES ARE ALWAYS GOOD

    Reply
  11. Sensible Vegetarian

    February 13, 2011 at 12:27 pm

    This is one of my favorite combo with Thayir Sadam. Thanks for visiting my blog and leaving your comments, I love it here.

    Reply
  12. S.Menaga

    February 13, 2011 at 12:42 pm

    looks tempting,my fav..

    Reply
  13. priya

    February 13, 2011 at 1:23 pm

    love to have it with curd rice

    Reply
  14. Sushma Mallya

    February 13, 2011 at 1:32 pm

    lovely curry…Love to have it with rice:)

    Reply
  15. Vivarjitha

    February 13, 2011 at 1:47 pm

    this and dal rice rockzz….especially the drumstick one!!!!

    Reply
  16. divya

    February 13, 2011 at 2:41 pm

    Wow simply superb..

    Reply
  17. Faith

    February 13, 2011 at 3:34 pm

    This really looks great! I love the curry and rice together.. a wonderful combination.

    Reply
  18. Kairali sisters

    February 13, 2011 at 3:40 pm

    I so love this and amazing it looks padhu..

    Reply
  19. Vimitha Anand

    February 13, 2011 at 3:49 pm

    All my vatha kulambu trials have been a disaster… 🙂
    Will try this one. Thanks for the recipe dear…

    Reply
  20. Shanavi

    February 13, 2011 at 4:05 pm

    am a terrible fan of this kulambu..gREAT LOOKING U'VE PUT OUT THERE

    Reply
  21. savitha ramesh

    February 13, 2011 at 10:08 pm

    lovely ,tangy and colorful kuzhambu…

    Reply
  22. schmetterlingwords

    February 13, 2011 at 10:15 pm

    Ohh.. your vatha kuzhambu reminds me of my mom, she prepares the same with the other items too like you have mentioned… You have got it perfect… 🙂

    Reply
  23. Mina Joshi

    February 13, 2011 at 10:37 pm

    Yummy looking dish – totally new recipe for me.

    Reply
  24. veena krishnakumar

    February 14, 2011 at 3:54 am

    great combo with curd rice.Looks very tempting

    Reply
  25. Vidhya

    February 14, 2011 at 4:33 am

    It looks so tempting.

    Reply
  26. ila

    February 14, 2011 at 4:30 pm

    Hi Padhu….
    U have delicious and wonderful space 🙂
    Happy to follow u 🙂
    Thanks for health and beauty tips 🙂

    Reply
  27. Suchi

    February 14, 2011 at 7:24 pm

    loved the vathal kulambu- it looks super good and reminds me of my mom's cooking ! Thanks for visiting my blog and your lovely comments-

    Reply
  28. Ananda Rajashekar

    February 15, 2011 at 8:26 pm

    oh padu i'm feeling nostalgic seeing ur kuzhambu, feel like i want to jump to india right way…slurp 🙂

    Reply
  29. Vijay

    October 22, 2013 at 6:07 am

    Looks great. Any chilli powder involved in the recipe? Or, just the Sambar powder enough?

    Reply
  30. BaskyUT

    October 26, 2013 at 6:02 am

    Awesome Padu !! …Onion Vatha Kuzhambu with Ghee and Rice & Fried Papad … vow what a combo …goes well as side dish with Curd Rice as well !!!!

    Reply
  31. Mathangi

    December 8, 2013 at 6:22 am

    My kozhambu doesnt thicken. Although the taste its fine. How do I ensure it does?

    Reply
  32. Padhu Sankar

    December 8, 2013 at 7:33 am

    Mathangi – Few suggestions below
    1. you have to cook for some more time.
    2.The tamarind extract should not be too watery.
    3. Another suggestion is mix 3/4 tsp for rice flour in a tbsp of water and add to the kulambu for thickening

    Reply
  33. udnis

    January 4, 2014 at 7:33 am

    To get thick kulambu first fry sundakkai in little oil and keep aside. Half of this fried sundakkai you pound it and keep it aside. Other half you put as regular after frying. When the Kulambu comes to a 3/4th consistency now add this pounded sundakkai powder and now add a one teaspoon of ghee in to the kuzambu and close the lid. This kulambu can be kept for a week but when you want to use dont't heat the kulambu in full burner but keep it in sim burner and just heated and can be had with curd rice and side licking.

    Reply
    • Kichu

      August 9, 2019 at 12:32 am

      Thanks for the recipe.. My doubt is whether is it not required to add onion and garlic in this curry..

      Reply
      • PadhuSankar

        August 9, 2019 at 2:27 am

        Not required. You can keep this for 15 days in the refrigerator.

        Reply
  34. sowmya

    March 9, 2014 at 6:04 am

    Hi padhu Your dishes are awesome.. very simple, clear and crisp.. Can you please post about sundakkai recipies like sundakkai poriyal or chutney..?? Thank you!!!!!

    Reply
  35. gayathri ganesh

    April 10, 2014 at 5:35 am

    simply superb

    Reply
  36. sand

    December 10, 2014 at 9:14 am

    Hi padhu i tried this recipe.. and my vatha kozhambu came out really watery and toooo sour. I think my tamarind water was too watery but what shd i do to make it less sour?

    Reply
    • Padhu Sankar

      December 10, 2014 at 2:34 pm

      The only mistake you can do in vatha kuzhambu is to add more tamarind. The sourness of tamarind differs according to the tamarind used. You can use less tamarind next time. If you can get it, use old tamarind for vathal kuzhambu. Another thing is that the tamarind extract should not be too watery nor too thick.

      Reply
  37. anu Prabhakar

    December 15, 2015 at 3:25 am

    Padhu I don't get the thickness what shall I do

    Reply
    • Padhu Sankar

      December 15, 2015 at 11:26 am

      Boil for some more time.

      Reply
  38. sabitha banu

    December 15, 2015 at 9:45 am

    Hi …I'm a new learner in cooking…i used to try only dishes posted in ur blog.today I did this vatha kulambu….waaav ot came out very well.it was delicious…i used to above same measurements but increased two more spoons of sambar powder fr thicknening…it was fantastic..keep posting …

    Reply
  39. P76

    March 31, 2016 at 10:27 am

    I love all your kuzhambu recipes! very authentic! great blog!

    Reply
  40. Parita

    January 5, 2017 at 12:42 am

    I've been dying to get my hands on a fairly easy Vathal Kuzhumbu recipe (since my Tam-Brahm) friend introduced me to it. Where can I find turkey berries or the other vathal in the US?

    Reply
    • Padhu Sankar

      January 5, 2017 at 5:00 am

      I do not know about US. Try in Indian stores.

      Reply
  41. Kanmani Karthik

    January 7, 2017 at 4:03 am

    Looks yummy mam!

    Reply
  42. Vivek Sukumar

    February 20, 2017 at 2:12 pm

    Hi Padhu,
    Tried to make it as per your recipe…but came out too less from a volume standpoint ….while I got the consistency that u had mentioned….so do I need to add more water to increase the volume, because then the consistency will go for a toss. Pls advise….

    Reply
    • Padhu Sankar

      February 21, 2017 at 10:43 am

      If you want more, increase the tamarind and adjust the sambar powder, oil and salt accordingly. You can also double this recipe. This kulambu stays good for a week in the refrigerator.

      Reply
  43. Santoshi

    December 5, 2017 at 5:26 am

    I missed the point that vathal already has salt. What do i do now? I feel its too salty. How can i make it neutral please

    Reply
    • Padhu Sankar

      December 5, 2017 at 9:49 am

      You cannot do anything about it. Next time when you prepare, keep that in mind. Or you can make another batch without salt and mix both.

      Reply
  44. Sudha

    July 15, 2020 at 2:59 pm

    I am a iyer and whenever I want to try a traditional recipe which I had during my childhood days, I always come to this site.

    I follow the recipe, and never have I been disappointed.

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




Primary Sidebar

About the Author

Meet Padhu, the Chef, the photographer, recipe developer and web designer behind Padhuskitchen which features Simple Indian Vegetarian recipes, healthy recipes, kids friendly recipes, Indian festival recipes, traditional South Indian Vegetarian ...

Read More

Padhuskitchen Recipes on YouTube

Padhuskitchen Youtube

Let’s Connect

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Instagram
  • YouTube
  • Pinterest
  • RSS Feed

Browse by Cuisines

Kerala Recipes
Punjabi Recipes
Andhra Recipes
Gujarathi Recipes
Maharashtrian
Tamil Brahmin Recipes
Karnataka
International
Indo Chinese Recipes

Browse by Categories






Recent Posts

  • Cabbage Rice-Lunch Box Recipe-Cabbage Pulao Recipe-Muttaikose Sadam
  • Chana Dal Pulao-Bengal Gram Dal Rice
  • Ragi Masala Dosa-Finger Millet Masala Dosa Recipe-Kelvaragu Masala Dosai
  • Girmit Recipe-North Karnataka Style Masala Spicy Puffed Rice Chaat
  • Poha Sweet Snack-Breakfast-Kerala Aval Vilayichathu-Sweetened Rice Flakes

Baby Recipes

Baby Recipes

https://youtu.be/ObMz4uI5zUc

Copyright © 2025 Padhuskitchen