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Poondu Kulambu-Onion Garlic Kuzhambu

December 26, 2011 by PadhuSankar 51 Comments

This is one of our most favorite kuzhambu of all South Indian kulambu varieties. My children simply love this poondu vengaya kuzhambu so much, that they want this kuzhambu or vatha kulambu at least once in a week. In fact they eat more than usual when I prepare this poondu kuzhambu. This stays fresh even for 4-5 days if refrigerated and also perfect for lunch box. All you need is a simple vegetable stir fry to go along with it. Today let us learn how to make Poondu (garlic) kuzhambu following our easy garlic kulambu recipe.

Poondu Kulambu-poondu kuzhambu-Onion garlic kuzhambu

Poondu Kulambu-Onion Garlic Kuzhambu


Poondu Kulambu-Garlic Onion Kuzhambu

 Prep Time : 15 mins

 Cook Time : 25 mins 
 Serves: 6
 Recipe Category: Kuzhambu
 Recipe Cuisine: South Indian
 Author:Padhu Sankar

   Ingredients needed

   Pearl onion – 1/2 cup
   Garlic – 3/4 cup
   Tamarind – golf ball size-(approximately 40 grams, but  it depends on the quality of tamarind)
   Sambar powder -2 1/2 – 3 tbsp
   Salt as required

   For the seasoning

   Sesame seed oil – 4 tbsp
   Mustard seeds – 1 tsp
   Fenugreek seeds (vendhayam) -3/4 tsp
   Hing -1/4 tsp
   Curry leaves – a sprig

Preparation

Soak tamarind in hot water for 20 minutes.Then extract the juice (around 3 cups) and discard the pulp.

Peel the onions and garlic and cut it into half if it is big.

Method

Heat sesame seed oil, add mustard seeds, when it splutters, add fenugreek seeds, hing and curry leaves.

Then add garlic and pearl onions and saute nicely for a few minutes.

Add sambar powder, salt and tamarind water and bring it to boil.

Keep it on medium flame and cook till it thickens and oil separates.

Note – Use only sesame seed oil for best results.

I have used homemade sambar powder, which is not hot, if using store bought sambar powder, use a little less.

The quantity of tamarind will differ according to the quality of tamarind. Some tamarind may be very tangy, some many not be tangy. So you may take a little less or more of tamarind than mentioned. Use old tamarind for best results.

Those who do not prefer garlic can omit garlic and prepare as shown in the video without garlic.

Storage and Shelf Life – This kuzhambu will stay good for 4-5 days in the refrigerator. Store it in a stain steel container or good quality plastic container.

Lunch on Sunday

onion garlic kulambuI love simple traditional meals very much – Our Sunday lunch (rice and curd are not in the picture)

Steamed rice
Poondu Kuzhambu
Mullangi keerai poriyal
Carrot stir fry/poriyal
Curd Rice
Pickle

I make it a point to include greens at least 4 days a week in our diet in the form of paratha or a simple stir fry or kootu or mixed rice like methi pulao, pudina pulao, coriander rice, vendhaya keerai sadam (South Indian style) or just keerai masiyal etc. After all our health is more important than anything else in this world, isn’t it?

I have planned to post our simple lunch menus which will be not only be healthy but also have variety, for the new ones to have an idea as to what to cook for lunch. Stay tuned!

Meet you all again with more interesting recipes, till then it is bye from Padhu of Padhuskitchen.com

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Indian Recipes for Lactating Mothers-Food to increase Milk Supply in Lactating mothers

Filed Under: Kuzhambu Varieties, Uncategorized, Video Recipe Tagged With: Garlic, Lunch box recipes, South Indian recipes, Uncategorized




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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Nisha

    December 28, 2011 at 9:35 am

    nice kolumbu

    Reply
  2. Chandrani

    December 28, 2011 at 9:56 am

    Curry looks aweosme.

    Reply
  3. hemalata

    December 28, 2011 at 10:21 am

    Delicious recipe,looks very tasty n easy to prepare.

    Reply
    • Kirubas

      July 7, 2016 at 5:04 am

      Yes its

      Reply
  4. Aarthi

    December 28, 2011 at 4:29 pm

    Delicious..Yummy one to try it asap

    Aarthi
    http://yummytummy-aarthi.blogspot.com/

    Reply
  5. Maayeka

    December 28, 2011 at 5:56 pm

    very tempting and yummy…

    Reply
  6. Santosh Bangar

    December 28, 2011 at 7:16 pm

    simple and tasty dish

    Reply
  7. divya

    December 28, 2011 at 11:28 pm

    Yum yum,mouthwatering here..

    Reply
  8. Kaveri

    December 29, 2011 at 9:38 am

    Mmmm..Love this kuzhambu…Looking forward to your healthy lunch menu series.
    Wishing you and your family a Happy New Year

    Reply
  9. Prathima Rao

    December 29, 2011 at 11:43 am

    Lip smacking kuzhambu!!!
    Prathima Rao
    Prats Corner

    Reply
  10. Magic of Spice

    December 30, 2011 at 6:15 pm

    What beautiful flavors…lovely!
    Happy New Tear!

    Reply
  11. maha

    December 30, 2011 at 7:38 pm

    yummy dish…n ur so cute

    Reply
  12. Ananda Rajashekar

    December 30, 2011 at 9:03 pm

    Garlic is def my weakness looks amazing! Happy New year!!

    Reply
  13. Anzz

    December 31, 2011 at 3:24 pm

    Wishing you a very Happy New Year, filled with loads of happiness, good health and wonderful blessings. May all your wishes come true.

    Reply
  14. Indie.Tea

    January 1, 2012 at 11:31 pm

    This looks so delicious. YUM…

    Reply
  15. anthony stemke

    January 2, 2012 at 5:38 pm

    This is a lovely, luscious curry, Thyanks for posting.
    Wish you and yours a very Happy New Year.

    Reply
  16. anu

    December 23, 2012 at 2:53 pm

    came out awesomeeeeeeeeeeeeee

    Reply
  17. Shreedevi

    January 7, 2013 at 12:09 pm

    can u give me the recipe for kara kuzhambu

    Reply
  18. Unknown

    January 30, 2013 at 12:00 pm

    superb akka.I made it today with cabbage poriyal and pappad.my tangachi usually not prefer this.when she arrived from school and asking abt today's receipe.
    she said that she dnt want food today.
    but after eating she asked me more to put this kuzhambu.
    simply slurrrrrrrp akka

    Reply
  19. lvprasad

    February 26, 2013 at 11:58 am

    Tried your Poondu Kuzhambu – It was really awesome. I am going to try karuveppilai kuzhambu today…

    Thanks,
    Lakshman

    Reply
  20. Thathapuram Chandrasekar

    October 3, 2013 at 12:25 pm

    Nice dish and presentation. Can you give me the measurement incase if we use tamarind paste in place of tamarind?

    Reply
  21. namrata

    October 22, 2013 at 9:06 am

    Hi Padhu,

    I have tried many kuzhambu, kootu, dosai recipes from your blog and it really tastes good. I have a request, I had tasted a recipe made with kabuli chana and rice and Its tastes like tamarind rice. I guess it is called konda kadai rice. Can you please share the recipe. If its in your blog already what is the name of the dish. Many thanks

    Reply
  22. Padhu Sankar

    October 23, 2013 at 2:14 am

    Namrata – here is the link for channa pulao
    Channa Pulao

    Reply
    • Unknown

      April 12, 2018 at 10:31 am

      Hi Padhu.. Can i add pomfret pieces to make this garlic curry into fish curry following your recipe? Please let me know thanks

      Reply
    • Padhu Sankar

      April 13, 2018 at 7:17 am

      I am a vegetarian, so do not know much about
      fishes. But I know they usually add fish at the end. You can add to this kulambu.

      Reply
  23. namrata

    October 23, 2013 at 9:01 am

    Thank you so much. Padhu.

    Reply
  24. Sonia

    December 9, 2013 at 5:32 pm

    Hi Padu,
    This recipe is looking so appetizing and beautiful.Thanks for sharing awesome recipes!
    Hope to see more of your creative endeavors in the New Year. Wish you and your family a very Happy and Blessed New Year!!!

    Have a wonderful Holiday Season and stay Warm !
    Best Regards, Sonia

    Reply
  25. rains

    March 7, 2014 at 5:14 pm

    Do u mean 3/4 cup of garlic cloves or 3/4 of a pod of garlic

    Reply
  26. Padhu Sankar

    March 9, 2014 at 6:43 am

    It is 3/4 cup of garlic cloves.This is poondu kulambu, so it is the main ingredient.

    Reply
  27. Ragha Shunmuga Sundaram

    June 7, 2014 at 8:24 am

    hai,
    This kulambu was simple and easy to make. Thankyou so much, your recipes are my guide while cooking and even my mom appreciates me since i have never ever cooked before. Once again thank you so much.

    Reply
  28. then mozhi

    June 8, 2015 at 3:49 pm

    really excelleny

    Reply
  29. Brindha Vijay

    July 20, 2015 at 2:55 am

    Hi Padhu,

    I prepared this kulambu last Saturday and my family liked it very much.

    Thanks

    Reply
  30. Gowri Dharshini

    July 31, 2015 at 6:25 am

    Great recipie with medicinal value.. Tastes yummy too:)

    Reply
  31. Bala Subramanian

    September 23, 2015 at 10:43 am

    It is my first time ,it came out very good ,Thanks for making cooking a simpler way.

    Reply
  32. Unknown

    October 12, 2015 at 5:52 pm

    Dear Padhu we really enjoy your recipe for Poondu Kulambu-Onion Garlic Kuzhambu, however every time I bit into a Fenugreek seeds, it taste bitter.
    any suggestions thank you .
    Rebecca .

    Reply
    • Padhu Sankar

      October 13, 2015 at 7:27 am

      Nice to know that you all enjoyed the garlic kulambu. Saute the fenugreek seeds in oil for a few seconds and then add garlic. You can reduce the quantity of fenugreek seeds, if you do not like it. Actually it is very good for health.

      Reply
    • Becca Hampton

      October 13, 2015 at 5:34 pm

      Thank you for your help!
      will I'm try that!

      Reply
  33. Remya

    November 13, 2015 at 2:23 am

    Hi Padhu…
    Poondu kulambu came out very well…nice aroma of Gingely oil while frying onion and garlic…thanks for d recipe…

    Reply
  34. P76

    January 20, 2016 at 11:35 am

    love all your recipes, padhu! I have my father-in-law staying with me now and I was always nervous about cooking for him but he loves the kuzhambus that I make from your recipes! many thanks for sharing

    Reply
  35. Anonymous

    February 9, 2016 at 1:35 pm

    Nice garlic kulambu
    Thanks padhu mam

    Reply
  36. Amudha Ramakrishnan

    March 16, 2016 at 4:35 am

    Hi padhu
    40 grams would it be lemon size or gooseberry size

    Reply
    • Padhu Sankar

      March 16, 2016 at 7:55 am

      40 grams of tamarind will be around a medium lemon sized ball .

      Reply
  37. Unknown

    June 19, 2016 at 5:37 am

    Awesome recipie Padhu, your dishes helps me a lot… Thanks – Abarna

    Reply
  38. Uma Maheshwari

    April 20, 2017 at 8:05 am

    Hi paadhu , I tried this recipe today with the b measurement that you shared but the gravy was not very thick and slightly watery. Is this how the consistency is supposed to be.

    Reply
    • Padhu Sankar

      April 21, 2017 at 8:03 am

      You have to boil for some more time for it to thicken. The consistency will neither be too thick nor water (in between both). Use old tamarind for best results.

      Reply
  39. Suriya Mohan

    May 4, 2017 at 5:03 pm

    Can we use normal onions instead of pearl onions?

    Reply
    • Padhu Sankar

      May 5, 2017 at 9:36 am

      You can use but it is the pearl onions which give taste to the kulambu.

      Reply
  40. Pricilla Solomon

    June 14, 2017 at 9:11 am

    Delicious Poondu Kozhambu, Made it today and served with rice and Beetroot poriyal, was a great combination.Thank you

    Reply
  41. Unknown

    October 15, 2018 at 3:11 am

    Loved your simple and delicious recipe. You reminded me of my granny's recipe that I thought I would never be able to replicate. Thanks a million Padhu's kitchen…

    Reply
  42. Vatskutspops

    April 11, 2019 at 11:51 am

    Sutta appalam and some ghee. Heavenly….

    Reply
  43. Jemi

    October 23, 2020 at 3:10 am

    Mam can we add drumsticks in this kuzhambu?

    Reply

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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 ...

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