MILAGU KUZHAMBU | PEPPER KUZHAMBU

My hubby loves this milagu kuzhambu a lot. He always used to say that  Iam good in making this. Thanks to the supplementary issue of “Aval Vikatan” . It is the source for this kuzhambu. But I made some modifications according to our taste buds!! Whenever I get up late in the morning and when I run short of time to prepare lunch for my husband, I always do this. Its very easy to do. Lets see how to make this easy pepper kuzhambu for rice with simple ingredients.

Ingredients 

To dry roast and grind

• Pepper corns – 1 tbsp
• Jeera/Cumin seeds – 2 tsp

To saute:

• Mustard seeds – 1/2 tsp
• Fenugreek seeds – 1/2 tsp
• Small onions – 5-7 nos ( finely chopped)
• Garlic -  10 flakes (finely chopped)
• Curry leaves – a sprig
• Tomato – 1 no (finely chopped)
• Turmeric powder – a pinch
• Cooking Oil or gingely oil – 2 tbsp
• Salt and water - as needed

Other ingredients:

• Tamarind – Medium gooseberry size ( 2 to 3 tsp extract)

HOW TO MAKE MILAGU KULAMBU - Method 

• Dry roast pepper and Jeera together just for 1 min in a hot kadai. U’ll get a nice aroma.(Note:Jeera should not be turned black) Grind it slightly coarse.
• Soak tamarind in hot water for 5 –10 mins and extract juice from it. Take 1 cup of juice from it. Add the pepper, jeera powder to the extract. Keep it aside.
• Now heat a wok/pan with 2 tbsp of oil and add the mustard seeds. Once it pops, add the methi seeds. Fry..
• Add the finely chopped onions and garlic pieces along with curry leaves. Saute till they become translucent.
• Now add the tomato and cook till it becomes mushy.
• Add the turmeric powder and tamarind extract along with the required salt.
• Let it boil for 10 to 15 mins in medium flame till its raw smell goes off. Add water in the middle if necessary. You can make it thick or thin as you like. Check for taste and add some raw pepper powder if needed. 
• Now switch off the flame and garnish with  fresh curry leaves and 2 tsp of gingely oil. Cover and rest before you serve. 

If you need it more spicy , you can add the raw pepper powder on top of the gravy. No need to boil. That gives a special flavor to this Kuzhambu. I always do this at the end:)

Yummy ,Spicy Milagu Kuzhambu is ready to serve with plain rice and ghee!! It tastes great when crispy potato poriyal or  simple sorakkai poriyal is served as a side dish!!

My MIL’s Tips:

1.     For initial stages of cold: U can try this kashaayam.

Take 1 tbsp pepper, 1/2 tsp cumin /jeera and 1 inch size ginger in a blender and crush it into one or two. Boil a glass of water . Add this mixture to it. Boil till it gets reduced into quarter glass. Drink this by adding honey or jaggery.
2. For loss of appetite and Indigestion:
Grind 1 tsp of pepper ,1 tsp of Jeera with salt. Make it a coarse powder by adding a pod of garlic at the end. Mix it with ghee and hot plain rice and have it for 2 days. It improves the loss of appetite.
3.For dry cough: Roast 5 –7 peppers in 2 tsp of ghee till it splutters. Now remove the roasted pepper and eat it as it is. Drink the hot ghee (throat bearable heat).
We usually do all the above remedies at our home and are really beneficial:)

For Weight Loss:
If you drink pepper rasam(without rice) around 11 in the morning regularly, sure you will reduce your weight by at least 1 to 2 kg per month(no dieting is necessary). But please don't add too much of pepper . It may lead to stomach ulcer. Just normal amount of pepper as we use for rasam is sufficient!!

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