Kulambu Masala

Kulambu, also spelt kuzhambu, is the Tamil word for a thick gravy eaten with rice, usually with no lentils in it, unlike sambar. Mor kulambu is made with buttermilk or yoghurt, coconut and a spice paste, and it is gentle and tangy. Vathal kulambu and kara kulambu are dark, fiery tamarind gravies cooked with sun dried vathal, shallots or garlic, and they keep well for a day or two.

A kulambu masala saves grinding a fresh paste every time. Choose a buttermilk kulambu masala for a mild, creamy gravy with vegetables such as ash gourd, okra or colocasia, and a tamarind-style blend when you want something sharp and hot. The same powder can season a quick poriyal or vegetable stir fry.

For mor kulambu, whisk the masala into buttermilk off the heat, warm it gently with the cooked vegetables and never let it boil, or it will split. Finish with mustard seeds, fenugreek and curry leaves fried in coconut oil. See sambar powder and rasam powder for other gravies, whole dried chillies for the tempering, and all our South Indian powders.