Irupuli kozhambhu / Thengai (coconut) kozhambhu

This ambrosial recipe is from my sister-in-law. When I visited her in Mumbai a couple of years back, her mother-in-law made this for us. I tasted and told her that it tastes somewhat like a combination of vethakozhambu and morekozhambu. I asked her for the recipe and made the mistake of not noting it down, eventually completely forgetting about it.  A month back I remembered it and asked my sister-in-law for the recipe and tried making it. The  result was so wonderful that it earned a place here.

Iru-puli here refers to tamarind and curd (natural plain yogurt). This  kozhambu is also called as thengai kozhambu because we use a considerable quantity of thengai (coconut) and it kind of forms the base consistency of this kozhambhu.

Ingredients:

Puli/ Tamarind                                             1 lemon sized ball
Curd/ Natural plain yogurt                             1 cup
Thengai thuruval/ Coconut shreddings            3/4 cup
Vendakkai /Okra                                           5 nos
Vendhayam/ Methi seeds                                1 tsp
Red chillies                                                   6 nos
Salt                                                               To taste
Mustard seeds                                                1 tsp
Oil                                                                2 tsp
Curry leaves                                                   1 sprig
Asafoetida                                                      1 pinch


Method:

1. Soak tamarind in lukewarm water for 10-15 mins and extract tamarind syrup from the pulp
2. Cut vendakkai/okra as we cut it for sambhar.
3. In a medium sized saucepan, heat oil, add mustard seeds to splutter. Add curry leaves to splutter and add a pinch of asafoetida.  Add tamarind syrup and cut okra and let it come to a boil. Simmer it until the okra gets cooked and then add salt to it.
4. In a flat pan, dry roast vendhayam/methi seeds and red chillies separately until vendhayam turns golden brown.
5. In a blender, add the coconut gratings/ thengai thuruval, dry roasted vendhayam, red chillies and curd and grind it to a thick paste.
6. Add this paste to the mixture boiling in the saucepan and mix well. Reduce the heat to medium low. Let the mixture simmer for 5-6 minutes. Switch off the stove and remove from the stove

Irupuli kozhambhu is ready and can be served with hot rice and potato/seppankezhangu//vazhakkai fry or kathrikkai podi potta kari.  This kozhambhu can be made with onions or drumsticks or potatoes other than vendakkai/okra. It is equally good when made with them too.