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Lentil Dumplings Curry / Paruppu Urunda Kuzhambu

5 from 2 votes
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Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Course Main Course
Cuisine Indian
Servings 0

Ingredients
  

For the dumplings

  • 3/4 cup Chana dal (Split Bengal Gram)
  • 1-3 dry red chilli
  • 1 tsp fennel seeds
  • 2 cloves garlic
  • 1 inch peeled ginger
  • A pinch of asafetida (Optional) skip this if you are doing the whole30 as it might contain traces of gluten

Add ons to the dumplings

  • 1/2 finely chopped onion
  • 2-3 green chillies finely chopped
  • 10 curry leaves finely chopped
  • 2 tbsp finely chopped cilantro
  • 3/4 tsp salt

For the kozhambu/curry

  • 2 tbsp oil
  • 1 tsp mustard seeds
  • 1 tsp cumin seeds
  • 1 tsp fennel seeds
  • A small handful of curry leaves
  • 1/2 onion thinly sliced
  • 1 tomato diced
  • 1 cup of tamarind juice from 1 small ball of tamarind
  • 1-2 tsp red chilli powder
  • 3 tsp coriander powder
  • 1 tsp cumin powder
  • 2 tbsps of Kozhambu powder spice blend (optional) Instead of this spice blend, you can also use Sambhar powder
  • 1 tsp turmeric
  • 2 tsp salt
  • 1/2 cup coconut milk canned

Kozhambu Spice blend recipe (Optional)

Instructions
 

Making the lentil dumplings

  • Place all the ingredients in the "For the dumplings" section in a blender or food processor and pulse a few times. The dal/lentil should still be coarse and can have some whole pieces of lentil too. Once pulsed, add the ingredients in the "Add ons to dumplings" like the onion, curry leaves, cilantro and green chillies to the ground chana dal
  • Shape them into small balls for the dumplings

Remaining recipe steps

  • Optional step - For the Kozhambu spice blend dry roast all the ingredients in a pan and grind it to a powder. You can skip this step if you don't want to make this spice blend.
  • In a pan heat up the oil and add the mustard seeds. Let it splutter.
  • Add the cumin and fennel seeds and let them bloom
  • Add the curry leaves and then the onions and fry them till they turn translucent
  • Add the tomatoes and let them soften
  • Add the turmeric, chilli and coriander powder.
  • If you have made the Kozhambu spice blend or you have Sambhar powder, you can add it at this point. These are optional.
  • Sauté till the spices smell fragrant.
  • Add the tamarind juice and 2 cups of water
  • Let it all boil till the onion and tomatoes are well cooked.
  • Add the dumplings to the cooked onion and tomato curry while it's still boiling. Make sure to space the dumplings so that they don't sit on each other or overcrowd in the curry.
  • Let the dumplings cook in the curry. They will start floating up once fully cooked.
  • Once all the dumplings start floating, add the coconut milk and let it slightly boil.
  • Switch off and garnish with cilantro and curry leaves.
  • They taste delicious with a steaming bowl of rice or cauli rice for the Plant Based whole30 option

Notes

You can mix up the dumplings mix and keep aside before starting the curry process
Make sure to pulse the chana dal, and to keep the mix coarse, a few whole pieces or roughly minced chana dal is desired. A smooth mix will alter the taste and texture of the dumplings.
Make the dumplings small so that they can soak up the flavours from the curry.
Don't overcrowd the dumplings in the curry. Choose a bigger pot accordingly.
For the tamarind juice soak the tamarind in hot water for 15 minutes and squeeze it to separate the juice from it. Discard the fibrous part of the tamarind.
You can also use tamarind concentrate by diluting it with water
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!