Chettinad Garlic Chutney - Poondu Puli Kulambu

 Garlic season is here and the market is brimming with beautiful, fresh, fragrant garlic.  This chutney is bursting with flavours out of this world - and needs a simple rice or roti to go with it. Today I have paired it with yogurt rice as it is a hot day here in Melbourne.  Finally we have Summer at our doorstep after all the rain.

This chutney is called Poondu Puli Kulambu - which means garlic tamarind gravy.  This was introduced to me by my friend Manikumari who I went to University with. She stayed at home and attended school while I was in the hostel and eating boring hostel food.  So whenever she invited me over for a meal, I would never say no. There was an amazing cook in her house who would whip up delicacies to feed us starving students from University!

This gravy celebrates the cuisine of Chettinad - or Chettinadu and it is very unique and full of flavour.  Though most of us are familiar with the Chicken Chettinad, there are several other dishes which are rarely available in restaurants but are equally if not more flavoursome.  In this dish, we bring out the nutty, buttery flavours of garlic and marry it with the tangy tamarind and other staple spices.

Ingredients:

3 garlic pods, peeled and garlic cloves collected.

1 small ball of tamarind - about the size of one garlic pod, soaked in hot water and juice extracted, about 1/2 a cup.

1 tablespoon piece of jaggery (or brown sugar)

2 or 3 shallots, peeled and sliced (or 1/2 a red onion, chopped)

2 teaspoons Kashmiri chilli powder

1/2 teaspoon coriander powder

1/4 teaspoon turmeric powder

3 tablespoons Indian sesame oil

1/2 teaspoon mustard seeds

1/4 teaspoon asafoetida

1/4 teaspoon fenugreek seeds ground

salt to taste

Method:

Heat a wok, add the oil. Heat the oil in fairly low heat. When the oil gets hot, add the garlic pods.  Sauté gently and uniformly until the colour of the garlic turns golden and you can smell the garlic in the kitchen.  

Note:  Do not burn the garlic as it will taste terrible. You will have to throw out the garlic if you burn it.

Using a slotted spoon, get the garlic out and reserve it. In the same oil that is left over in the wok, add the mustard seeds.  When the mustard seeds crackle, add the asafoetida and after a few seconds, add the shallots. When the shallots just start to caramalise, lower the heat to minimum and add chilli powder, coriander powder, turmeric powder, fenugreek powder and 1/2 a teaspoon of salt.  Cook for another 10 seconds and then add the tamarind water. Taste the mixture and adjust the salt if needed.

Cook till the sauce starts to thicken and oil floats on top.

Lastly, add the reserved fried garlic and piece of jaggery to balance out the sourness of the tamarind.

Cook till the sauce thickens.

This gravy will keep in the fridge for a week. You can bottle it after it has cooled down. You can serve it hot or cold and it goes well with yogurt rice or chappaties.