An Overview On Muttai Kulambu Recipe
Muttai kulambu recipe is an exotic dish from the chettinad cuisine, and it is popular all over the South India
As we all know, egg is one of the most versatile ingredient that makes your diet complete and balanced, and this is the key ingredient of this yummy muttai kulambu recipe. Quite interestingly, each region has its own version of muttai kulambu that differ from each other in ingredients, preparatory style and taste as well. And therefore, you get a lot of enticing recipes of muttai kulambu from the South India. And each one tantalizes your taste buds with its own unique flavour and deliciousness.
There are different types of muttai kulambu recipe and some of the popular versions are kongunadu muttai kulambu, udaicha muttai kulambu, chetinad muttai kulambu, milagu muttai kulambu and village style egg kulambu. Some varieties are coconut based and yet others are pepper based. Each one add eggs in different forms like full boiled eggs, poached eggs, chopped omelettes, half boiled eggs and chopped boiled eggs. In some regions, they use tamarind to make muttai kulambu but some other regions use only tomatoes for tanginess. In some places, the muttai kulambu is tempered with fennel seeds and in some other places cumin seeds are used for tempering. Thus, there are innumerable varieties of ways to make muttai kulambu, which can satisfy your tongue and as well as your soul with its mesmerising taste and versatility.
This tangy tomato based muttai kulambu is made with spongy egg balls dipped in tangy puli kulambu doused in a layer of aromatic chekkennai (sesame oil). This particular version is from the regions around Tanjore district of Tamil Nadu. People in deep southern regions used to prepare this muttai kulambu in man satti (earthen pot) which makes it all the more authentic. Here, the egg is first popped up in kuzhi paniyara satti and then added into the puli kulambu.
Unlike other dishes, this does not need any accompaniment at all. It just tastes heavenly as such with rice, roti or idli, dosa or appam and nothing else is needed. It is also good for health as eggs are a rich source of protein and have essential vitamins and minerals required for the body. This humble egg kulambu recipe is sure to take you on a roller coaster ride even in the very first bite and will tantalize your taste buds to want for more.
Let us see the method to make muttai kulambu in one of the typical village styles.
Ingredients Required To Make Muttai Kulambu Recipe
How To Make muttai Kulambu Recipe
Prior Arrangements :
Chop the veggies: Wash and clean the vegetables and peel off the skin from the onion.
Choose fresh eggs: select fresh eggs by putting them in water. If it lies horizontally at the bottom of the vessel, it indicates that it is fresh. Instead, if it floats or stands at one end that implies that it is not fresh.
Crack your eggs in a bowl : By using a knife or a spoon just crack your eggs into two halves, and drop the whites and yolks in a bowl.
Add onion and ginger garlic paste : Beat the eggs with a beater along with two or three pinches of salt and add a teaspoon of ginger garlic paste and two finely chopped green chillies and some chopped onion.
Sprinkle some pepper powder : Mix everything with a little pepper powder and a few pinches of turmeric powder.
Stir everything well : Whip the mixture using an egg beater for a while and keep aside.
Soak the tamarind : Take a tablespoon of tamarind and soak it in hot water.
How To Make Muttai Kulambu Recipe
Place a mansatti (earthen pot) in the stove and keep it in medium flame. It will take a minute or two for the mansatti to get heated, as it is quite heavy. After two minutes, just add three or four tablespoons of sesame oil to it and when it is heated, add a teaspoon of mustard seeds.
When it splutters, add half a teaspoon of methi seeds to it and when it turns golden brown, add a tea spoon of fennel seeds.
Finally, add some curry leaves with a roughly torn red chilli and stir well with a wooden ladle.
Now the tempering is over.
Then add the finely chopped onion in the mansatti and stir well with the ladle until it becomes translucent. Secondly, add the chopped tomatoes and let them become mushy.
At this stage, squeeze out the tamarind that was soaked already and strain it.
Let the flame continue to be in medium mode.
Pour the tamarind water into the man satti and add the required salt for the muttai kuzhambu.
Add a pinch of turmeric and stir well.
Then add the measured quantity of chilli powder and coriander powder to it.
Add a little more water to dilute the kuzhambu.
Stir well with the ladle and here you change the flame to high mode and let the kuzhambu boil for some time. After a while, you will see the kuzhambu starts getting thick slightly.
At this point, you simmer the flame and let the kuzhambu continue to boil. Meanwhile, do the preparation for frying the egg balls.
Just ensure that the consistency of the kuzhambu is sufficiently dilute to drop the egg balls.
Take the kuzhi paniyara satti (preferably cast iron satti) and wash and clean it well with a cloth.
Now apply a little oil in all the moulds using a brush.
Place it on the stove and keep it in medium flame. While it is getting heated, just keep the whipped egg ready.
Take the bowl where you have kept the whipped egg mixture and mix it well with a spoon.
When the paniyara satti is heated, take a spoon full of egg mixture and fill a mould up to the brink.
Similarly, fill all the moulds one by one. Smear a little oil over every mould and close it with a lid.
Simmer the flame and let it cook for a while.
After a while, just open the lid and you will notice that the bottom parts of the eggs are being cooked up completely and have popped up like tiny balls.
Using a skewer, just flip one egg ball and toss it upside down so that the other side too get cooked up.
Similarly, toss all the egg balls. Within seconds, you will see all the egg balls being cooked up completely and it will look like kuzhi paniyaram.
Now, using the skewer, take out all the egg balls and drop it on by one directly in the kuzhambu satti and switch off the stove.
Close the mansatti with a lid so that the kuzhambu gets absorbed up by the eggs in the heat retained by the mansatti.
After five minutes, sprinkle some (fresh) crushed curry leaves and close the mansatti and you can serve it any time you want.
Serve it hot with steamed rice, pepper rasam and ulundu appalam.
You can also serve it with hot idlis and ilandosai, appam and idiyappam.
Some Tips To Follow To Make Muttai Kulambu Recipe
• You can also make the egg balls in illupaikarandi (cast iron ladle) one by one, in case if you do not have kuzhi paniyara satti. I have seen my grandma using only iluppai karandi ( yet another classic kitchen tool from our ancestors). You will get bigger size egg balls if you use this.
• Let the muttai kulambu be in a semi-dilute consistency because when you drop the egg balls, the kulambu will get absorbed by the balls.
• Instead of sesame oil, you can also use peanut oil or any other cooking oil you use in day today cooking. Generally in South India, we use sesame oil for puli kulambu to get authentic taste and flavour.
• You can use any thick bottomed vessel, kadai or saucepan to make the muttai kulambu recipe, but at least once, try making this recipe in mansatti to enjoy the thrill of it. I make it mandatory to prepare muttai kulambu recipe only in mansatti and every time it enthrals me with its deliciousness and irresistible aroma and I used to savour the sensation with nostalgia.
Ingredients
Directions
Place a mansatti (earthen pot) in the stove and keep it in medium flame. It will take a minute or two for the mansatti to get heated, as it is quite heavy. After two minutes, just add three or four tablespoons of sesame oil to it and when it is heated, add a teaspoon of mustard seeds.
When it splutters, add half a teaspoon of methi seeds to it and when it turns golden brown, add a tea spoon of fennel seeds.
Finally, add some curry leaves with a roughly torn red chilli and stir well with a wooden ladle.
Now the tempering is over.
Then add the finely chopped onion in the mansatti and stir well with the ladle until it becomes translucent. Secondly, add the chopped tomatoes and let them become mushy.
At this stage, squeeze out the tamarind that was soaked already and strain it.
Let the flame continue to be in medium mode.
Pour the tamarind water into the man satti and add the required salt for the muttai kuzhambu.
Add a pinch of turmeric and stir well.
Then add the measured quantity of chilli powder and coriander powder to it.
Add a little more water to dilute the kuzhambu.
Stir well with the ladle and here you change the flame to high mode and let the kuzhambu boil for some time. After a while, you will see the kuzhambu starts getting thick slightly.
At this point, you simmer the flame and let the kuzhambu continue to boil. Meanwhile, do the preparation for frying the egg balls.
Just ensure that the consistency of the kuzhambu is sufficiently dilute to drop the egg balls.
Take the kuzhi paniyara satti (preferably cast iron satti) and wash and clean it well with a cloth.
Now apply a little oil in all the moulds using a brush.
Place it on the stove and keep it in medium flame. While it is getting heated, just keep the whipped egg ready.
Take the bowl where you have kept the whipped egg mixture and mix it well with a spoon.
When the paniyara satti is heated, take a spoon full of egg mixture and fill a mould up to the brink.
Similarly, fill all the moulds one by one. Smear a little oil over every mould and close it with a lid.
Simmer the flame and let it cook for a while.
After a while, just open the lid and you will notice that the bottom parts of the eggs are being cooked up completely and have popped up like tiny balls.
Using a skewer, just flip one egg ball and toss it upside down so that the other side too get cooked up.
Similarly, toss all the egg balls. Within seconds, you will see all the egg balls being cooked up completely and it will look like kuzhi paniyaram.
Now, using the skewer, take out all the egg balls and drop it on by one directly in the kuzhambu satti and switch off the stove.
Close the mansatti with a lid so that the kuzhambu gets absorbed up by the eggs in the heat retained by the mansatti.
After five minutes, sprinkle some (fresh) crushed curry leaves and close the mansatti and you can serve it any time you want.
Serve it hot with steamed rice, pepper rasam and ulundu appalam.
You can also serve it with hot idlis and ilandosai, appam and idiyappam.
