Homemade Kuzhambu Milagai Thool Recipe

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Have you ever wondered how the food cooked by Indian grandmothers always tastes unique? It is because they make everything from scratch and literally put their love and hard work into simple, everyday food. Donning the hat of an Indian grandma, you can give a unique touch to all types of kuzhambus with this Kuzhambu Milagai Thool Recipe.

Kuzhambu milagai thool is a spice mix used to flavor south Indian Kuzhambus. Sweet, tangy, and savory kuzhambus are brought to life with the spicy kick of a homemade kuzhambu milagai thool. This dry roast of whole spices perfectly complements a tamarind and vegetable stew, which creates an elegant and simple dish. This kuzhambu podi recipe is a versatile spice mix that is used in daily cooking all across southern India.

Kuzhambu Miliagai Thool

The first time I tried a homemade puli kuzhambu, I was like, “Wow!” Talk about a flavor explosion! Sour, sweet, savory, spicy, and pungent—I was literally in a food coma. Much of the flavor of south Indian Kuzhambus comes from the spice mix, kuzhambu milagai thool. In Tamil, Milagai means red chili, and thool means spice mix or masala.

The number of variations of kuzhambu recipes is as varied as the number of Paattis making them, but one thing that remains the same is the need for a good kuzhambu milagai thool to enhance the flavor. Just like a biryani recipe needs raw rice as a key ingredient, a good kuzhambu, whether veg or non-veg kuzhambu, needs a key ingredient, kuzhambbu podi. Today, I’ll show you how to make this easy and versatile spice powder that you can use in a number of south Indian dishes and any south Indian kulambu.

But first, as always, let us do a pantry haul to see what we need!

Ingredients List for Kuzhambu Milagai Thool

Let us see what we need to make this homemade flavorful traditional powder recipe. Once you try this Kuzhambu Milagai Thool recipe, you will fall in love with its nice aroma and delicious flavor. So, here is what you need for this multipurpose chilli powder.

You can also check other spice mix recipes on my blog like homemade sambar powder and Iyenger sambar powder.

Dal

By now, even if you are not South Indian or even Indian, you must know how much South Indians love their dal, so yes, we need dal even for spice mixes. It provides the pallete on which spices paint their flavors. Lentils are also great for the digestive system and digestive related problems. For this Kuzhambu Milagai Thool recipe, you need two tbsp toor dal and equal amount of chana dal.

Dry Red Chilies

For Indian spicy recipes like dry curries and gravies, you need some sort of heat, and that is where raw red chilli powder or dry red chilies jump in. This Kuzhambu Milagai Thool recipe uses dried red chilies that are dry roasted to further enhance the flavor.

Powdered Spices

You need turmeric and asafoetida (hing) for this recipe. However, you can totally skip the asafoetida or use gluten-free asafoetida in a gluten-free recipe.

Seeds and Whole Spices

Now this recipe involves some serious seed business. You need a variety of seeds and whole spices, including mustard seeds, fennel seeds, almost one cup coriander seeds, one tsp fenugreek seeds, cumin seeds, and black peppercorns.

Curry Leaves

And like almost every South Indian recipe, you also need curry leaves for this spice mix.

Instructions For Kuzhambu Milagai Thool

When you have gathered all the above ingredients, it is time to shine in the kitchen, so follow these instructions with step-by-step pictures.

Heat a pan or wok on medium heat to dry roast all the ingredients. It is very important to maintain a low flame after initially heating the pan on a medium flame.

Add the coriander seeds to the pan and roast them; once they are golden and fragrant, dish them out to cool down.

Next, add black peppercorns and cumin seeds; roast them well until they are nice and fragrant and take them out.

Then add chana dal and toor dal dry roast them until golden brown, keep stirring to avoid burning, and take them out.

Add fenugreek seeds to the pan, roast them, and take them out.

Now it is time to dry roast the fennel seeds as well.

Next, dry roast asafoetida and curry leaves, and set them aside. Be careful as curry leaves burn quite easily so keep the flame low.

In the end, dry roast the red chilies and brace yourself for some coughing or a couple of sneezes. You can sprinkle a little salt over them to avoid it. Stir-fry them until they are crunchy, then let all the roasted ingredients cool down and come to room temperature.

Add your ingredients to a mixer jar or food processor with turmeric and grind them to a fine powder; slightly coarse would be good too, as it will be equally flavorful.

Kuzhambu Milagai Thool is ready.

Final Word:

You can give yourself a chef’s kiss for this because next time you cook Indian food, the aroma of the curry will tell you that it is made with this amazing thool. It is ready to be used in any kind of kuzhambu. Just throw in your choice of vegetables with tamarind extract, adjust your gravy consistency, and you are almost ready for approval from my Paatti. (grandmother)

Storage Instructions:

Kuzhambu milagai thool can easily survive on the counter for 3-5 days, but if you keep it in a tight container, you can refrigerate it for up to a month or more.