1. Onion - My mother never added Onion to this, but I do it normally since my family likes this version better. You can skip it completely or you can also use Shallots/Pearl onions for this.
2. Tamarind Paste - The amount will vary depending on the brand you use and the taste. I use a Tamicon brand and for us 2 tsp of this works fine. You can go the traditional route and use regular tamarind (a lime sized ball should suffice), drop it in hot water (2 cups worth) and extract all the juice. Discard the tamarind and use this water instead of regular water in this recipe.
3. Sambar Powder - Like any dutiful daughter, I tend to follow my mom's recipe for
Sambar powder. So for us with this powder, 1 tbsp works great. But if you have your own recipe for the powder or are using store bought powder, you will have to adjust the amount. Start with 1/2 tbsp and work around your requirements.
4. Some version of Kuzhambu include using
Bengal Gram (channa dal) as one of the tempering ingredients. I normally do not but you can additionally use 1 tsp of channa dal to this recipe if you wish.
By Jimmy the Kid on Jan 4, 2015