Pirandai Puli Kulambu / Adamant Creeper in Spicy Tamarind Gravy

Just after I returned from my native place, with full of joy, I showed pirandai to my mother-in-law and asked whether she knows it. She easliy identified it, but she said she never tried any recipe out of it. But she recollected some memories during her college days and said people at her native make vathal (cut into few inches, dunked in salt water and sun dried). Since I have never heard anything like vathal till that time, I asked her to provide me the recipe for preparing it. Next time, when I get pirandai, I will try out vathal for sure.

For today, I am sharing Pirandai Puli Kulambu (or Kozhambu). The taste was very good. If you don’t get pirandai in large quantity to make Pirandai thogayal, then this is a perfect alternative and also, you may be interested at and the strange thing is you’ll never realize that pirandai is one of the ingredient unless you are informed prior. 🙂

Basic Information:

Cleaning Time for Pirandai: 1/2 hour
Preparation Time: 10 minutes
CookingTime : 20 minutes
Serves: 4

Ingredients:

Pirandai – 1/2 cup, heaped 
Small onion / shallots / Chinna vengayam – 1/2 cup, heaped
Garlic –  3-4 cloves
Ripe tomato – 1 no., big size
Tamarind – a small lemon size ball
Water – 2 cups
Sambar masala – 2 teaspoons
Turmeric powder – 1/2 teaspoon
Salt – to taste
Oil – 1 tablespoon (Use any cooking oil)
Gingelly oil – 1 tablespoon
Mustard seeds – 1/2 teaspoon

Fenugreek seeds – 1/8 teaspoon
Curry leaves – 1 spring
Asafoetida – a pinch

Method:

1) Clean the pirandai and wash it well. Cut it into 1 inch to 2 inch length pieces. Soak tamarind in a cup of warm water. Peel the skin of onion and garlic and keep it aside.

2) Heat oil in the pan. Add mustard seeds and Fenugreek. When it splutters, add asafoetida and curry leaves. 
3) In few seconds, after adding the curry leaves, add onion and garlic cloves.

4) Fry till the onion becomes very soft and changed in its colour. Add tomato and cook till it completely mashes well.

5) Add pirandai now. Sprinkle some water, cover and cook till the pirandai is half done.
6) Add sambar  masala, turmeric powder and salt. Fry for 2 minutes.If the masala sticks to the pan, then, add few teaspoons of oil to avoid sticking it.

7) Squeeze and extract the tamarind juice and add it to the pan.  Add another cup of water and simmer for 7 minutes. 

8) Meanwhile, mix rice flour in 2 tablespoons of water. When the gravy starts boiling, add this rice flour mixture to the gravy. you can see the gravy starts thickening. When it reaches the desired consistency, pour a table spoon of gingelly oil and turn off the flame.

9) Serve it hot with steamed rice.

Notes:

1) For getting a thick texture, I have added rice flour. It is optional. If you are adding it, make sure that it doesn’t form any lumps when adding it.
2) Adjust the tamarind and sambar masala quantity as per your taste.