Happy's Cook

Thursday, January 11, 2018

Verum Curry Recipe | Nagercoil Special Verum Curry | Thengai Kuzhambu | Simple Coconut based Gravy

Today I am sharing a recipe from my hometown (Kanyakumari District) and this recipe is very close to my heart. People in and around Nagercoil include fish for lunch most of the days and this curry goes well with Avicha Meen (cooked fish). This recipe is from my handwritten recipe note, which I learned it from mum during my maternity leave. My mum makes this curry along with a spicy thick fish kuzhambu without coconut and it tastes so yum together. 
We all at home love this verum curry and I make it once in a while on weekends to refresh the childhood memories. Recently, when I posted our lunch scene with this curry on Instagram, few people pinged me to get the recipe and that motivated me to share this recipe here. Initially, I didn't have plans to post the recipe here since I thought people outside Kanyakumari will not like this. However, most of my friends who tried this simple recipe liked it to the core. Aviyal and red spinach thoran go well with this curry and let's see the steps involved in making this easy and yummy curry:
Ingredients:
Salt - as required
To Grind: 
Grated Coconut - 1/2 Cup 
Small onion(shallots) - 5 
Garlic pods - 2 
Cumin seeds - 1 tsp 
Red Chilli Powder - 1 tsp 
Turmeric Powder - 1/4 tsp 
Tamerind - a small piece
To Marinate: 
Coconut Oil - 2 tsp 
Mustard Seeds - 1 tsp 
Fenugreek seeds - 1/2 tsp 
Curry leaves - few
Method:
1. Grind the items under 'To Grind' to a very smooth paste by adding a little water. 
2. In a pan, temper with the items under 'To Temper'. Then, add the ground masala paste and cook it on a low flame for 5 to 7 minutes. The raw smell of the masala should go completely and no water should be added at this stage.
3. When the coconut paste cooks completely, add 2 cups of water. The curry should be very watery and hence use the water accordingly. Add the required salt. When it starts to boil, switch off the flame. You should switch off the flame when you see bubbles in the corner. The curry should not be allowed to boil.
Serve the yummy curry with steamed rice and any side dish of your choice. I served it with aviyal, netholi thoran and boiled egg.
Points to remember:
  • While tempering, you can add 1 or 2 finely chopped shallots(small onion).
  • You can add few curry leaves while grinding for a good flavour. The masala paste should be ground to a very smooth paste. Also, it should be cooked well before adding water.
  • The curry is very mild and hence we accompany it with spicy fish masala. 
  • Adding coconut oil gives a nice flavour to the curry.
Warm Regards,
Happy's Cook - Divya

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