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A traditional recipe for new mothers after delivery, Milagu kuzhambu or Pepper kuzhambu / gravy is delicious with hot rice, ghee and roasted pappad.
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4.34 from 3 votes

Pathiya Milagu Kuzhambu for the New Mom

A traditional recipe for new mothers after delivery, Milagu kuzhambu or Pepper kuzhambu / gravy is delicious with hot rice, ghee and roasted pappad.
Prep Time10 minutes
Cook Time10 minutes
Total Time20 minutes
Course: Side Dish
Cuisine: Indian, south indian
Servings: 2 servings
Author: Sujata Shukla

Ingredients

To make pepper paste

  • 1 teaspoon Sesame oil or gingelly oil For the first 3 days after delivery, use ghee
  • ½ teaspoon Fenugreek seeds methi seeds / vendiyam
  • 2 teaspoon channa dhal
  • 2 teaspoon uradh dhal
  • 2 teaspoon black pepper whole peppercorns
  • 1 teaspoon Coriander seeds
  • teaspoon asafoetida powder hing (or two pinches)
  • ½ teaspoon tamarind (seedless) can be increased to small marble sized ball after 10 days from delivery
  • 1 tablespoon minced curry leaves
  • 1 pinch salt

To temper

  • ½ tablespoon ghee
  • ¼ teaspoon Mustard seeds
  • a pinch Fenugreek seeds
  • 2 curry leaves minced

To make Milagu kuzhambu

  • 1 tablespoon pepper paste
  • 2 cups water
  • ½ teaspoon turmeric powder
  • ½ teaspoon salt or to taste

Instructions

To make the Pepper paste

  • Heat the sesame oil (or ghee) in a small frying pan. Add the fenugreek seeds so they sputter.
  • Add the channa dhal and uradh dhal, sauté for 10 seconds
  • Add black pepper and then coriander seeds, sauté for 10 seconds
  • Add hing powder and then the tamarind
  • Add the curry leaves, sauté for 5 seconds. If the curry leaves are fresh, they will sputter.
  • Take the pan off the stove, transfer the contents to a bowl or to the mixie/food processor bowl immediately so that they do not continue to cook. Add a pinch of salt and allow to cool.
  • When cool, grind in the mixie with a little water added gradually (max 1 tablespoon). The paste should be like a chutney and without much water, just enough for it to grind.
  • Transfer the pepper paste to a bowl and keep aside.

To make the Milagu Kuzhambu

  • Heat a pan or kadai and add the ghee ( see ingredients list for 'To Temper'
  • When the ghee has melted, add mustard seeds and let them sputter
  • Add fenugreek seeds, let them burst. Add the curry leaves. If the curry leaves are fresh, they will sputter.
  • Add one tablespoon of the ground pepper paste. Stir with a ladle so the paste mixes with the ghee and condiments. Sauté for 10 seconds
  • Add turmeric powder, sauté for 5 seconds or till the raw smell of the turmeric dissipates.
    Add Turmeric_PepperOnPizza.com
  • Add water and mix the paste well so that there are no lumps. Bring the water to a boil. Reduce the stove heat and simmer the kuzhambu for 5 minutes.
  • Stir the kuzhambu and let it boil till the kuzhambu is thick and reduced to about half its volume -not as thick as a chutney or paste, but a little fluid.
    Boil till volume reduces to half_PepperOnPizza.com
  • Add salt, stir well. You could add the salt after you add water, but you need to keep in mind that the volume of kuzhambu will be reduced as above.
  • Take the pan off the stove, and transfer the milagu kuzhambu to a serving bowl.
  • Serve hot with rice and ghee, along with a combination of items from the menus I have listed in the post 'Cooking for the New Mom'.

Notes

For Meal Plans and Daily Menus as well as recipes for the new mother after delivery, check my Post on this Blog: https://www.pepperonpizza.com/cooking-new-mom