Kara Kuzhambu

Hot tamarind-shallot curry — small shallots and tomato fried in sesame oil with mustard seeds, dried red chilli, and curry leaves until the shallots caramelise at the edges, then tamarind pulp and a freshly ground or store-ground kuzhambu milagai thool (curry powder of coriander, cumin, dried red chilli, and black pepper) added and the whole simmered until thick and dark. The kara (spicy) kuzhambu is the most everyday curry in Tamil Brahmin cooking alongside sambar; it is thicker, spicier, and more tamarind-forward than sambar. Eaten with plain rice, papad, and sesame oil; the shallots are the only allium used, reflecting the Tamil Brahmin preference for small onions over large.