Herbal Gravy/Mooligai Kuzhambu

My maternal grandma makes excellent gravies, with less efforts and simple ingredients. Most of her gravies have loads of medicinal values. Most of her dishes are prepared simply with home grown vegetables and herbs. My today's recipe is also one among her dish which she usually makes with couple of herbs aka medicinal value rich leaves. This gravy asks for betel leaves,curry leaves, mint leaves, coriander leaves,thulasi leaves and ajwain leaves to make this lipsmacking dish. Actually i prepared this gravy during my stay in India where these leaves are easily available there. This gravy makes a perfect pair for hot steaming rice with papads. Very simple to make and definitely healthy with loads of medicinal values. However this gravy stays prefect for more than a week if they are conserved properly.

To kick start this year's blogging, i couldnt stop myself sharing my grandma's recipe. Also not to forget that am running this year's first week's blogging marathon with Family recipes as theme, obviously i'll be posting interesting dishes which is very much known in my Family. Yes am gonna share three most favourite and healthy dishes from my maternal grandma's recipe collection though i have couple of dishes to share from my paternal's grandma's collection. Coming to this gravy, this lipsmacking medicinal value rich gravy makes an excellent side dish to idlis or dosas as well as fingerlicking gravy for rice. Just make this gravy and enjoy the goodness of this healthy gravy.Check out the Blogging Marathon page for the other Blogging Marathoners doing BM#60.

1/2cup Curry leaves
2nos Betel leaves
1/4cup Coriander leaves
1/4cup Mint leaves
5nos Ajwain leaves
10nos Thulasi leaves
1tsp Peppercorn
1/2tsp Cumin
1tsp Chilly powder
1tsp Coriander powder
1cup Tamarind extract
1/4cup Gingelly oil
1tsp Mustard seeds
4nos Dry red chillies
Salt

Grind the curry leaves, coriander leaves,betel leaves, mint leaves, ajwain leaves, thulasi leaves as fine paste.

Meanwhile grind the peppercorns and cumin together as fine powder.

Heat the oil, let splutters the mustard seeds, dry red chillies.

Add immediately the grounded herbal leaves paste and cook until a nice aroma comes from.

Add the peppercorn-cumin powder, red chilly powder and coriander powder,salt to the tamarind extract.

Add this mixture to the herbal leaves paste and cook in simmer until the oil gets separates from the gravy or else until the gravy turns thick.

If you dont like the gravy thick, you can make it watery by adding enough water.

However this gravy is always prepared as thick paste for a long conservation.

Put off the stove and enjoy warm.