How we love drumsticks, those funny long thin pod-like vegetables that grow on spindly trees in South India. Whenever we see them in the shops we bring them home to freeze for later dishes. Rasam, Sambar and Kuzhambu are three of our favourite ways to use them.

Today’s recipe with drumsticks is a kuzhambu that includes fenugreek. Actually the recipe can be made without any vegetables (we have a version here), but we like the addition of drumsticks or eggplant. You can also use okra, small onions or shallots, or Indian broad beans.

Similar recipes include Curry Leaf Kuzhambu, Aamti with Drumsticks and Coconut, Vendhaya Kuzhambu, Drumstick Sambar with Curry Leaves, and Pitlai.

Browse all of our Drumstick recipes and all of our Kuzhambu dishes. All of our Indian recipes are here, and the Indian Essentials Series is here. Or explore our Early Summer dishes.

Drumstick and Fenugreek Kuzhambu

ingredients

2 drumsticks, cut into 6 – 7 cm pieces

3 Tblspns thick tamarind pulp

1.5 Tblspns Sambar Powder

1 tspn chickpea flour, made into a thin paste with 3 Tblspn water

sea salt, to taste

tadka

1 Tblspn ghee

0.75 tspn mustard seeds

o.25 tspn crushed pepper corns

2 tspn fenugreek seeds

1 tspn urad dal

2 tspn toor dal

large pinch asafoetida powder

10 – 12 curry leaves

method

Heat the ghee in a kadhai or heavy pan and pop the mustard seeds. Add the peppercorns, urad dal, toor dal, and fenugreek seeds and saute till they are golden and aromatic. Add the asafoetida and curry leaves. Then add the drumsticks and saute for 30 seconds.

Stir in 1 – 2 cups of water and the tamarind, sambar powder and salt. Simmer for 8 – 10 mins until the drumsticks are cooked.

Thicken the kuzhambu with the chickpea flour – drizzle it into the kuzhambu while stirring constantly.

recipe notes and alternatives

This can also be made with eggplant, Indian broad beans, okra, sambar onions, etc.