To begin making Chettinad Paruppu Urundai Kuzhambu Recipe, first prep all the ingredients and keep ready.

Our first step is to make the Urundai which is the dal dumplings. Soak the channa and toor dal along with dry red chilli and fennel seeds for an hour.

Drain the water, and grind the soaked dals along with the fennel seeds, cumin seeds, salt and asafoetida to a smooth mixture. Make small lemon sized balls of Urundai mixture and steam them in an idli steamer on high heat for 10 minutes. Once done let it cool and keep it aside.

The next step is to is to make the coconut paste. 

In a small pan, roast the fenugreek seeds, urad dal and the red chilies until browned and crisp over medium heat. You will find the aromas coming through. Once you can smell the aromas, add the coconut and roast for about a minute and turn off the heat and allow it to cool for a few minutes. Blend the coconut mixture into a smooth paste in a blender by adding very little warm water and keep aside.

Next make the tamarind water. Soak the tamarind in hot water for 10 minutes. Mash the pulp well in the water and add another 1/4 cup of regular water and mix well into the pulp. Extract only the tamarind water and keep the pulp aside. You can do this one more time by adding another 14 cup of water and extracting the pulp.  Keep this aside. 

Next heat oil in big sauce pan on medium heat. Add the ingredients for the seasoning - mustard seeds and red chillies and allow it to crackle. Add the curry leaves and onion, saute the onion until softened for about couple of minutes on medium heat.

Next, add the finely chopped tomatoes and saute the tomatoes until its mushy, another couple of minutes.

Add the tamarind water, sambar powder, jaggery, turmeric powder and let it simmer until the raw smell of the tamarind water goes away. About 3 to 4 minutes. 

At this stage add the coconut paste and bring it to a rolling boil.

Add the steamed lentil balls to this gravy and simmer for another 10 minutes and turn off the heat. Check the salt and spices and adjust to suit your taste. Adjust the consistency of the Paruppu Urundai Kuzhambu by adding water if required.

Your Chettinad Paruppu Urundai Kuzhambu is ready to be served. Transfer the Kuzhambu to a serving bowl and garnish with coriander leaves on top. 

Serve the Chettinad Paruppu Urundai Kuzhambu with Steamed Rice, Urulai Kizhangu Roast and Apalam for the weeknight dinner or lunch.