Methi Kozhambu
Ingredients:
- tamarind the size of a small lemon
- salt to taste
- sambar powder 1 tsp
- a few curry leaves
- oil for frying and seasoning
- mustard 1/4 tsp
- red chillies 4(halved)
- a pinch of asafoetida powder
- fenugreek seeds 1/2 tsp
- urad dal 1/2 tsp
- toor dal 1 tsp
- rice flour 1/2 tsp
Method:
Take a thick bottomed vessel and soak tamarind in it in 600 ml of water and keep aside. Heat a little oil in a frying pan and add mustard, red chillies, fenugreek seeds and asafoetida powder. When mustard crackles add urad dal and toor dal
and when the contents brown remove from fire and keep aside. Squeeze out the tamarind, retaining the tamarind and water solution; add sambar powder and curry leaves and mix well by hand to eliminate lumps. Empty the entire contents of the
frying pan into the tamarind and water solution and bring the solution to a boil. Simmer the solution for 10 minutes by which time the aroma of tamarind will have subsided and the volume of the tamarind solution will have reduced to around
500 ml.Mix the rice flour in a little water so that lumps are eliminated and add this rice flour solution to the simmering tamarind solution; simmer for 2 more minutes. Add salt to taste and serve hot.