Vetral Kozhambu
Ingredients:
- tamarind the size of a small lemon
- curry leaves 2 sprigs, thoroughly washed
- urad dal 2 tsp
- pepper corns 1/2 tsp
- red chillies 4
- asafoetida powder 1 pinch
- bitter nut vetral 10 OR manathakalli vetral 1 tsp
- rice flour 1/2 tsp
- mustard 1/2 tsp
- oil for frying and seasoning
- salt to taste
Method:
Take a thick bottomed vessel and soak tamarind in it in 500 ml of water and keep aside. Heat a little oil in a frying pan and fry urad dal, pepper, red chillies and asafoetida powder. Take out this fried mixture, add a little water and grind into a smooth paste. Keep the paste aside.
Fry the bitter nut vetral in a little oil until it turns dark and keep it aside OR fry the manathakalli vetral in little oil until its aroma emanates and keep it aside. Pour a little water on the rice flour so that it dissolves and the lumps are eliminated and keep aside. Squeeze out the
tamarind, retaining the tamarind and water solution in the vessel; add curry leaves to this solution and bring to a boil. Add the fried bitternut betral or manathakalli vetral to the boiling solution and allow the solution to simmer until the aroma of tamarind subsides. Add the rice flour
solution to the simmering tamarind solution; when the simmering tamarind solution thickens in a couple of minutes, remove from fire. Heat a little oil in a frying pan and add mustard, when the mustard crackles add curry leaves and remove from fire. Season the thickened tamarind solution with this
fried mixture. Add salt to taste and serve hot.