Ingredients:

• Lemon sized Tamarind
• 1 tsp – Rice flour
• 1 tbsp – tur dal
• 4 tbsp – vathal – either Manathakkali or Sundakkai (vathals are dried in sun) available in all grocery stores
• Salt to taste
• 1 tsp – Jaggery
• 1 tsp – Mustard Seeds
• 1 tsp – Methi seeds
• Asafoetida, a pinch
• 2 tbsp – gingelly oil
• 2 tbsp – sambar powder
• Curry leaves

Method:

1. Heat oil in a heavy kadai and add methi seeds, then red add mustard seeds. When mustard splutters, add the tuvar dal and fry till it turns red. Add vathal and fry for a minute or two.
2. Now add sambhar powder and fry again for a minute.
3. Add asafoetida, curry leaves, rice flour, pour a glass of water and add salt.
4. When water boils, add the extracted tamarind juice (which should be thick as a pulp) and allow it to boil.
5. When tuvar dal looks cooked, and oil is floating at the top, add jaggery and switch off the stove.
6. Serve the same with hot cooked rice and fried potato sabzi or roasted papads.

Recipe courtesy of Vasanthy Madhavan