Vatha kozhambu

Ingredients:

Red chillies                                          - 4 to 5

Black pepper                                       - ½ tea spoon

Urad dal/black gram dal                  - 1 tea spoon

Channa dal/kadalaparippu              - 1 tea spoon

Asafetida/hing                                    - 1 tea spoon

Tour dal/lentil                                    - ¼ cup

Tamarind paste                                  - 1 ½ tea spoon

Turmeric powder                               - ¼ tea spoon

Salt to taste

Oil                                                         - 2 tea spoon

Mustard seeds                                    - 1 tea spoon

Red chilli cut into two pieces           - 1

Vathal (sundakkai/marathankali) – 3 tea spoons

Curry leaves                                         - 2 strands

Coriander leaves (optional)             - some

Method:-

Pressure cook lentil and keep it aside. Fry chilli, kadalaparippu and pepper without oil and grind it to smooth paste. In a pan add 2 to 3 cups of water, turmeric powder, tamarind paste, Hing, salt and the grinded paste, allow it to boil for 10 minutes. Mash well the cooked lentil and add it to the boiling mix. Stir well and boil it for another 10 minutes in medium heat. Add curry leaves and coriander leaves to it. In another pan heat the oil and add one chilli cut into two pieces, mustard and the Vathal. When mustard splutters pour it to the Vatha kozhambu.

This is very good with rice and ghee, curd rice etc.