Ambat-varan (a curry)

1 Servings

Ingredients

QuantityIngredient
½cupRed gram dal (like small lentils)
Salt and jaggery to taste (jaggery is like brown sugar; actually dried sugar cane juice; like Sucanat)
½teaspoonTurmeric powder
litreWater
Tamarind pulp to taste (this makes it sour) (up to)
4Sliced sliced green chillies or-
½teaspoonChilli powder (cayenne)
1Handful of coriander leaves; chopped (cilantro)
1tablespoonGroundnut oil (peanut oil)
½teaspoonMustard seeds
½teaspoonCumin seeds
1pinchAsafoetida (I don't know exactly what this is; but it's sold in Indian restaurants; and it's really good; some sort of spice, I keep mine in the freezer and it seems to last a long time)
Few curry leaves

Directions

From: sherry@... (Sherry Rose)

Date: Sat, 13 Jul 1996 08:43:02 -0700 I purchased the cookbook in an Indian grocery story in Portland, Oregon. It is titled, "Rasachandrika, Saraswat Cookery Book, by the Saraswat Mahila Samaz of Bombay. Nearly all of the book is vegetarian. It's just full of short recipes.

1. Wash and cook dal in the cooker until very soft. Beat it well.

2. Add salt, jaggery, turmeric powder, chillies and water to bring it to the required liquid consistency. Cook until the dal comes to a boil.

3. Heat oil, and prepare a seasoning with mustard seeds, cumin seeds, asafoetida and curry leaves. (This means to fry them a little, until the mustard seeds pop.) Add it to the dal.

4. Lastly add the coriander leaves . (Note in the book: this varan should be sweet and sour to taste.)

CHILE-HEADS DIGEST V3 #043

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