VATHAL KULAMBU

Ingredients:

1 big lemon sized tamarind, soak in 3 cups of water
2 tbs of sundakkai vatral, fried crisp in oil.
4 garlic pips sliced (optional)
½ tsp turmeric powder
1 tsp jiggery
A big pinch of asafoetida powder
1 sprig curry leaves
½ tsp mustard seeds
½ tsp fenugreek seeds
3 dry chillies broken
30 ml gingelly oil

To Grind:
1 tbs coriander seeds
½ tsp fenugreek seeds
1 tsp urad dal
1 tsp channa dal
6 red chillies, more or less according to taste
1 tsp rice flour

Method:
Squeeze the tamarind and extract the juice.
Dry roast all ingredients in “grind” and make into a smooth paste.
Fry the vatrals in oil and keep aside.

In a pot, add in the gingelly oil, add in the mustard and fenugreek seeds.
Add in also the curry leaves and broken red chillies.
Now add in the garlic and fry till it is golden in clolour.
Add now the tamarind juice and let it simmer on low heat.
Add in the turmeric powder, salt and jiggery.

Stir once in a way, when the mixture becomes semi thick, add in the ground powder, asafoetida and the fried vatals.
Allow it to boil for another 10 minutes on medium heat.
Let it boil till oil separates. The kulambu will become little thick like
a paste. Remove.

If you want it in gravy form, remove before the gravy becomes very thick.

NOTE: My grandma likes to make her vatral kulambu like a paste and keep
It in bottles. When she wants gravy she will take 100ml of boiling water and add 1 or 2 tbs of the paste and would have instant vatral kulambu.

Or she will take steaming hot rice, add a tsp of gingelly oil and 1 tbs of the vatral
kulambu and mix it into the rice. Instant vatral kulambu rice.
You can use any vatral of your choice.