Vathal Kozhambu

Grandma’s recipe, revealed at last!

A handful of Sundakai/ Manthakali vattal

Tamarind – size of a lemon

A pinch of Asafoetida

1/2 tsp turmeric

1 1/2 tsp red chilli powder

Urad dhal

Tuvar Dhal

Mustard Seeds

Jaggery – say as much as a tsp

4 Red Chillies

1 Green Chilly (cut into tiny pieces)

1 tsp Vendayam

5-6 tsp oil

Salt (Rock Salt, preferably!)

1. Boil water (about 250 ml) and add the tamarind to water and squeeze it. Remove the seeds from it and set aside.

2. Heat oil in a thick pan and fry the vattal. And mustard seeds and when you hear them pop, add the dhals and asafoetida, green chilly, turmeric and red chilli powder. Add the vendayam. Once it turns light brown, add the tamarind water you set aside.

3. Let the water boil until the smell of raw tamarind goes away. Normally, it takes 15-20 minutes. Rathe, wait till the water reduced to half its original proportion.

4. Now add more water and let it boil. At this point, you may ad curry leaves if you wish to. (And I usually add another pinch of asafoetida)

5. Take a small cup of water and add 1-2 tsp of rice flour to it and add this mixture to the boiling water. This is added to thicken the mixture.

6. Garnish with coriander leaves.