Vathakozhambu is a famous dish of Tamilnadu and it is cooked by Iyers of Kerala too. But when it comes to Kerala, it is cooked in a slightly different way from what is followed in TN. Here is the version cooked at most of Palakkad Iyer homes including mine My MOM IN LAW special...

Ingredients

Tuvar dal - 1/2 cup

Tamarind - lemon sized

Red chilly powder - 1 tspn

Hing - 1/4 tspn

Turmeric - 1/4 tspn

Chundakkai ( i do not know its english translation , but is widely available in Tamilan stores)

Mustard Seeds 1 tea spoon

Chana Dal        1 table spoon

Curry leaves for Garnishing

Red Chillies Dried - 2 Nos.

Gingelly Oil for cooking

 

Method

Wash and pressure cook tuvar dal with water. Add little turmeric and 1/2 tspn of oil. Adding oil helps cook dal mushy.
Soak tamarind in a cup of warm water for 10 minutes.

Extract the tamartind juice. Add 1/4 tspn turmeric,1 tspn of red chilly powder, 1/4 tpn of hing and salt.

Let it simmer till the gravy thickens.

Mash the cooked dal and add half cup of water.

Stir in the cooked dal and water to the thickening gravy.

Bring to a boil.

 

In another pan  add a tablespoon of gingely oil, add mustard seeds. When mustard seeds splutter, add chundakkai seeds and the dried red chillies. When chundakkai is fried, pour the seasonings over the cooked gravy and garnish with curry leaves. Adding a table spoon of home made ghee adds to the flavour of the curry.

 

Serve Hot with Rice and Papad. Another side dish for this curry is Parppu Thogayal ( Thick Dal Chutney).

 

Shall post the receipe in my next blog.

 

Till then Sluuuurrrrrrrrrrrrpppppp hot Vathakozhambu  with rice and papad.