It is a traditional south Indian curry that is a tasty accompaniment to rice, compulsory to make it on the day of Pongal.

INGREDIENTS:
  • Vegetables – 4 cups
  • Tamarind paste – 1 tablespoon
  • Salt and Turmeric
  • Cooked tur dal – ½ cup
  • Red chillies – 7 to 8
  • Pepper – 1 teaspoon
  • Methi seeds – ½ teaspoon
  • Dhaniya – 3 teaspoon
  • Gram dal – 2 teaspoon
  • Hing – 1 teaspoon
  • Grated coconut – 4 tablespoon
  • Oil – 1 tablespoon
  • Mustard seeds – 1 teaspoon
  • Curry leaves – few
PREPARATION METHOD:
  1. Pressure cook the dal and keep it aside.
  2. Boil vegetables in water to which turmeric and salt are added.
  3. Heat a pan with 1 teaspoon oil and fry red chillies, pepper, methi seeds, dhaniya, gram dal,hing along with grated coconut (2 tablespoon).
  4. Coconut should reach golden colour while frying.
  5. Allow the fried ingredients to attain room temperature and grind it to fine paste.
  6. When the vegetables are cooked soft, add the tamarind paste, cooked dal and the ground paste.
    Boil again till the correct consistency is reached.
  7. Remove from flame and  temper with mustard seeds, red chillies, curry leaves, grated coconut (2 tablespoon).
NOTES AND TIPS:
  • Vegetables used in this gravy is like white ashgourd, yellow ash gourd, avarakkai, clusterbeans, mochaiparuppu, snake gourd, raw banana, brinjal, chenaikizangu, cheppankizangu, koorkankizangu, sweet potato are best suited.
  • Next come carrot, potato and peas.
  • Avoid ladies’ finger, drumstick, bitter gourd etc.
  • Even though the no: is 7, you can add 9, 11 or even 13 vegetables.