Vendaka Puli Kozhambu - Tamarind Ladyfinger Curry - Khatti Bhindi Ki Tari

 Vendaka Puli Kozhambu - Tamarind Ladyfinger Curry - Khatti Bhindi Ki Tari

Ingredients :

Ladyfinger  - 10-15/ 1 cup roughly chopped

Tamarind  - 1 lemon size/half cup thick pulp

Tomato  - 1 (finely chopped)

Garlic - 5-10 (finely chopped)

Mustard - 1 teaspoon

Cumin  - 1 teasppon

curry leaves  - 5-10 leaves

fenugreek seeds - 1 teaspoon (roasted and powdered)

Coriander powder - 1 tablespoon

Chilli powder  - 1 tablespoon. The chilli powder is mostly a mix of chilli, fenugreek, asafetida, turmeric, black gram, bengal gram and coriander. The proportions vary in each household.

Turmeric  - 1-2 teaspoons

Dried Red chillies - 1-2 

Asafetida  - 1 teaspoon

Onion - 1 medium size and finely chopped (optional)

Salt as per taste

Water   - 1-2 cups

Vadagam (dried mix of asafetida, mustard, fenugreek, cumin, peeled black gram, cumin, small onions and garlic) - 1-2 teaspoons

Oil - 2-3 tablespoons (Best to cook in nalla yennai/gingelly oil) 

Process: (Cooking on a gas stove)

1) In a deep bottom pan (Kadai), heat 1 tablespoon oil, add chopped ladyfingers and roast it well. Keep the lid open and roast for 5-7 minutes on medium flame.

2) Once it reduces to half of its original volume, sim the flame, add 1teaspoons of salt, turmeric powder, coriander powder and chilli powder. Roast it for a minute and then take it out in another vessel.

3) Keep the flame low. Add 2 tablespoons of oil, once it slightly heats up, add vadagam. At the same time, add red chillies, cumin, mustard, fenugreek and asafetida. let is splutter. Then, add curry leaves followed by garlic and onion. Once onion and garlic are roasted well, add tomatoes and cook until it turns mushy.

4) Add tamarind pulp, turmeric, chilli powder, coriander powder and salt to taste. Pour 1-2 cups of boiling water. Close the lid and let it simmer for 10 minutes. The raw smell of tamarind pulp will go. Put the stove off and add the roasted ladyfingers in it. Stir it well in the gravy. Leave it as such for 5-10 minutes. The ladyfinger will soak the gravy. The later you eat, more delicious it tastes.

Serve it with piping hot rice and apalam (papad). It serves 4-5 people.

Instead of ladyfinger, brinjal, bitter guard, pumpkin, yam and taro root can be cooked in the same manner. Taro root is boiled, peeled and then fried. Even fish can be fried and added in this gravy.

To get a smooth gravy, instead of adding chopped garlic and tomato. Add the paste of garlic and tomato. That tastes even better.