Arachuvitta Vatha Kuzhambu

Ingredients:

For Roasting and Grinding:

1. Peppercorns - 1 tablespoon
2. Red chilli - 5 to 7
3. Toor Dal / Split Pigeon Peas - 1 tablespoon
4. Raw Rice - 1 tablespoon
5. Curry Leaves - Few
6. Coriander Seeds / Coriander Powder - 2 tablespoon (If Coriander Seeds are not available, then Coriander Powder can be used)
7. Cumin / Jeera - 1 tablespoon
8. Fried Gram / Kadala Parupu - 1 tablespoon
9. Black gram / Urad Dal - 1/2 tablespoon
10. Coconut - 1/2 Cup grated or some pieces
11. Curry Leaves - Few (Optional)
12. Fenugreek / Vendayam - 1/2 tablespoon

For curry:

1. Garlic Pods / Poondu Pal - 10 to 12
2. Tamarind - 1 small ball
3. Turmeric Powder - 1/4 tablespoon
4. Salt
5. Brinjal - 2 medium
6. Ladies Finger - 5 pieces

For Tempering:

1. Gingelly Oil / Nal ennai - 4 tablespoon
2. Mustard Seeds / Kadugu - 1/2 tablespoon
3. Curry Leaves

Preparation method:
1. Soak the tamarind in water for a few mins and extract the pulp.

2. Heat oil in a pan and roast all the ingredients given under roasting to a golden color.

3. Grind the roasted ingredients given for grinding with little water to a medium to a fine paste and keep it aside. 

4. In a pan add gingelly oil and heat it. Add in the sundaikai vathal fry them and keep it aside.

5. In the same oil, add in the Mustard Seeds / Kadugu, Curry leaves and garlic pods/ Poondu Pal.

5. Now add in the chopped vendaikai / Ladies finger and fry it for a minute in low flame.

6. Now add the chopped brinjals and turmeric powder to the pan and fry them in medium flame. Vegetables are optional and can be added according to your choices.

7. Now add in the tamarind extract and let it boil for a minute in high flame.

8. Add the grounded masala paste to the boiling tamarind water and add in 2 glasses of water along with salt and adjust the gravy's tanginess according to your taste.

9. Let it boil for around 15 mins for the vegetables to be cooked and let gravy gets thickened. 

10. Once it is cooked completely switch off and add in the fried sundaikai vathal along with a tablespoon of gingelly oil over the gravy.

11. Garnish with coriander leaves and serve with hot piping rice along with some fried papadams.

Note: 
Vegetables are optional and can be added according to your choices. garlic can be removed to make it for viradams or fasting foods. This can be best paired with papads mostly or with some dal vegetable kootu or with a keerai poriyal.