Recipe - Ambat-Varan (A Curry)

One half cup Red gram dal (like small
lentils)
Salt and jaggery to taste
(jaggery is like brown
sugar; actually dried sugar
cane juice; like Sucanat)
One half teaspoon Turmeric powder
1 One half l Water
Tamarind pulp to taste (this
makes it sour)
3 (up to)
4 Sliced cut or sliced up green chillies
or
One half teaspoon Chilli powder (cayenne)
1 Handful of coriander leaves;
chopped (cilantro)
1 tablespoon Groundnut oil (peanut oil)
One half teaspoon Mustard seeds
One half teaspoon Cumin seeds
1 pn Asafoetida (I don't know
exactly what this is; but
it's sold in Indian
restaurants; and it's
really good; some sort of
spice, I keep mine in the
freezer and it seems to
last a long time)
Few curry leaves

From: sherry@gorge.net (Sherry Rose)

Date: Sat, 13 Jul 1996 08:43:02 0700
I purchased the cookbook in an Indian grocery story in Portland, Oregon. It
is titled, "Rasachandrika, Saraswat Cookery Book, by the Saraswat Mahila
Samaz of Bombay. Nearly all of the book is vegetarian. It's just full of
short recipes.

1. Wash and cook dal in the cooker until very soft. Beat it well.

2. Add salt, jaggery, turmeric powder, chillies and water to bring it to
the required liquid consistency. Cook until the dal comes to a boil.

3. Heat oil, and prepare a seasoning with mustard seeds, cumin seeds,
asafoetida and curry leaves. (This means to fry them a little, until the
mustard seeds pop.) Add it to the dal.

4. Lastly add the coriander leaves . (Note in the book: this varan should
be sweet and sour to taste.)

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