Tamarind rice

Although we are a punjabi family, our neighbours were south indian. When i was a kid, i used to love tamarind rice prepared by Subramanium aunty. My mother learnt the authentic recipe from aunty and passed it on to me. I still relish the sweet and tangy flavor of this dish.

Here's the recipe.

Ingedients:

1C boiled rice, cooled.
1 tsp rai
1 tsp turmeric powder
4 tbsp peanuts
2 tbsp roasted chana
a pinch of hing
2-3 tamarinds
1/2 tsp sugar
1 green chili
a strand of kadi patta leaves
2 tbsp vegetable oil
salt to taste

Method:

1) Soak tamarind in a cup of water for about an hour. It starts to form a pulp. extract all the pulp and throw away the seeds.

2) In a pan , heat oil, add peanuts, let them roast for a while. Add chana and stir for a while. Add rai, hing, kadi patta, chopped green chili, turmeric powder and tamarind water.

3) Once the mixture starts to boil, add sugar and salt.

4) Mix the masala into the rice and let it sit for half an hour. This way the rice will soak all the masala and become moist.

5) Serve with yoghurt

Serves: 2