Ingredients:
1 lemon size Tamarind or tamarind concentrate
1 large Onion or 8-10 small onions called madras onions or shaggots (cut in halves)
1 large Tomato + 1 small tomato for thadka
1 tsp grated Coconut
1/4 tsp Mustard seeds
1/2 tsp Fenugreek seeds
1 tsp Toor Dal
5-6 Red Chillies
Pinch of Asafoetida
4 tsp Sesame Oil
Salt to taste .

1. Soak tamarind in hot water for 10 min. and take out pulp (you should be able to get 2 cups of tamarind water).
2. Fry fenugreek seeds, toor dal and red chillies with a drop of oil until they become little crisp.
3. Grind onion, tomato grated coconut and the fried mix of toor dal, fenugreek seeds and red chillies to a paste. Do not add water while grinding.
4. In a pan heat sesame oil, add mustard seeds. Add some few shaggots or small onions and stir fry for 3 minutes. Then add one small tomato chopped and saute for 2-3 minutes.When they start spluttering, add the tamarind extract and boil at low heat for 5 minutes.
5. Add the grounded paste, salt to taste and pinch of asfoetida. Boil the mix for 12-15 min. until the mix gets a thick consistency.
6. Serve it with Hot Rice and fried Papadam.

Making Time: 20-30 minutes.

Serves: 4 persons.

Shelflife: 1 day ( if stored in refrigerator, then can be used for 2 days).

Note:

• To make the consistency more thick, 1 tsp of rice flour mixed in 3 tsp of water can be added to it while boiling. But with this method, it would reach the preferred consistency.
• In rural Tamil nadu, people feel that the vathu kozhambu tastes better on the second day than on first day.
• To enrich the taste of this recipe, add small onions called madras onions or shaggots instead of normal onions.
• Small onions and tomatoes can be avoided during the thadka process, if wished. It have added it since it added more taste to it.

Click here to know all about Tamil Nadu cuisines- Introduction To Tamil Nadu Cuisines And Recipes.