Happy New Year to everyone. My post today is a healthy curry, though spicy and definitely not for the faint-hearted. My body craves spicy food during the winters. And this is definitely one of my favourites. It is a traditional Palakkad dish where the spice content can be adjusted to suit your taste buds. The version that I make is so spicy that I began to perspire even though the temperatures are about 7°C. But the version that I present here is not that spicy. I tend to add tomatoes to my curry – but this is completely optional. Do try it and enjoy a spicy treat.

Ingredients
1 marble sized ball of tamarind, about a cup of juice extracted
2 tomatoes, cut lengthwise (optional)
1 tsp turmeric powder (haldi, manjal podi)
A pinch of asafoetida (hing, perunkayam)
1 tsp red chilli powder
1 tsp rice powder (I use brown rice powder)
1 sprig curry leaves
Salt to taste
For The Seasoning
2 tsp mustard seeds (sarson, kadugu)
1 red chilli
1 tsp fenugreekd seeds (methi dhana, venthiyam)
Method
Heat a wok and add mustard seeds
When they begin to splutter, add the fenugreek seeds and red chilli
Roast till the fenugreek seeds turn golden brown
Add tamarind juice
Add salt, tomatoes, turmeric powder, asafoetida and chilli powder
Boil for 10 minutes
Stir in the rice powder and continue to boil for 2 minutes more till the curry thickens
Add curry leaves and remove from flame
Serve hot with red/brown rice
Enjoy!