Vendakai Puli Kootu / Kozhambu

Ingredients:

1. 200 gms Vendakai (Lady’s Finger)
2. 1 green chili
3. 1 red chili
4. 1 medium sized tomato
5. 1 tsp. ulutham parupu (urad dal)
6. 1 tsp kadalai parupu (chana dal)
7. 1 tsp kadugu (mustard)
8. 1 tsp manjal podi (turmeric powder)
9. Small lime sized tamarind ball.
10. 1.5 tsp. WHEAT flour
11. 50 gms of cooked kabuli chana (garbonza beans)
12. 1.5 spoons sambar podi (recipe will follow)
13. Kothamali (coriander leaves) and Karuvepilai (curry leaves) to season
14. A pinch of perungayam
15. Salt to taste

Method:

1. Soak channa overnight and presssure cook until soft the next morning.

2. Soak tamarind in warm water for about half-an-hour.

3. To a heated kadai, add 5 tbsp of oil. When oil smokes, add 1 tsp mustard.  When mustard sputters, add  1 tsp ulutham parupu (urad dal) and 1 tsp kadalai parupu (chana dal). When the dals turn brownish-red, add the rest of the ingredients except the vendakkai and the channa.

3. Add vendakkai and 0.5 tsp of sambar podi to the above and stir well.

4. Then, add tamarind water to the above mixture and let boil until the vegetable is cooked well.

5. Continue cooking until the mixture takes the consistency of kootu, and add wheat flour to thicken the kootu.

6. Add salt, and season mixture with kothamali and karuvepillai.

To make vendakai sambar (as opposed kootu) simply add 50 gms of cooked moong dal to the mixture and cook.