Ingredients:
An orange-sized piece
of tamarind pulp
3 cups hot water
Salt to taste
1/2 tsp ground turmeric
2 tbsps powdered jaggery

Masala:
2 tbsps oil
1/2 cup coriander seeds
8 red chillies
1/2 tsp asafoetida powder
1 tsp black peppercorns
1 tsp fenugreek seeds
1/2 tsp brown
mustard seeds
1 tbsp Bengal gram dal
(yellow split peas, chana dal),
picked over and rinsed
1 tbsp black gram dal
(washed urad dal),
picked over and rinsed
A few curry leaves

Garnish:
1/2 cup white sesame seeds
1/4 coconut, grated

For tempering:
2 tbsps sesame oil
10 red chillies
2 tsps brown mustard seeds
1 tbsp Bengal gram dal
(yellow split peas, chana dal),
picked over and rinsed
A few curry leaves

Procedure:
Soak the tamarind in 3 cups hot water for 15 minutes. Strain the tamarind water into another container, squeezing as much liquid as possible out of the tamarind pulp. Discard pulp. Set the juice aside.
For the masala, heat 2 tbsps of oil in a heavy frying pan or skillet. Add the coriander seeds, 8 red chillies, asafoetida powder, black peppercorns, cumin seeds, fenugreek seeds, mustard seeds, Bengal gram dal, black gram dal, and a few curry leaves. Saute for 2-3 minutes. Place mixture in an electric blender and blend ingredients into a fine powder. Set aside.
For the garnish, in a heavy saucepan, dry-roast the sesame seeds and the grated coconut for 5 minutes. Place in an electric blender and blend ingredients into a fine powder and set aside for garnish.
For the tempering, heat 2 tbsps sesame oil in a heavy saucepan. Add the 10 red chillies, and saute until dark brown in colour. Add the mustard seeds, Bengal gram dal, and a few curry leaves. When the mustard seeds splutter, add the tamarind juice, salt to taste, ground turmeric, and jaggery.
Simmer over a low heat until the mixture thickens to almost a jam consistency. Add all of the masala powder. Mix thoroughly. Add 2 tbsps of the garnish powder. Blend thoroughly. Set aside the remaining powder for garnishing the rice.

To make the rice

Ingredients
1 cup long-grained rice
3-4 tbsps tamarind chutney
2 tbsps garnish powder
1 tbsp ground turmeric
2 tbsps sesame oil
2/3 cup roasted peanuts
Salt to taste

For Tempering:
1 tbsp sesame oil
2 tbsps brown
mustard seeds
1 tbsp Bengal gram dal
(yellow split peas, chana dal),
picked over and rinsed
1 tbsp black gram dal
(washed urad dal),
picked over and rinsed
1 tbsp asafoetida powder
A few curry leaves

Procedure:
Cook the rice and spread on a platter to cool. When the rice is cool, pour over 2 tbsps sesame oil. Add the ground turmeric and salt to taste. Mix thoroughly.
Heat 1 tbsp sesame oil in a heavy frying pan or skillet. Add the mustard seeds, Bengal gram dal, black gram dal, asafoetida powder, and a few curry leaves. When the mustard seeds splutter, add the roasted peanuts. Saute for 2-3 minutes. Add this mixture to the rice.
Now add 3-4 tbsps of the tamarind chutney. Mix thoroughly. Sprinkle the remaining garnish powder from the chutney over the rice. Stir thoroughly. Serve with fried poppadoms or potato wafers.
The tamarind chutney used in this recipe can be kept for months in the refrigerator.
To perk up the rice, you need only make the garnish powder every time.

PRAWNS WITH TAMARIND

Ingredients
225 gm tamarind
100 ml water
1 small red pepper, cored, seeded and chopped
25 gm small onions, chopped
2 garlic cloves, chopped
1 red chilli, seeded and chopped
1 tbsp ground lemon grass
6 tbsps oil
4 tbsps caster sugar
2 tbsps lime juice
Salt
450 gm unpeeled,
prawns de-veined
through the shell

Procedure:
To make the tamarind paste, place the tamarind and water in a small pan and bring to the boil.
Cover and simmer for 10 minutes. Remove from the heat and leave to stand, covered for 1 hour, Mash, then sieve into a bowl. Reserve 3 tbsps and use the rest for another dish.
Place the red pepper, onions, garlic, chilli and lemon grass in a liquidiser and blend. Heat the oil, add the pepper mixture and stir-fry for 5 minutes.
Gradually blend in the tamarind paste, sugar, lime juice and salt to taste. Add the prawns and stir-fry for 5 minutes or until the prawns are just firm to the touch.
Serve immediately.