Vathakuzhambu

Ingredients:

• Tamarind extract - 3 cups
• Small onions - 1/4 kg
• Red Chillis - 2
• Sambar powder - 2 tablespoons
• Mustard, Urad dal, Channa dal and Curry leaves - for tadka
• Oil - 4 table spoons
• Jaggery - a very small piece
• Salt - to taste

Preparation:

• Take some tamarind (approximately a size of lemon) and soak it in 2 cups of water for about 20 minutes. Squeeze the tamarind well with hand and extract all the essence from it. Filter this water and keep it aside. Pour another cup of water and follow the same procedure of squeezing the tamarind with hand until all the essence is completely extracted. 
• Heat little oil in a pan and fry the onions till they turn brown and keep it aside.
• Heat 3 table spoons of oil in a pan and add mustard seeds. Once they splatter, add urad dal and channa dal and fry till they turn brown. 
• Now add curry leaves, red chillis and the sambar powder and fry them for a few seconds.
• Immediately pour in the tamarind extract.
• Add the fried onions and salt to this and let it cook on medium flame for about 15 minutes till the oil gets separated from the tamarind extract.
• Add a small piece of jaggery for taste just a few minutes before vathakozhambu is all done.
• Serve hot with steamed rice.