Poondu Kuzhambu

The health benefits of Garlic are too many to enumerate.Scientists now wonder if its a spice / medicine / both!!!Here is a simple and tangy garlic gravy to go with steamed rice.

I used:

Garlic-20 pods [medium sized]
Tamarind extract-1 cup, thick
Mustard- 1 teaspoon
Turmeric powder- a pinch
Asafoetida powder- a pinch
Curry leaves-a few
Red chillies-3
Salt to taste
Sesame seed oil/ Gingelly oil- 2 teaspoons + 1 teaspoon

Dry roast and powder

Coriander seeds- 1 teaspoon
Peppercorns-1 teaspoon
Channa dhal-1 teaspoon
Toor dhal-1 teaspoon
Urad dhal-1/2 a teaspoon
Fenugreek seeds-1/2 a teaspoon
Red chillies-2
Cumin seeds- 1 teaspoons

Heat 2 teaspoons of oil in a pan and put in mustard,curry leaves and red chillies.
When the mustard splutters add garlic and saute till light brown.
Put in tamarind water and add turmeric powder and asafoetida.
Let it boil it it thickens a little.
Add the powder and mix well so that there are no lumps.Simmer for 10 minutes.Stir once in a while.
If the mixture is still watery mix a little cornflour /rice flour with water and add to the pan.
When the garlic is soft and the desired consistency is obtained remove from fire and transfer to serving bowl.
Drizzle 1 teaspoon oil and cover till serving time.
Just before serving mix and serve with steamed rice.

This delicious dish is for Think spice-Think tamarind event hosted here in my blog.Think spice is the brain-child of Sunita,which celebrates the uniqueness of spices in our kitchen.