Janaki Krishnan's Kothamalli Thogayal

Best with crisp hot dosas!

Ingredients:

• Fresh coriander leaves 1 bunch
• 4 dry whole red chillies
• a pinch of hing (asafoetida)
• 1 cup urad dal
• lemon size tamarind
• small marble size jaggery
• 1 teaspoon oil
• salt to taste.

In a tea spoon of oil roast urad dal, chillies and hing on low flame till the dal changes colour a little.

Grind it a little roughly, adding raw tamarind, jaggery and salt.

Once it is ground, then add the coriander leaves roughly chopped, and grind again, just do a quick spin. Ta-da! Done!

If you want a dry powder version of this dish, avoid adding water while grinding. Sprinkle a few drops only. For wetter version add 3 or 4 table spoons of water.

The dry version can be stored in the fridge. I sometimes use it on idlis, coat the idli with oil or ghee and roll in the powder. Good for a moist tasty lunch dabba. This can be used as sandwich spread also.

Some people add fresh grated coconut while grinding, but that gives it a very different flavour, and also in that case, it must be consumed quickly.