| 1 | This is (roughly) a tamil recipe from a cookbook that i bought in bangalore, called a cook"s tour of south india. |
| 2 | I doubt it"s available here. |
| 3 | Fatfree- ized only by the deletion of ?c. of oil. |
| 4 | Simmer 2 c. of small red lentils in about 5 c. water while you are doing everything else. |
| 5 | In a separate, large pot, dry pop (like making popcorn, over med heat): 2 t. black mustard seeds add to the pot: 5 medium to large yams, peeled and cut into 1" cubes enough water to cover the yams by about ? 1 t. turmeric 2 t. tamarind concentrate, blended with water so it dissolves easily in the pot (ever bite a lump of tamarind concentrate?) 1 t. (or more) compounded asafoetida 1 t. (optional) finely ground dried coconut, microwaved with ?c. rice milk simmer yams until soft but not falling apart. |
| 6 | When lentils are soft (takes about ?hr if you got the right kind) drain off any water you can and add lentils to the yam pot. |
| 7 | Stir and cook, adding more water if mixture is too thick (texture of a thick soup is good, texture of refried beans is "too thick"). |
| 8 | Then add: ?c. fresh cilantro a handful of fresh or dried curry leaves salt to taste *fresh chili paste to taste *2 t.-?c. chickpea (gram or besan) flour, mixed with water and gradually thinned to avoid lumps. |
| 9 | Dribble into the soup while stirring. |
| 10 | The chickpea flour replaces hand-ground chickpeas or mung beans, which thicken the stew, making the sauce more "gravylike". |
| 11 | Yum. |
| 12 | Also, using the red chili paste (a violently hot vietnamese concoction with citric acid added to fresh ground chilies) improves the taste. |
| 13 | Yum. |
| 14 | Yam |
