Payar puli curry, Horse Gram Stock – Tamarind Curry

1. Soak tamarind in ½ cup of warm water for about 10-15 minutes. Then extract the juice and set aside.
2. Grind together the ingredients mentioned in 'For Coconut Paste' and make a very fine paste. Set aside.
3. Heat coconut oil in a pan, splutter mustard seeds.
4. Add chopped shallots, curry leaves and saute until the shallots turn light brown in color.
5. Then add in the horse gram stock, coconut mixture(step #2), little tamarind juice and combine well. Check for salt. Note: Add tamarind juice little by little and check for tanginess after each addition.
6. Stir continuously for 3-4 minutes on medium heat.
7. When the curry is heat through, remove from heat and serve hot with rice.

Notes:

• Soak 1 cup horse gram in water for 2-4 hours. Cook the soaked horse gram in a pressure cooker along with 2 cups of water and enough salt for about 3-5 whistles.
• Strain the cooked horse gram, reserve the horse gram and stock separately. We are using the stock for this recipe. You can use the cooked horse gram in another recipe - Horse Gram Thoran, Muthira Thoran.