Drumstick Kurma - Murungakkai Kurma

Serves 3
I sat blankly in front of the screen for 5 minutes trying to type something and I really couldn't get myself to type anything .I'm a very talkative person and this is one of those rare occasions :) I've been reading a book on and off for the past two days and that could be the reason.Sometimes I feel that a good book teleports you to a totally different place and it takes some time to get back .Guess you people are lucky,no rambling today:) .So off to the recipe...This is a very delicious recipe,you will be surprised how flavorful drumstick can be.Makes a great side dish for idli and dosa and goes along well with plain rice too.

You'll Need:
Drumsticks - 1
Channa Dal - 4 tbsp
Onion - 1 big(finely chopped)
Tomato - 1 big(finely chopped)
Green Chilli - 1(chopped)
Red Chilli powder - 1 tsp
Coriander powder - 1.5 tsp
Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp
Tamarind Juice - from a small marble of tamarind
Cloves,Cardamom - 1 each
Cinnamon - 1" stick
Fennel -1/2 tsp
Curry leaves - a sprig
Coconut milk - 1/2 - 1 cup
Coriander leaves - 1 tbsp(chopped finely)
Ginger Garlic paste - 1 tsp
oil - 2 - 3 tsp
salt as needed

Method:
-Clean and scrape the drumstick slightly,Chop it into 2" pieces.
-Soak the channa dal in 1/2 cup of water for 30 minutes.
-Soak the tamarind in little water for 30 minutes and squeeze and strain to extract the juice.
-Heat oil in a pan and when it heats up splutter the cardamom,cloves,fennel seed,cinnamon and curry leaves.
-Add the onion with little salt and saute until they turn translucent.Add the ginger garlic paste and saute until they are well browned.
-Add the tomato and the chopped green chilli and saute until the tomatoes turn soft.
-Add the red chilli powder,coriander powder and turmeric powder and mix well.
-Add the soaked channa dal and drumstick and mix well.
-Add 1 - 2 cups of water and let it cook until the drumstick and channa dal are cooked.Alternatively you can pressure cook the mixture for 1 whistle.
-Add the tamarind juice ,coconut milk and coriander leaves and mix well.Check for salt,adding more as needed.Let the mixture simmer for 3-5 minutes. Done !

Thanks for stopping by ! Happy Cooking !
Sending this to Foodabulous fest organized by Simply Tadka and hosted by Sajna Bishar of Saju's Tastes