Title: Ambat-varan (a curry)
 Categories: Vegetable
      Yield: 1 Servings
 
    1/2 c  Red gram dal (like small
           -lentils)
           Salt and jaggery to taste
           -(jaggery is like brown
           -sugar; actually dried sugar
           -cane juice; like Sucanat)
    1/2 ts Turmeric powder
  1 1/2 l  Water
           Tamarind pulp to taste (this
           -makes it sour)
      3    -(up to)
      4    Sliced sliced green chillies
           --or-
    1/2 ts Chilli powder (cayenne)
      1    Handful of coriander leaves;
           -chopped (cilantro)
      1 tb Groundnut oil (peanut oil)
    1/2 ts Mustard seeds
    1/2 ts Cumin seeds
      1 pn Asafoetida (I don't know
           -exactly what this is; but
           -it's sold in Indian
           -restaurants; and it's
           -really good; some sort of
           -spice, I keep mine in the
           -freezer and it seems to
           -last a long time)
           Few curry leaves
 
  From: sherry@gorge.net (Sherry Rose)
  
  Date: Sat, 13 Jul 1996 08:43:02 -0700 I purchased the cookbook in an
  Indian grocery story in Portland, Oregon. It is titled,
  "Rasachandrika, Saraswat Cookery Book, by the Saraswat Mahila Samaz
  of Bombay. Nearly all of the book is vegetarian. It's just full of
  short recipes.
  
  1. Wash and cook dal in the cooker until very soft. Beat it well.
  
  2. Add salt, jaggery, turmeric powder, chillies and water to bring it
  to the required liquid consistency. Cook until the dal comes to a
  boil.
  
  3. Heat oil, and prepare a seasoning with mustard seeds, cumin seeds,
  asafoetida and curry leaves. (This means to fry them a little, until
  the mustard seeds pop.) Add it to the dal.
  
  4. Lastly add the coriander leaves . (Note in the book: this varan
  should be sweet and sour to taste.)