Upwas groundnut curry

Coming to think of it, we wasted the last four years of Monday fasting with the mundane fasting food. We didn't look beyond the batatyacha kees, ratalyacha kees, sabudana khichdi, sabudana wada and the like. Now that I have begun writing this blog, I have also begun to think up new recipes for fasting altogether.

This, though, is not one of them. This is a tried and tested Maharashtrian recipe that I made for the first time. One spoon into the curry, and I repented as to why I didn't start this project long ago!

It does make you droopy though. Half an hour into the meal, and all my grand plans of writing the blog as soon as we were finished eating were nullified. I found my feet walking in the direction of the bed, and my eyes struggling to keep open. You better believe it, this curry is heavy on the eyelids.

Ingredients

• 1 cup roasted and unsalted groundnuts
• 1 cup curd
• tamarind the size of half a lemon
• 3 to 5 green chillies (depending upon how hot you like your curry)
• 1/2 inch piece of ginger, grated
• 1 tsp cumin powder
• 2 tbsp ghee (clarified butter)
• 3 dry red chillies
• 1/2 tsp cumin seeds
• 5 to 6 cloves
• 1 inch piece of cinnamon
• chopped fresh coriander to garnish
• salt to taste

Peel the groundnuts and blend them along with the curds, tamarind, cumin powder, chillies, ginger and salt.

Heat the ghee in a wok and add the cloves, and cinnamon. Once the cloves puff up a bit, add the cumin, and wait till it changes color. Now add the red chillies and the blended mixture to this. Add a cup or two of water. Bring to a boil, then reduce the flame and simmer for another 5 minutes.

Serve hot along with vari or samo rice.

Happy Cooking!