The Gastroglyphica

2 Tbsp Wet block Tamarind 300 g Toor Dal (Pigeon Peas) 1 Onion 1 Red Pepper 3-4 (smallish) Sweet Potatoes 2-3 Chopped Cloves Garlic 3-4 Whole Peeled Cloves Garlic 4 Green Chillis (slit down the side) 1-2 Tsp Turmeric (as I do not put this in the Sambar powder). 3 Tbsp Sambar Powder Tempering: 2 Tsp Brown Mustard Seeds 2 Tsp Cumin Seeds 1/2 Tsp Fenugreek Seeds 1/2 Tsp Asafoetida (a.k.a. Hing) 1 Red Chilli (halved). 12-20 Curry Leaves 1/3 of a Bunch or so of Chopped Coriander. 1.  Soak the Tamarind in hot water for at least 20 minutes.  Get rid of any seeds, stringy fibres etc - I use Natco which has very little of this. 2. Cook the Toor Dal until soft - normally at least 45 minutes  Mash or partially blend them - I do not like it completely smooth myself. 3. Peel and chop the sweet potatoes and steam them above the dal for 10 minutes or so.  The dal should be boiling well throughout this period. 4.  In some oil fry the chopped on...

1 pint of milk 1Oz/30g of rice I dessertspoonful of brown sugar A small piece of  cinnamon A couple of drops of almond essence 1 dessertspoonful of ground almonds 1 dessertspoonful of flaked almonds if you want Lightly roast the ground almonds and flaked almonds if used. Break up the piece of cinnamon a bit Mix all the ingredients in a bowl with space to allow for the mixture to expand in the oven. Bake at about 125 degrees C for 2 hours or so.

 4 Oz/125 g Dried Apricots (fully dried - allow for the extra weight if using partially rehydrated) About 33-40% of that weight of raisins. Soak these in cold tea - leftover tea that has been sitting in the pot is fine - and leave to swell.  You may need to add more tea as the fruit absorbs liquid. When the fruit has swollen up, chop and add enough fresh mint to flavour the mix - how much will depend on the strength of the mint and how minty you want it.  The mint flavour tends to fade a bit with time, but as with the tea you can always add more. This should not need extra sugar - if you want it sweeter you can add more raisins. It's great with fresh yoghurt to counter the sweetness of the raisins.