Served as side dish. Vegetarian dish. Speciality: Occasion - Dinner Party.

Indian

4-5 large Drumsticks (Vegetable), washed and chopped into 2 inch pieces

4 cups Ladyfingers, washed,ends trimmed and chopped

3 medium Potatoes, peeled,washed,cut into cubes and boiled until tender

2 cups chopped Yams

2 cups chopped Flat Indian Beans

2 cups White Pumpkin, cubed (Indian gourd) (optional)

2 medium Carrots, washed,peeled and cut into cubes (optional)

5-6 small Green Chilies, washed,ends trimmed and finely chopped

2 teaspoons Turmeric Powder

1 1/4 teaspoons Red Chili Powder

4 Tablespoons Oil

2 large Tomatoes, washed,peeled and chopped

1 teaspoon Fenugreek Seeds

2 teaspoons Cumin Seeds

2 inches fresh Ginger, peeled,washed and finely chopped

35 fresh Curry Leaves, washed and torn

5 teaspoons Gram Flour

2 Tablespoons Asafetida Powder

24 cups Water

5 teaspoons Salt, divided

2 cups Tamarind Pulp, divided

5 Tablespoons chopped fresh Coriander Leaves, for garnishing

Boil the potatoes in plenty of water until tender, drain and keep aside. In the meantime, heat oil in a pot. Add fenugreek seeds and allow it to crackle. Once it stops crackling and turns lightly golden brown, add cumin seeds and allow to crackle. Once it stops crackling, add 10-15 fresh curry leaves, green chillies and ginger. Mix well and stir-fry until the raw smell of ginger is gone. This takes about 5 minutes. Then add gramflour and stir-fry it for 20 minutes, mixing it continuously, on low flame, until it is no longer raw taste-wise. Add the remaining 10 fresh curry leaves alongwith asafoetida powder. Stir-fry for 3-4 minutes on high flame. Stir in water, turmeric powder and red chilli powder. Add tomatoes, yam and flat Indian beans (guavar). Bring to a boil. Lower flame, add 4 tespoons of salt and mix well. Allow the curry to come to a boil twice (two times) again. In the meantime, soak the ladyfinger with 1 teaspoon of salt in 1 cup of tamarind water (see the following steps to know how to make it). Bring this to a boil. This step is done so as to ensure that the ladyfinger will not break while cooking in the curry. Add all the chopped vegetables now alongwith the ladyfinger mixture (add the water as well in which you boiled the ladyfinger), mix well and boil for 30 minutes. In the meantime, soak about 3 inches of tamarind in 1 cup of hot water and squeeze out the pulp from the tamarind as nicely as you can. Measure out 1 cup of this pulp. This pulp is 'tamarind water'. Now add this tamarind water to the curry. Boil for 30 minutes. Remove from flame, garnish with corriander leaves and serve hot with cooked long-grain Basmati rice and/or low-fat plain yogurt for a complete meal.

Preparation time: 1 hour

Cooking time: 3 3/4 hours

Serves: 8-10

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