Black eyed beans in tamarind curry - Puli Kuzhambu

My idea of South Indian cuisine for a very long time, was limited to idlis, dosas, sambhar, avial and vegetarian preparations that use massive amount of coconut. I'm sure many people share my narrow view. However, this changed when I met Sudha, a dear friend and a great cook. She is a Tamilian and has opened my eyes to the wonders of the amazing Tamil and Telugu cuisine. And she has very kindly shared so many of her recipes with me when we were neighbours in Cebu. She was always generous with her food, she'd send me a bowl of whatever she cooked almost everyday. One of the preparations that I absolutely loved was the tamarind curry or "Kuzhambu"(pronounced koh-ehm-buh). Recently she visited me and very kindly offered to cook something for me and made the "Puli Kuzhambu" or black eyed beans in tamarind curry.

Recipe credit: Sudha J

Ingredients:

1. Black eyed peas or Chawli beans - 2 cups cooked
2. Onions - 2 medium sized, chopped
3. Tomatoes - 3 medium sized, finely chopped
4. Green chilly - 3 nos, chopped
5. Garlic - 8 cloves
6. Red chilly powder - 1 tsp
7. Coriander powder - 1 tbsp
8. Tamarind - a lime sized ball soaked in water
9. Salt - as needed

Tempering:

1. Mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp
2. Channa dal - 1/2 tsp
3. Urad daal - 1/2 tsp
4. Jeera - 1/2 tsp
5. Curry leaves - a few sprigs
6. Oil - as required

Method:

1. Soak the peas in water for 6 to 8 hours and cook in a pressure cooker for 5 to 6 whistles. You can take 3/4 cup of dried beans and it will yield approximately two cups after soaking.
2. In a pan, heat oil and add the mustard seeds first, when they stop spluttering, add the remaining ingredients under tempering. Stir the ingredients for a few seconds.
3. Add the finely chopped garlic and fry it well, add the finely chopped onions and keep stirring till they are fried well and look golden.
4. Add the green chilly and all powders and finally the tomatoes. Mix well and cook on slow flame till they are mashed well. This takes a while as the tomatoes have to disintegrate completely, so patience is the key. For faster cooking you can blend the tomato and then add to the pan.
5. Once the contents look well cooked and mushy, add the beans and tamarind water. Mix well, let it come to a boil and cook on slow flame for about ten minutes.
6. Check for salt, and consistency and switch off the flame.
7. Serve with hot steamed rice.