Pitlai - My all time favorite!

Pitlai is kind of similar to sambhar, here we dont add sambhar powder, but fry fresh ingredients and add them. The difference is very evident when you have the first morsel of rice and Pitali, the flavour of fresh ingredients bursts in your mouth.I like to make this dish when we have guest's home as it not the same old sambhar and yet an easy and tasty treat for our guests.

Ingredients

Ground Mixture:

Uradh Dhal - 1 tbsp
Bengal Gram Dhal - 1/2 tsp
Pepper - 6 to 7
Red Chilly - 4
Grated Coconut - A handful

Other ingredients:

Tamarind - it should be the size of a marble ( sorry guys , this is exactly how my mom has given me the recipe).
Thuar Dhal - I cup boiled

In a little bit of oil fry all the above until it turns red.
Fry the coconut seperately and the grind all the ingredients of the ground mixture.
Take tamarind extract and boil the vegetables in tamarind water ( pearl onions, potato, bitter gourd, drum sticks, String beans).
After the vegetables have cooked, add the boiled thuar dhal and some water if necessary
Add salt and turmeric powder.
Now add the ground mixture and cook till raw smell goes.
Temper with mustard, uradh dhal and curry leaves.

When my mom made this at home, she usally served us hot rice, ghee and pitlai with papad. She did not cook a vegetable as a whole bunch of vegetables are already in the pitlai. And feel free to add any vegetables of your choice.