Mulakkada Pulusu (Drum stick cooked with tamarind gravy)

Ingredients:

Drumsticks - 2

Tomato (large) - 1

Onions (medium) - 2

Green chillies - 2

Tamarind - goose berry size

Red chilly powder - 1/2 tbsp (If you want little more spicy, you can add up to 1 tbsp)

Jaggery/Sugar - 1/2 tbsp (optional)

Turmeric - pinch

Salt - as per taste

Curry leaves - 1 strand

Coriander leaves, finely chopped - 2 tbsp

Water - 1&1/2 cup

Oil - 1 tbsp

Procedure:

1. Wash thoroughly and trim the ends of drumsticks. Cut them in to 1&1/2 to 2 inch pieces. Similarly chop onions and tomato finely and keep aside.
2. Soak tamarind in luke warm water until it turns soft.
3.  Heat oil in a cooking vessel, add green chillies (slit length wise), curry leaves and fry them.
4. Add finely chopped onion and saute until they are tender. After few minutes, add chopped tomato and cook until they are mushy. Then add drumsticks and give a nice stir.
5. Add required water and continue cooking. When the drumsticks are half cooked, add squeeze tamarind juice and pour in to cooking vessel.
6. Add turmeric, red chilly powder, salt and mix well. Let the gravy boil until the drumsticks are well cooked. Add jaggery at this point and cook for 2 more minutes. Finally garnish with chopped coriander leaves and serve hot with rice.

TIP: You can also prepare this by skipping tomato. In this case add little more tamarind pulp to adjust the tanginess.

Drumsticks in some areas look very thick and do not get cooked easily. In this case, pressure cook drumsticks separately and add in to the gravy.