Serves: 4
Total Calories: 270

1/2 cup Tamarind Paste
1 tablespoon , shelled raw peanut, , red skin removed
1 tablespoon grated fresh or frozen coconut or shredded unsweetened dried coconut
1 tablespoon coriander seeds
1 teaspoon sesame seeds
1 teaspoon , white poppy seed
2 1/2 teaspoons black cumin seeds
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/4 teaspoon ground turmeric
4 fresh Anaheim green chili peppers, split in half, then seeded and cut into 3 to 4 pieces each
2 to 6 fresh serrano green chili peppers, coarsely chopped
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1/2 cup peanut oil
1/2 teaspoon black mustard seeds
1/4 teaspoon fenugreek seeds
1/4 teaspoon kalonji seeds
1 large onion, cut in half lengthwise and thinly sliced
1 cup water
7 to 10 fresh curry leaves

1. Prepare the tamarind paste. Put the peanuts in a small nonstick skillet and roast them over medium heat until a few shades darker, about 2 minutes. Transfer to a bowl. Then roast together the coconut, coriander, sesame, and poppy seeds, and 2 teaspoons black cumin seeds until a few shades darker, about 2 minutes. (Or roast each separately, following tradition.) Transfer to the peanut bowl. Let cool, then grind everything in a spice grinder or food processor, together or in batches, to make them as fine as possible. Mix in the cayenne pepper and turmeric, and reserve.

2. Place the Anaheim and serrano peppers in a bowl and toss with the salt. Set aside about 30 minutes, then wash, drain, and dry them on a towel. (Drying is essential, or the oil will splutter when you fry them.)

3. Heat the oil in a large nonstick wok or saucepan over medium-high heat and add the reserved 1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds and the mustard, fenugreek, and kalonji seeds, then the towel-dried peppers and fry (in 2 batches, if needed) until they are barely browned, 1 to 2 minutes. Leaving the oil behind, drain well and transfer everything to a bowl.

4. In the same oil, fry the onion over medium-high heat until golden, 5 to 7 minutes. Leaving the onion in the skillet, remove most of the oil and discard or reserve for another purpose. To the onions, add the tamarind paste, water, curry leaves, roasted spice mixture and 1 teaspoon salt and cook over medium heat until the sauce is very thick and the oil separates to the side, about 20 minutes. Mix in the fried peppers and cook another 10 to 12 minutes to blend the flavors. Serve.

From "1,000 Indian Recipes." Copyright 2002 by Neelam Batra. Used with permission of the publisher, Wiley Publishing, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

Nutritional Facts:

Serves: 4
Total Calories: 270
Calories from Fat: 255

More Recipes from the 1000 Indian Recipes Cookbook:
* Vegetarian Curries
Anaheim Peppers in Spicy Tamarind Sauce
Bitter Melon Curry
Butter-Cream Sauce with Fresh Tomatoes
Buttermilk and Cucumber Creamy Curry
Chickpea Pancakes in Curry Sauce
Classic Spicy Curry Sauce
Crispy Fried Okra in Yogurt Sauce
Curried Almond and Poppy Seed Potatoes
Curried Baby White Turnips with Turnip Greens
Curried Eggplant with Hot and Spicy Lentil Nuggets
Curried Fresh Peas or Corn and Potatoes
Curried Jackfruit
Curried Soybean Nuggets
Diced Potato Curry with Pickling Spices
Eggplant Curry with Sambar Powder
Fenugreek Yogurt Curry with Fritters
Green Mango Curry
Haridwar Potato Curry
Hot and Tangy Goan Mixed Vegetables
Hyderabadi Tomatoes in Spicy Tamarind Sauce
Hyderbadi Spicy Eggplants with Roasted Peanut and Sesame Sauce
Kerala Cucumber Curry
Kerala Mixed Vegetable Curry
Lotus Root Balls in Classic Curry Sauce
Mango Curry with Split Pigeon Peas
Minty Green Curry Sauce
Minty Pot-Roasted Potato Curry
Mixed Vegetables in Tomato-Cream Sauce
Mushrooms in Almond and Poppy Seed Sauce
Mustard Greens with Cauliflower Florets
Nani Mama's Yogurt Curry with Onion Fritter
Onion Wedges in Curry Sauce
Peach Halves in Savory Ginger-Peach Sauce
Pot-Roasted Fried Whole Potatoes in Yogurt Curry
Punjabi Chickpea Drops Curry
Punjabi Chickpea Flour Bits in Curry Sauce
Punjabi Mustard Greens
Quick Potatoes and Peas Curry with Tomato Sauce
Quick Punjabi Yogurt Curry
Rajasthani Chickpea Flour Bits in Yogurt Sauce
Rajasthani Potato Curry
Simple Turnip Curry
Sindhi Mixed Vegetables with Split Pigeon Peas
Sindhi Tamarind Curry with Vegetables
Soupy Gujarati Curry
South Indian Pumpkin Curry with Split Pigeon Peas
South Indian Yogurt Curry
South Indian Yogurt and Coconut Milk Curry with Vegetables
Soybean Nugget Curry with Red Bell Peppers
Spicy Curried Chickpea Drops
Spicy Lentil Nugget Curry with Potatoes
Spicy Okra Curry
Spicy Puréed Spinach Greens
Spicy Yogurt Curry with Spinach Ribbons
Spinach Balls in Green Curry
Spinach, Fenugreek Greens, and Broccoli
Stuffed Bell Peppers in Tomato-Cream Sauce
Stuffed Potato Balls in Tomato and Coconut Chutney Curry
Watermelon Whites in Tomato and Onion Sauce
Whole Cauliflower in Traditional Curry Sauce
Yogurt and Potato Curry
Yogurt-Cream Sauce with Nuts
Zucchini Balls in Creamy Tomato Sauce