Poli Chaaru

Poli charu is a festive soup eaten with rice. While making polis the leftover water after boiling the chana dal is used to make this wonderful charu.

Ingredients

Boiled Chanadal water - 2-3 cups

Whole button onions - 4

Tamarind paste - 2 tbsp

Jaggery - 1 tbsp

Red chilli powder - 1/2 tsp

Turmeric - 1/4 tsp

Mustard seeds - 1/4 tsp

Cumin seeds - 1/4 tsp

Curry leaves - 2-3

Asafetida - 1 pinch

Rasam powder - 1/2 tsp (optional)

Oil

Salt

Steps

1. Heat oil in a pot. Add the mustard, cumin seeds, hing and curry leaves. Add the button onions and saute them for few minutes.

2. Add all the powders and fry for a minute.

3. Add the chana dal water, tamarind juice, jaggery and mix well. Bring this to boil. Serve hot with rice.

Meal today: Poli charu annam on a vadiyam

Tips

While making poli or bobbatlu, put aside some of the purnam (chana dal-jaggery stuffing) and mix it instead of jaggery (step 3) with this charu while cooking.

If you mix dal-jaggery into the charu, it will thicken. So depending on how thick you want your charu to be, add or reduce water.