Water - For soaking and cooking dal + 1 cup for tamarind extract
Salt - 2 tsps
Hing - ½ tsp
Curry Leaves - 1 strand
Turmeric Powder - ½ tsp + ¼ tsp
Oil - 1 tsp
For grinding
Coriander Seeds - 2 tsps
Channa Dal - 1.5 tsps
Red Chillies - 4
Grated Coconut - ¼ cup
For Tempering
Oil - 2 tsps
Mustard Seeds - 1 tsp
Urad Dal - 1 tsp
Red Chillies - 2
Instructions
Prep Work
Chop the brinjals lengthwise and let it soak in water while you do the other prep work. Soaking in water prevents the brinjals from turning black.
Pressure cook the toor dal by adding water and turmeric and mash it well.
Dry roast all the ingredients given under “For grinding” without adding any oil.
Let it cool and grind it without adding any water. This is the rasavangi powder.
Soak the channa dal for at least 1 hr. (If I am preparing this for dinner, I usually soak it in the morning before heading out for work)
Steps
Heat the kadai and add 1 tsp of oil.
Mean while drain the water from the brinjals and once the oil hot add it to the pan or kadai and sauté for 3 minutes.
Now add the soaked channa dal and salt.
Add the tamarind extract and cover and cook for 4 to 5 minutes until the brinjals and the dal are tender. Do not over as brinjals might turn mushy.
Then add the pressure cooked dal and curry leaves. Mix well and bring it to a boil.
As it starts to boil, add the rasavangi powder that we prepared earlier and hing. Mix well.
Check for salt and bring it to a boil. I prepared this rasavangi in a thicker consistency. If you want thin consistency, add 1 cup of water and bring it to boil.
Then in a separate pan or tadka vessel, add 2 tsps of oil. Once oil is hot, add the mustard seeds, urad dal and red chillies.
As they start to splutter, add it to the rasavangi.
Garnish it with more curry leaves. That’s it Rasavangi is ready for the table. Serve hot with rice. This can be served as a side and also as rice accompaniment.
Notes
Adjust the salt and spice according to your consistency. Channa dal is optional. You can skip or include channa dal and any other legumes or only legumes. Add more water for thin consistency. Also while grinding the masala, you can add water. If you preparing the masala well ahead and want to refrigerate then skip water.Adapted from From Meenakshi Ammal’s Cook and See