Holi Re Holi, Puranachi Poli - II

Katachi Amti - soup made from the broth of chickpea lentils cooked to make Puran.Katachi Amati is our special occasion daal and every woman prides in her own version of it. I decided to cut down on the efforts a bit and make a simplified version using all the same ingredients.

Katachi Amti/Amati

Ingredients:
4 Cups chickpea lentil (chana daal) broth
3/4 Cup cooked and mashed chickpea lentils
Khada masala (whole spices) - 1 bay leaf, 1 inch cinnamon stick, 2-3 cloves, 3-4 black peppercorn
Fodani/Tadaka - Mustard seeds, pinch of asafoetida, turmeric powder
5-6 Curry leaves
2-3 Tablespoons fresh grated coconut
2 Teaspoons Maharashtrian Goda Masala - My mom makes it fresh at home and sends me a big packet every year :)
1 Teaspoon cumin-coriandar powder
Red chili powder
2 Teaspoons tamarind pulp
1 Small pice of jaggery (~1 inch cube)
Oil
Salt to taste
Cilantro for garnishing

• Cook chickpea lentils in lots of water when making puran. Drain this broth to make amati. Save some of the lentils as well.
• Heat oil in a cooking pan and add mustard seeds. Add the whole spices and curry leaves when the mustard seeds splutter. Add asafoetida and turmeric powder at the end so they don't burn.
• Add grated coconut and roast the spices along with it for a few minutes on low-medium heat.
• Once the coconut it nice and toasty, add the lentil broth and mashed lentils and the rest of the ingredients - tamarind pulp, jaggery, goda masala, cumin-coriander powder, red chili powder and salt. Let it boil on medium heat for a good 20 minutes. This is what makes it taste good by bringing out all the flavors and making amati a little frothy. *There's a difference in the taste when you add goda masala & chili powder first instead of adding it to the broth. This recipe calls for adding it later and letting the flavors come out in the boiling process*.
• Turn off the heat, garnish with lots of chopped cilantro and serve hot.

Although not a big amati person, I love this sweet-tangy-spicy combination of flavors. It's great to drink by itself as soup or wonderful with some rice. You can use this recipe with toor daal/split pigeon pea lentils when you don't have chickpea lentils and I'm sure it'll taste wonderful.