Amti

If I were to name one ‘soul food’ of mine, it will probably be aamti-bhat (aamti with rice). I remember, when I came back from a month long study tour of Europe, Aji asked me what I wanted to eat and aamti-bhat was my instant reply. Can’t ever get enough of aromatic ambemohor rice cooked to perfection with amti and ghee.. bliss!

Aji made the best aamti and it is probably the first dish that I managed to make exactly like hers! Which was a big accomplishment, considering the fact that my family can thrive on just aamti for, well forever! My aunt said Neha has Malati Aji’s hatachi chav (taste-of-hand: a concept in my culture, where its believed that the same recipe made by two people using the same ingredients will taste different because of their individual touch or literally translated: taste-of-hand). In my books, that’s the best compliment you can get in the culinary world.

Now there’s several different kinds of amtis. The ‘am’ in amti is short for ambat which means sour. So every amti has a signature acidifying agent. This could be tamarind, kokum, green mangoes, etc. The most common one in my experience is the one with tamarind. Other variations of amti are based on use of different lentils.

You will need:
1 cup cooked dal (in a pressure cooker: I have perpetual bad luck with cookers, so I usually outsource this task)
1 tbsp oil
mustard seeds
a pinch of asafetida
1/2 tsp turmeric
2-3 curry leaves
1 green chili chopped
chopped cilantro
1 tablespoon fresh grated coconut
1 tsp kala masala (maharashtrian goda masala)
1/2 tsp red chili powder
2 tsps homemade tamarind chutney (if you dont have tamarind chutney, use a little tamarind concentrate and a big chunk of jaggery)
water
salt
cilantro and grated coconut for garnish

1. Heat the oil in a kadhai
2. add mstard seeds, turmeric, asafetida, curry leaves, chillies and onion.
3. add the cilantro and coconut to the hot oil, give it a stir (this is that key step that gives the amti its authentic taste) and cook covered till onion is cooked
4. Remove lid and add the masala and fry for a bit

5. Add salt, tamarind chutney and red chili powder to the dal and mix well)
6. Add the dam mixture to the fried onions
7. Add lots of water, to make aamti of desired consistency (some people prefer it really thin and watery, I like it thicker)
8. Bring to a boil and garnish with cilantro and coconut

Best served hot over rice wth ghee 🙂 Have to have this for dinner tonight.