Ingredients
Method
- Cook the dal with turmeric and water until soft, then whisk.
- Heat ghee, pop mustard seeds, add cumin, asafoetida, curry leaves and chillies.
- Add the dal, tamarind, jaggery, goda masala and salt with 1 cup water. Simmer for 10 minutes.
- Add coconut and coriander. It should taste gently sweet, sour and spicy. Serve with rice.
The spices that matter
Black or brown mustard seeds start most South Indian, Gujarati and Maharashtrian tempering: they pop in hot oil before curry leaves and dals go in. G…
No mustard seed? Cumin seeds give a different but workable tempering. Yellow mustard seeds are milder.
A pinch goes into almost every dal, sabzi and curry, usually with the onions or straight into the dal as it boils. Fresh turmeric root is pickled in …
No turmeric? There is no real substitute for flavour. For colour only, a tiny pinch of saffron or Kashmiri chilli changes the shade, but not the taste.
Fried in hot oil with mustard seeds for sambar, rasam, poha, upma, chutneys and Kerala and Tamil dishes.
No curry leaves? No real substitute. Lime zest gives a hint of the citrus note.
A pinch in hot oil is the base of dal tadka, sambar, kadhi and many Jain and Brahmin dishes that use no onion or garlic.
No asafoetida? A little garlic and onion powder together give a similar savoury effect.
A souring agent in Konkani, Goan and Malvani curries and in sol kadhi, the pink coconut-milk drink.
No kokum? Tamarind or lime juice.
Nice to have
The blend to use
Goda masala: A dark, slightly sweet Maharashtrian blend with roasted coconut and sesame.
Salt, oil or ghee, onions, ginger, garlic and fresh herbs are assumed. See how to make a tadka for the order to add whole spices.
Dishes with similar spices
Frequently asked questions
How long does amti take to make?
About 10 minutes to prepare and 30 minutes to cook.
What spices are in amti?
The essentials are mustard seed, turmeric, curry leaves, asafoetida, kokum. Nice to have: jaggery.
Tips from travellers
Use Amti differently at home? Share your tip. The first good one goes right here.