Tamarind Chutney

I invented this chutney (sauce actually, but I like to call it chutney) while making my fried rice. Later it occurred to me that this chutney could be used along with so many other dishes that it merited an entry in my recipe book. The chutney has a bit of zing, is a bit sour, a bit sweet, a bit spicy and goes well with almost anything! And on top of it, making it is really simple!

Ingredients:

• Tamarind paste
• Salt
• Turmeric powder
• Chili powder
• Aamchoor powder
• Rice flour

• Take about 3 cups of water and boil in an open vessel.
• When the water gets really hot (as is likely to happen when you boil it), add about 2 heaped teaspoons of tamarind paste. Stir the mixture well - you don't want your guests to get chunks of tamarind when they eat.
• Add a heaped teaspoon of salt. More if you feel so.
• Add a dash of turmeric powder and half a flat teaspoon of chili powder. All the time, stir well.
• Add a dash of aamchoor powder. By this time the mixture should look like a cola, though not tasting as one.
• When the thing is bubbling, add a tablespoon of rice flour. Rice flour adds absolutely nothing to the taste but gives the broth more viscosity. Stir well. When you think the chutney has got the right consistency, stop. Serve.