MILAGU KUZHAMBU 
Chettinad cuisine is incomplete without black pepper. In Chettinad cuisine there is wonderful gravy out of pepper corns called Milagu kuzhambu. The kuzhambu acts as an appetizer.
Ingredients
Tamarind
: a small lemon size
Salt
: To taste
Curry leaves
: A few
Dhania jeera pwdr
: 2 tbsp
Mustard
: 1 tsp
Rice flour
: 1 tsp
Masala
Pepper
: 1 1/2 tsp
Red chillies
: 2
Red gram dal
: 1 1/2 tsp
Blackgram dal
: 1 1/2 tsp
Asafetida
: a pinch
Method
- Roast all the masala ingredients and grind them to a fine powder. This powder can be stored for almost a month.
- Soak tamarind and extract juice. Add salt, masala and microwave on high for 5 minutes.
- Make a diluted paste of rice flour with water and add it to the kuzhambu and micro on high for 4 more minutes.
- Season with mustard seeds.