Curry or Pepper Broth

Ingredients

• 2 pollams black pepper (Two pollams is approximately 60–70 g. Use whole black peppercorns.)
• 10 whole dried chillies (For frying and grinding into the paste.)
• 1 tablespoon carapala leaves (Carapala leaves are a historical South Indian herb; use curry leaves as the closest modern substitute if unavailable.)
• 1 tablespoon ghee (For frying the spices for the paste. Use clarified butter if ghee is unavailable.)
• 4 seers water (Four seers is approximately 3.7–4 litres.)
• 1 to taste tender pallakayas (Pallakayas are tender jackfruit or a similar firm vegetable. Use young green jackfruit if pallakayas are unavailable. Use enough to fill the broth generously.)
• 1 spoon (tablespoon) black pulse (For grinding and mixing into the broth as a thickener. Black gram (urad dal) is the closest modern equivalent.)
• 1 tablespoon ghee (For frying the black pulse for the thickener stage.)
• 1 chatak rice (One chatak is approximately 58 g. ALTERNATIVE to black pulse thickener — soak, grind, and mix in its stead. Do not use both.)
• 1 spoon (tablespoon) black pulse (For the final tempering. Fry to a reddish colour. Black gram (urad dal) is the closest modern equivalent.)
• 4 whole dried chillies (For the final tempering, fried together with the black pulse.)
• 1 tablespoon ghee (For frying the black pulse and chillies in the final tempering step.)

Instructions

1. 1Place a small frying pan or ladle over medium heat. Add the ghee (1 tablespoon) and allow it to melt and warm. Add the 2 pollams (approx. 60–70 g) of black peppercorns, 10 dried chillies, and 1 tablespoon of carapala leaves. Fry everything together, stirring constantly, for about 2–3 minutes until the peppercorns become fragrant and the chillies darken slightly. Be careful not to burn them. Remove from heat and allow to cool enough to handle.
2. 2Transfer the fried spices to a stone grinder, heavy mortar and pestle, or a blender. Grind everything together thoroughly until you achieve a smooth, fine paste. Add a tiny splash of water only if needed to help the grinding — but keep the paste as dry as possible. This may take several minutes of grinding; the finer the paste, the better the broth will be.
3. 3Measure out 4 seers (approximately 3.7–4 litres) of water into a large, heavy-bottomed pot. Add the ground spice paste to the water and stir well until fully dissolved and combined — no lumps should remain. Place the pot over a high (brisk) heat and bring it to a vigorous boil.
4. 4While the broth is coming to the boil, prepare your tender pallakayas (young green jackfruit or equivalent). Wash them well and cut them into round pieces approximately 1 inch (2.5 cm) thick. Once the broth is boiling, add the cut pallakayas directly into the pot.
5. 5Keep the pot over a brisk (high) heat and boil the pallakayas together with the spiced broth. Watch the pot closely — as the broth heats with the vegetables, it will foam up and rise to the top of the pot (this is what 'ferments' means in the original text). Each time it rises fully, carefully stir it down or briefly reduce the heat. Allow this to happen three times in total. This process helps the flavours develop and ensures the vegetables are fully cooked. This may take approximately 15–20 minutes depending on the size and type of pallakayas used.
6. 6NOTE: This is Option A. If you are using Option B (rice), skip to Step 7. In a small pan, melt a tablespoon of ghee over medium heat. Add 1 tablespoon of black pulse (urad dal or equivalent). Fry it, stirring frequently, until it is lightly cooked and fragrant — do not brown it at this stage. Remove from heat and transfer to a stone grinder, mortar and pestle, or blender. Grind the fried black pulse to a fine, smooth powder or paste. Once ground, stir it into the simmering broth and mix well so it dissolves and thickens the broth. Then proceed to Step 8.
7. 7NOTE: This is Option B and replaces Step 6. Do not use both thickeners. Take 1 chatak (approximately 58 g) of rice and place it in a bowl. Cover completely with water and soak for approximately 2 hours until the grains are soft and swollen. Drain the rice and transfer to a stone grinder, mortar and pestle, or blender. Grind it to a smooth, fine paste or slurry, adding a small amount of the soaking water if needed. Stir this ground rice paste into the simmering broth and mix well until fully incorporated. Then proceed to Step 8.
8. 8In a small frying pan, melt the remaining tablespoon of ghee over medium-high heat. Add 1 tablespoon of black pulse (urad dal) and 4 whole dried chillies. Fry them together, stirring constantly, until the black pulse turns a reddish colour and the chillies darken and blister — this should take about 2–3 minutes. Watch carefully as the pulse can burn quickly. Immediately pour the entire contents of the frying pan — ghee, fried pulse, and chillies — into the broth. Stir once to combine. The broth is now ready to serve hot.