Cucumber soup

Ingredients:

1/2 a cucumber, peeled and chopped into fine pieces
1 tablespoon coriander seeds
5 to 6 red chilies
1 teaspoon fenugreek(methi) seeds
1 tablespoon split yellow peas (chana dal)
Optional: fresh or dry curry leaves 6
  Optional: 2 teaspoons dry coconut flakes or fresh scrapped coconut
  Optional: A pinch of asafoetida
1 tablespoon tamarind paste or concentrate (juice from soaking a small lime size tamarind may also be used)
1/4 teaspoon turmeric powder
2 teaspoons salt
2 teaspoons oil (any kind)
2 teaspoons brown sugar

Method:

Heat a pan with a teaspoon of oil and roast the coriander seeds, red chilies, fenugreek seeds, optional curry leaves, asafetida until they all turn golden brown. You will hear the popping sound of fenugreek seeds, the red chili will turn a little blackish, the curry leaves will become crunchy and darker in color and the coriander seeds will become dark brown. Remove from heat all the above ingredients into a plate and in the same pan add the remaining teaspoon of oil and roast the split yellow peas (chana dal) till it turns golden brown, add the optional dried coconut flakes at this time and roast further till it starts turning red and remove them from heat onto the same plate and keep aside to cool. Now powder all the above roasted ingredients into a fine powder in a blender or mixer. To this add the salt, tamarind paste, brown sugar and about 1/4 cup of tap water and grind to a smooth paste. Remove this paste into a serving bowl, add the turmeric powder and the chopped cucumber pieces and mix well and serve. This dish goes with plain white cooked rice had along with a tablespoon or more of clarified butter per serving.