HI
There is this stuff made by MTR from India called puliogari ( spelling ?) powder. You can get it at most Indian grocery shops.
It is tamarind powder and Indian spices all mixed together with peanuts etc. You add a bit to some cooking oil in a pan on low heat and heat it up and mix it up for a minute or so.
Then you add it to the main dish.
The main dish consists of basmati rice and orange lentils ( masoor ki daal ) cooked with dehydrated peas and dried fried shalots and dried mushrooms. The last two items are easily found at Vietnamese grocery stores in Urban Melb. or Sydney. Once this is all boiled up together and cooked you add the fried spice mix and stir it all into together.It is the best trekking dinner!
I can live on this night after night on the trail !