1. Take a pan, heat it on a low-medium flame. Add fenugreek seeds and mustard seeds. Break the red chillies in small pieces and add to the pan.
2. Dry roast the ingredients for some time. To know when the spice mix is ready, watch out for a smoky aroma of the chillies.
3. Remove the roasted ingredients from the pan into a bowl.
4. Heat some oil in the pan. Fry one whole piece of asafoetida in the oil till it swells up.
5. Remove the fried asafoetida and add it to the other ingredients in the bowl.
6. Once the ingredients have cooled down, grind them into a medium-fine powder.
7. Add the remaining oil to the pan. Add mustard seeds and allow to crackle. Add turmeric powder and garlic.
8. Saute on a medium flame for 1-2 minutes.
9. Add the tamarind pulp and some salt.
10. Adding sugar is optional if you want an after-taste of sweetness.
11. Let the ingredients simmer for about a minute.
12. Add the powdered spice mix. Mix well to coat all the garlic cloves with the masala properly.
13. Once it has cooled to room temperature, store in an air-tight container or glass jar.
14. Wait for at least 24 hours or a day or two before serving. This helps the garlic to soften and ooze out its flavours.