In this post I have explained about the influence of Kerala cuisine in mine. When it comes to Indian state based recipes how can I miss Kerala? Here is one of my favorite recipe from Kerala – Small onions / Shallots Theeyal or as they say in Malayalam Ulli Theeyal.
It is similar to varathu aracha kuzhambu (freshly ground masala sambhar) with the flavor of small onions and coconut. The key ingredient in this Theeyal/Kuzhambu/Sambhar is Small Onions or Shallots. You can use regular onion along with other veggies like drumstick and brinjals but small onions provides the unique flavor and makes this Theeyal stand out. I totally agree peeling small onions is not an easy task but no pain no gain ;-) This is was a word by mouth recipe but later modified from the Kerala Tourism blog. Basically you need to dry roast coconut, method seeds, red chilly powder, coriander powder, turmeric and shallots and grind them into a smooth paste. This forma the base for the Theeyal.
I didn’t use any other veggies but as I mentioned you can use other veggies along with shallots too. This Theeyal goes well with rice and with any dry curries or Thoran.
- Small Onions/Shallots - 20 + 3 Peel and chop them into halves
- Grated Coconut - 1/2 cup
- Methi seeds - 1 tsp
- Red chilly Powder - 1 tsp
- Dhaniya/Coriander Powder - 2 tsp
- Turmeric Powder - 1/2 tsp
- Pepper Powder - 1/2 tsp or 1 tsp adjust according to taste
- Water - 1 cup + 1/2 cup
- Tamarind water - 1 cup Diluted 2 tsps of tamarind paste in 1 cup of water or soak the tamarind in 1 cup of water and extract the juice
- Oil - 2 tsps + 1 tsp
- Mustard seeds - 1 tsp
- Hing - 1/2 tsp
- Salt - 1 tsp
- Curry Leaves - 1 strand
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Heat the kadai and add 1 tsp of oil.
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Add the grated coconut and fry for couple of minutes.
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Now add the methi seeds, turmeric powder, red chilly powder, pepper powder,dhaniya powder and fry till the raw smell goes.
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Now add the 3 shallots and fry for another couple of minutes. (The coconut mixture will be dark brown in color and thats perfectly fine)
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Let this mixture cool down and grind with 1/2 cup of water into smooth paste.
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Now again heat the kadai and 2 tsps of oil.
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Once the oil is hot add the mustard seeds and hing.
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As they start to splutter add the chopped shallots and cook till they are tender.
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Add the tamarind extract, the grinded masala and salt.
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Bring it to boil. Add the curry leaves and let it boil for a minute and then turn it off.
Adapted from Kerala Tourism Blog
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Vidhyaaaa……. Super po!
Thanks Sowmya.. :-)
Love all the flavored especially the coconut and tamarind must compliment the shallots so well
Shallots in a shallot based gravy sounds interesting. Must go well with rice.
Wow need to try this out my sambhar crazy kids will love it.
I love shallots and use it in many gravies. This ulli theeyal looks so inviting…
Shallots Theeyal sounds so flavorful and delicious. Will try this version sometime.
Our family favorite .. We used to make this with ulunthu soru in our native.. Instead of making them as paste, we powdered them nicely ..I remember that my grandmom used ural to powder this spices..
Wow. Thanks for the tip. Will try it out.
That’s one awesome dish, I wanted to make it for my kerala post..couldn’t make it..
Oh oo.. But your kerala spread was very nice. Thanks valli
I had tgeeyal for the first time in nallas apa kadai..love it.. I have prepared it and clicked long back but puc didn’t come our wel so PST pannala.. Now after seeing urs tempting to try
Oye un photos ellam nalla erukum. Podu pa unda
Love these tangy gravies..Each state has a special variant. Love it.
Thanks Harini
Delicious theeyal, so comforting.
Thanks Sneha
I can imagine the flavor of this Theeyal looks yummm…
:-) :-) Thanks Padma
Super like, love this theeyal to the core, give me some rite and some fryums can have this theeyal without any fuss.
ha ha.. Wish I could send some.
we love shallots… and this theeyal is almost like our kuzhambu right ?? bookmarkign to try !!
yeah exactly kalyani. I reminds me of our puli kuzhambu
Yummy theeyal with shallots.
Thanks Usha
Never heard of this recipe but it sure looks Delicious.
Give it a try sapana. you will love it
I love love love Theeyal.. :) My friend brings this for rotis and I enjoy it every time :) I have also posted Theeyal recipe during my very early days :) Thanks for bringing some nice memories :)
yayyy same pinch. Glad it bought back some good old memories. Will check out your recipe too.