Ulli Theeyal

Do you love coconut and tamarind? Then you gotta try this dish. Today's post is "Ulli Theeyal", a South Indian dish from the state of Kerala, India. "Ulli" refers to Small Onions in Malayalam and Theeyal means "burnt dish". Here the coconut is kinda burnt and infused with tamarind giving a tantalizing flavour.

Let's see how to make this.

Ingredients:

Small Onions 1 cup

Tamarind lemon sized

Turmeric Powder pinch

Asafoetida pinch

Mustard Seeds 1 tsp

Red Chilli 1

Curry leaves few

Salt to taste

Coconut Oil

To roast and grind:

Coriander Seeds 1 tsp

Cumin Seeds 1/2 tsp

Fenugreek Seeds 1/2 tsp

Pepper

Red Chilli 2

Coconut 1/2 cup

Method:

• Add oil to the pan. When hot, add the ingredients given under "To roast and grind" except coconut. When they start browning, add coconut. Saute until the coconut turns golden brown. Then allow it to cool and grind it into a smooth paste adding water.

• Soak tamarind in hot water for 15 minutes. Extract the pulp and keep it aside.

• Peel the skin of small onions.

• Heat oil in a pan. Add the small onions. Saute them for until the onions turn light brown.

• Add turmeric powder, asafoetida, salt.

• Mix well and add the tamarind pulp (step 2). Mix well. Let it simmer until the raw smell of the tamarind goes away.

• Add the ground paste (step 1). Add more water to adjust the consistency. Should not be too thick nor too watery.

• Simmer for a minute and switch off the flame. Theeyal is ready.

• Heat oil in a pan. Add mustard seeds, red chilli and curry leaves. When they splutter, pour it over the theeyal.