Sunday, January 28, 2018

SMALL ONION THOGAIYAL

If you are a lover of spicy food, this is a dish for you, Small Onion Thogaiyal.  Thogaiyal is one of the main item in Tamil Brahmin cuisine which is served with rice for lunch.  We mix this with rice with a tsp of sesame oil and just thinking of that would make my salivary glands work extra.  The accompaniment of this would be any vegetable kootu.  Many of us get confused thogaiyal with chutney.  Thogaiyal is thick and coarse texture in nature and would be spicy; this is usually prepared with fried urad dhal, red chillies, asafoetida and ground with tamarind pulp. 


Small onion thogaiyal is a perfect accompaniment for rice and can be served as a side dish for idly/dosa.  If prepared in right way, this stays good even for a week or two if kept in refrigerator.   

INGREDIENTS:
Small Onion - 1 CUP
Mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp
Tamarind pulp - one gooseberry sized - soaked in little warm water
Salt - To taste
Oil  - 1 tsp

To Fry:
Urad dhal - 5 tsp
Red chillies - 10
Asafoetida - a small piece

PREPARATION:
1. Soak gooseberry sized tamarind pulp in little warm water for 10 minutes.
2. Fry the items given in the section "To Fry" with 1/2 tsp of oil and keep aside.
3. In the same kadai, add another half tsp of oil, throw in mustard seeds and when it sizzles, saute small onions until golden brown with little salt.
4. In mixer, grind small onion, red chillies, tamarind pulp first in whipper.  Then add the fried urad dhal to the ground mixture and give a pulse or two.   The texture should be coarse, so keep in mind and go with the whipping mode.  

5. Serve this with hot steamed rice or as a side dish for idly/dosa.  

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