Coconut / Thenga Thuvaiyal

07 Jul Coconut / Thenga Thuvaiyal

THENGA (COCONUT) THUVAIYAL

Thuvaiyals are a dying breed, unless you’re hardcore Tambram. And that’s really funny in this day and age when people are dying to think up flavourful dips and sides. Most restaurants also, which offer the ubiquitous ‘Tamil Saapadu’ or Thali, have begun to give it a miss, even though it adds heaps to the flavour on the table, and is really easy to make. I’m posting this recipe on a day when I taught my 7-year old daughter the process. In any case, if you are reading this without knowing what a Thuvaiyal is, you should probably be reading Times of India instead. Here’s the recipe.

Serves – 4 (As a side with rice) 6 – As a chutney with Pongal

Prep – 10 mins

Cook – 10 mins

INGREDIENTS:

1. Grated coconut – 2 cups
2. Tamarind pulp – From a half lemon sized block of old, black, sour tamarind
3. Salt – To taste
4. Red Chilies (dry) – 3
5. Mustard Seeds – 1.5 tsp
6. Asafoetida (Heeng) – 0.1 tsp
7. Urad Dal – (White) (Soaked) – 1 tbsp
8. Curry leaves – 2 sprigs
9. Oil – 2 tbsp (Please use Gingelly oil if you can – Backups are olive/groundnut)

PROCESS:

1. Pour oil into a shallow pan, and add mustard seeds when hot.
2. As they burst, add in the dry red chillies, urad dal, & curry leaves.
3. When the dal begins to redden, add in the Asafoetida. Just the dal goes red & the curry leaves begin to crispen, pour in the grated coconut, and mix well on low flame. The idea is to not cook the coconut or brown it too much, but simply to remove its rawness. Shut flame when done. Allow to cool.
4. Pour the coconut with tempering into a blender jar. Medium is recommended if you’re working with a 3-jar blender. Add in the tamarind pulp, salt, and a little water, just enough to make a thick paste.
5. Buzz till you get a granular but well mixed paste.

Plating Idea – When you start with the process, you’ll have a couple of empty brown coconut half-shells on hand. I like to serve the Thuvaiyal in the shell itself. It’s quaint and in some ways, a fitting tribute to the coconut itself.