Vendakkai Theeyal

Vendakkai Theeyal is a flavorful South Indian dish made with okra and a rich coconut-spice paste. “Theeyal” is a traditional dish from Kerala, reminiscent of Tamil Nadu’s “Kuzhambu”. The key distinction lies in the preparation method. In Theeyal, all the spices and coconut are fried until they turn a rich brown color. Then, they are ground into a fine paste before being added to the Kuzhambu. This flavorful dish can be made with various vegetables or simply with sambar onions.

How to make

To prepare it, start by washing and cutting okra into 2-inch pieces. Soak tamarind in water to extract juice, creating 2 cups of tamarind water. In a dry pan, toast coriander seeds until hot, then add cumin, fenugreek, and red chillies, frying briefly. Remove and set aside. Next, roast coconut gratings until light brown, adding turmeric powder before cooling. Blend the toasted spices and coconut into a fine paste.

In a thick-bottomed vessel, heat oil and sauté the okra with a pinch of salt until lightly browned. Combine the ground paste with water and mix well. Stir in the tamarind water. Add salt and let it boil over medium heat. For seasoning, heat oil in a small pan. Add mustard seeds until they crackle. Then sauté chopped onions, red chillies, and curry leaves. Finally, add this seasoning to the boiling curry. Turn off the heat to achieve a delicious and aromatic Vendaikai Theeyal.

This delicious theeyal dish is best enjoyed with steaming hot rice. Add a side of crispy fried papad. You can also include a flavorful vegetable poriyal. Check out this link for a tasty mixed vegetable fry recipe to complement your meal: Mixed Vegetable Poriyal Recipe.

• 

  Mixed Vegetable Poriyal

  Cooks in 70 minutesDifficulty: Easy

  A simple poriyal recipe made with capsicum, carrot, green peas and moong dhal. This is served for lunch or dinner with rice.

  Cuisine: Indian, Tamil

Vendakkai Theeyal Recipe

Vendakkai Theeyal

Recipe by S Kamala

Course: Kuzhambu, SidesCuisine: Indian, KeralaDifficulty: Easy

Servings

6

servings

Prep time

10

minutes

Cooking time

15

minutes

This Kerala dish is made with Vendakkai (Ladies finger), coconut and tamarind. This theeyal is served with hot rice accompanied by fried papad or with any mild vegetable poriyal.

Ingredients

• Okra (Vendakkai) – 8 to 10

• Tamarind – a big gooseberry size

• To fry and grind:

• Coconut gratings – ½ cup

• Red Chillies – 5 to 6

• Coriander seeds – 1 tablespoon

• Cumin (Jeeragam) – 1 teaspoon

• Fenugreek Seeds – 1/4 teaspoon

• Turmeric Powder – ¼ teaspoon

• For seasoning:

• Oil – 1 tablespoon

• Mustard – ½ teaspoon

• Red Chillies – 2

• Chopped Onion – 2 tablespoons

• Curry Leaves – few

• Salt – 1 teaspoon or as per taste

Directions

• Wash the okra and wipe it with clean cloth or paper towel. Cut it into 2 inch long pieces.
• Soak tamarind in little water and squeeze out the juice. Add enough water and make 2 cups of tamarind water.
• In a dry kadai put the coriander seeds and fry till it is hot to touch.
• Then add cumin, fenugreek and red chillies and fry for few seconds.
• Remove and keep it aside.
• Same Kadai add coconut gratings and fry till it become light brown.
• Add turmeric powder and stir it well. Remove and cool it.
• Put all the fried ingredients into a mixie jar and grind it to a fine paste.
• In a thick bottomed vessel put one teaspoon oil and add okra pieces along with a pinch of salt. Stir fry till light brown spots on the okra.
• Add ground paste along with little water and mix it well.
• Add tamarind water and salt. Stir it well and allow to boil on medium flame.
• In a small kadai add the oil and when it is hot add mustard. When it starts crackling add chopped onion, red chillies and curry leaves. Fry for few seconds and add this seasoning to the boiling kuzhambu and switch off the stove.

Recipe Video

Notes

• Alternatively, you can use powdered forms of red chili, coriander, and cumin instead of whole spices. Start by placing the coconut gratings in a kadai and dry roasting them until they turn light brown. Next, add one or two teaspoons of red chili powder. Add one tablespoon of coriander powder. Add one teaspoon of cumin powder and a quarter teaspoon of turmeric powder. Fry all the ingredients together for a few more seconds, then allow to cool and grind into a fine paste.