Thaengai Thogayal / Coconut Thogayal

This is a very popular Thogayal which is very well known for its taste and very simple to make. Especially when you spend a week full time with menus like Sambhar, Rasam, etc etc, this gives a great change to the menu.

1.       This can be mixed with rice and gingely oil and consumed. This tastes heavenly, believe me!

2.       Can be used as a side dish for curd rice.

3.       Can be used as a side dish for idly, dosai, upma, even chappathis..by adding little water to the thogayal

4.       Can be mixed with a little curd and you can even consume this as a pachadi/raitha J

Ingredients:

1.       Grated Coconut: ½ the coconut – i.e. 1 half coconut shell fully

2.       Dry Red Chillies: 6 (Medium sized) – I use Gundu vathal milagai

3.       Urad dal / orid dal: 3 tbsps

4.       Asafoedita: A pinch

5.       Tamarind: very small sized – say of the size of a Cadbury gems

6.       Salt

7.       Water: little

8.       Oil: 1 tsp

Preparation Procedure:

1.       In a small kadai, add 1 tsp oil and roast the orid dal, red chillies till the dal turns light golden colour. Switch off the stove

2.       Allow the above roasted minutes to cool for few minutes. Ensure that the orid dal does not turn brown while it remains in the kadai since the heat will remain in the kadai for few minutes. I usually transfer it to another vessel / mixie to allow the mix to cool.

3.       Add salt, asafoedita and the little bit of tamarind to the mixie along with the ingredients and grind them for a minute initially without adding water.

4.       Now add the grated coconut and grind them without adding water initially.

5.       Now, keep on sprinkling water –( not pouring water) now and then and make the mixer ingredients as a thick ball. Note this should neither be powdery nor be a paste like. You should grind it like a firm mass by adding water very little by little. If the water goes little more also, it will become like a paste.

6.       Remove the contents out of the mixie and using your hand, make it like a shape of a dough / ball like and store it in a vessel and serve.

This can even be refrigerated and consumed for the next day if you make it thick.