Pudina Thogayal

Ingredients:

1.       Fresh Pudina leaves: 1 cup full

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

3.       Urad dal / orid dal: 2 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: 2 tsps

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. Keep this aside out of the kadai.

2.       In the same kadai, add 1 tsp oil again, heat it on sim and add the mint leaves and fry till it shrinks and reduces size. Immediately switch off the stove and transfer the contents to a mixie and allow it to cool for few minutes.

3.       Now grind the mint leaves alone first till it becomes tiny pieces for one or two whips.

4.       Now add the roasted dal, red chillies along with salt, asafoedita and tamarind bit and grind again adding water very little by little

5.       Note that the mixer ingredients should be like a thick ball. 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 few days if you make it thick.

Serving Tip:

1.       Make rice in cooker allowing 3 or 4 whistles.

2.       Once the rice sets, take the required quantity of rice in a big mouth bowl.

3.       Add 2 tsps of Gingely oil and ½ tsp of ghee to the hot rice in the bowl.

4.       Allow the rice to cool for 2 to 3 mins.

5.       Now with a flat ladle, spread the rice and add the pudina thogayal and mix it..note that the rice and thogayal needs to be mixed and not mashed..

Karuveppilai Thogayal

Ingredients:

1.       Fresh Curry leaves: 1 cup full

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

3.       Urad dal / orid dal: 2 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: 2 tsps

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. Keep this aside out of the kadai.

2.       In the same kadai, add 1 tsp oil again, heat it on sim and add the curry leaves and fry till it turns light crispier. Immediately switch off the stove and transfer the contents to a mixie and allow it to cool for few minutes.

3.       Now grind the curry leaves alone first till it becomes tiny pieces for one or two whips.

4.       Now add the roasted dal, red chillies along with salt, asafoedita and tamarind bit and grind again adding water very little by little

5.       Note that the mixer ingredients should be like a thick ball. 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 few days if you make it thick.

Excellent tastier Curry leaf thogayal is ready..

Serving Tip:

1.       Make rice in cooker allowing 3 or 4 whistles.

2.       Once the rice sets, take the required quantity of rice in a big mouth bowl.

3.       Add 2 tsps of Gingely oil and ½ tsp of ghee to the hot rice in the bowl.

4.       Allow the rice to cool for 2 to 3 mins.

5.       Now with a flat ladle, spread the rice and add the Karuveppilai thogayal and mix it..note that the rice and thogayal needs to be mixed and not mashed..

Kothamalli Thogayal / Coriander Thogayal

This is a very excellent accompaniment for Curd rice and also can be mixed with rice and taken as ‘Kothamalli Sadham’. What more, mix it with curd and use it as a raitha as well J

Ingredients:

1.       Coriander leaves: 1 cup full

2.       Dry Red Chillies: 5 (Medium sized) – I use Gundu vathal milagai

3.       Urad dal / orid dal: 2 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 coriander leaves and grind it fine by adding very little water.

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.

Kothamalli Sadham Serving Tip:

1.       Make rice in cooker allowing 3 or 4 whistles.

2.       Once the rice sets, take the required quantity of rice in a big mouth bowl.

3.       Add 2 tsps of Gingely oil and ½ tsp of ghee to the hot rice in the bowl.

4.       Allow the rice to cool for 2 to 3 mins.

5.       Now with a flat ladle, spread the rice and add the kothamalli thogayal and mix it..note that the rice and kothamalli needs to be mixed and not mashed..

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.

Thogayal Varieties

Some Varities of Thogayal include:

1. Thaengai Thogayal
2. Kothamalli Thogayal
3. Karuveppilai Thogayal
4. Kathirikkai Thogayal
5. Chow Chow Thogayal
6. Pudina Thogayal
7. Paruppu Thogayal