Onam recipe: Mixed Vegetable Theeyal

Manjula Nair tells you how to cook up veggies in a thick coconut gravy. You too can share your recipes!

Theeyal is a traditional preparation of assorted veggies cooked in a spicy coconut-based gravy. 

Once you ace the recipe, you can experiment with the choice of vegetables.

Here's how to make it with okhra, bitter gourd and brinjal.

Mixed Vegetable Theeyal

Ingredients

• 2-3 tbsp cooking oil
• 1/2 tsp fenugreek seeds
• 1 tbsp coriander seeds
• 1 tsp cumin seeds
• 10 dried red chillies
• 100 gm shallots
• 1 cup coconut grated
• 10 garlic cloves
• 1 tsp turmeric powder
• Paste of 1 small tamarind ball
• 100 gm okhra, diced
• 100 gm brinjal, diced
• 50 gm bitter gourd, sliced

For tempering

• 1 tsp mustard seeds
• 1 tsp urad dal
• One dry red chilli
• 4 to 5 curry leaves

Method

• In a pan, heat oil. Add fenugreek seeds, cumin seeds, coriander seeds and red chillies. Saute over low flame.  
• Add shallots, garlic, coconut, jeera and saute for 2 to 3 minutes.
• After it cools down, grind to a thick paste adding water.
• In a pan, heat one tbsp oil. Fry each vegetable (lady's finger, brinjal and bitter gourd) separately and keep aside.
• In a deep bottom pan, add the fried vegetables, salt, turmeric and a glass of water. Cook over medium flame for 5 minutes.
• Add tamarind paste.
• Add the ground coconut paste and allow the mixture to boil for 10 minutes or till oil leaves the sides of the pan.
• Temper with mustard seeds, urad dal, dry red chilli and curry leaves.
• The resulting curry should be thick and not too watery.

Note: You may experiment with veggies like carrot, potatoes, drumsticks and yam as well.

Lead image used for representational purpose only. Image: s4's world/Creative Commons

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• Onam recipe: Vellarikka Moru Curry
• Onam recipe: Pineapple Pachadi

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