The memories of this dish go all the way back to my hometown days when my amma (mom) used to make this theeyal with a beautiful aroma of roasted coconut filling the entire kitchen, accompanied by the bubbling sound of the boiling curry! The lip-smacking taste of her theeyal is something which has stuck to my taste buds forever. Being fish lovers, me and my brother always preferred fish curry dishes daily. We were fortunate enough to live in a town where the local fishermen would ride their bicycles to your doorsteps selling their fresh morning catch, and so fish has been a staple all throughout my life. Some days based on the weather or the season, you may not get fresh ones and so you compromise on the fish but with the next choice being a dish as close to a fish masala recipe. And that’s when amma would pull off a life saver; Theeyal…!

Theeyal is a traditional & authentic vegetarian side dish of Kerala, made of roasted coconut and spices simmered in a rich gravy along with vegetables. It is also served in some places as a side dish in a Sadya (the biggest vegetarian feast of Kerala). A non-vegetarian version with shrimp which is called as Konju Theeyal is also quite popular in Kerala. You can add your choice of vegetables or try out the simplest version with pearl onions.

Talking about the complexity of this dish, it was pretty hard initially for me to replicate my amma’s theeyal with the right flavor and consistency. The tricky part was in dry roasting the coconut to perfection which I always failed at. I would either over roast it or under do it. And how did I identify my mistake? While grinding! If you have perfectly roasted the coconut, it would release its oil when grinding to form a thick oily paste (as shown in the above picture). So, ensure to grate the coconut evenly and roast perfectly on a low flame!

I have to thank my sis-in-law for introducing me to this cashew version of this recipe, which has now become one of my favorite dishes!

Enjoy this delicious piping hot theeyal with steamed rice…Happy Cooking…!

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Cashew Theeyal

Cashews, Pearl Onions and Drumsticks Simmered in an Aromatic Roasted Coconut Gravy…!

Course Side Dish

Cuisine Indian

Keyword kerala theeyal, theeyal

Prep Time 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time 30 minutes minutes

Total Time 45 minutes minutes

Servings 4

Author Akhila

Ingredients

For Roasting Coconut

• 1 cup grated coconut
• 3 small onions
• 1 tbsp chili powder (add more if you like it hot)
• 1 tbsp coriander powder
• ½ tsp turmeric powder

For the Curry

• 15-20 pearl onions (sliced)
• 2 green chilies (split)
• 2 large drumsticks (slit and cut into pieces, frozen also works)
• ¼ cup unsalted cashews
• Pinch of fenugreek powder
• Tamarind (lemon sized, soaked in water)
• 2 cups water
• 2 sprigs of curry leaves
• 2 dry red chilies
• 1 tsp mustard seeds
• 2 tbsp diced coconut bites (optional)
• Salt (as required)
• Oil (as required)

Instructions

For Roasting Coconut

• Heat a pan and dry roast grated coconut and pearl onions on a low to medium flame until it starts turning lightly golden brown.
• When you start seeing a golden / light brown color, add the spices; chili, coriander and turmeric powder. Stir on a low flame for another 2-3 minutes until roasted well, be careful not to overdo nor turn dark brown. Turn off the flame and allow it to cool. If you are using whole spices, you need to roast them from the beginning along with the coconut at step 1.
• Once cooled, grind all the roasted ingredients into a smooth oily paste. While grinding, the roasted coconut will release its oil as shown in the picture above, indicating that you roasted it perfectly.

For the Curry

• Soak cashews in warm water for 10 mins. Keep aside.
• Heat a pan with oil on a medium flame. Sauté the curry leaves, pearl onions, green chilies, and soaked cashews for 4-5 minutes until the onions become translucent. Add drumsticks and saute for 2 minutes.
• Meanwhile, squeeze the juice of the tamarind and keep aside.
• To the pan, add the grounded coconut paste, tamarind juice, fenugreek powder, salt, and water, bring it to a boil.
• Once it starts boiling, reduce the flame and let it simmer for 10 minutes or until your desired consistency is reached. Check for the seasoning of the curry and adjust salt according to your taste.
• Prepare the tempering by heating oil in a separate pan and splutter mustard seeds. Add curry leaves and dry red chilies.
• Add the tempering into the curry, close the lid and switch off the flame. Let it rest for 10 minutes before serving. Serve hot with steamed rice.

Notes

• You can choose from a variety of vegetables for this dish; Potato, Ivy gourd, Yam, Eggplant, Okra etc.
• For the sourness, tomatoes can also be used in addition to / instead of tamarind.
• Coconut oil is recommended for all authentic Kerala recipes.

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