Ke Ulli Theeyal | Kerala Ulli Theeyal Recipe | Pearl Onions Cooked In Tamarind And Roasted Coconut Gravy F

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Ulli Theeyal | Kerala Ulli Theeyal Recipe | Pearl Onions Cooked In Tamarind And Roasted Coconut Gravy



Ulli theeyal recipe with step by step photo and video.

Ulli theeyal is an authentic Kerala dish made with pearl onions or shallots, coconut and spices. Unlike other Kerala dishes, it has its own taste and aroma. This curry is sweet, sour and spicy, usually served with steamed Kerala rice. 

    What is ulli?


    Ulli is the Malayalam word which stands for onion. Both big onions and shallots are known by the common name ulli. Onion is used as the base or flavoring ingredient in most South Indian dishes. 

    What is theeyal and theeyal varieties?


    Theeyal denotes a special kind of Kerala dish which convey sweet, spicy and sour taste. With a variety of vegetables (sometimes with non-veg also) we make theeyal. Two types of theeyal are made in Kerala, 'pacha theeyal' and 'varutharacha theeyal'. Both these dishes use coconut, spices and tamarind juice. 

    Today's recipe is an example of varutharacha theeyal, which uses a fine paste of roasted coconut. This dry roasted coconut is known as varutharchathu in Malayalam, so the name is varutharacha theeyal. Usually shallots or pearl onions, bitter gourd, brinjal, ladyfinger etc. are used to make varutharacha theeyal. Each of these conveys slightly different taste and flavor.  

    Can we use big onions for making theeyal?


    Normally ulli theeyal needs shallots or pearl onion. I think shallots gives the best taste for theeyal. Sometimes, we cook big onions in the same gravy. If you don't have shallots, then try with big onions. But remember, the authentic Kerala ulli theeyal needs shallots and we get that authentic taste only when the shallots are used.

    Name of shallots in different Indian languages?


    Malayalam - cheriyuli or chuvannulli

    Tamil - Chinna venkayam or sambar venkayam 

    Kannada - Sannirulli

    Telungu - Chinna ullipayi

    Bengali -Gunghum

    How To Make Ulli theeyal?


    Authentic Kerala ulli theeyal uses shallots as the main ingredient. The peeled and halved shallots are sautéed in coconut oil and cooked in tamarind juice. Then flavored with ground coconut paste and spices. Finally seasoned with coconut oil, mustard seeds and curry leaves. The taste of ulli theeyal come from the coconut paste, so do roast the coconut thoroughly over low or medium flame and never allow the coconut to burn.

    What is varutharachathu?


    Varutharachathu denotes a tasty coconut paste which is used as a taste maker in an array of Kerala dishes. Matured coconut is used for making varutharachathu. Matured coconut will not need any addition of oil. When you grind the coconut enough oil will ooze out from the coconut to aid proper grinding. But with young coconut, you needed to add more oil not only to roast but also to grind. The addition of spices (whole spices or unground spices) while roasting the coconut is very common. If you want to use spice powders,  add them at the end, means only after the roasting process or immediately after switching off the flame.




    Ulli theeyal | Kerala Ulli Theeyal Recipe |  Pearl Onions Cooked In Tamarind And Roasted Coconut Gravy


    Shallots In Spicy and Sweet Coconut Base

    Preparation time: 20 minutes | Cooking time: 30 minutes | Total time: 50 minutes




    Ingredient For Kerala Ulli Theeyal


    • 200 gm shallots
    • 1 green chili, slit
    • 1 spring curry leaves

    To ground or to make varutharachathu

    • 3/4 cup grated coconut
    • 4 to 5 Kashmiri chilies
    • 5 to 6 dried red chilies
    • 2 tbsp coriander seeds
    • 12 to 15 fenugreek seeds
    • 1 spring curry leaves

    Other ingredients

    • One gooseberry sized ball of tamarind
    • Water as needed
    • Salt to taste

    To season the ulli theeyal

    • 2 tbsp coconut Oil 
    • 1/2 tsp mustard seeds
    • 1 spring curry leaves



    How to Make Ulli theeyal - Video



    Kerala ulli theeyal preparation with step by step photos


    Ulli theeyal is a classic dish of Kerala. There are three steps in the preparation of Ulli theeyal, each steps are equally important.  

    Step 1:- Soaking tamarind in water.

    Tamarind is used to bring a sour taste in the theeyal. 

    1. Take one gooseberry shaped ball of tamarind. Its amount actually depends on the sourness of  tamarind, so adjust accordingly.

    2. Put one cup of water and set aside. Later we will extract it's juice.
    Step 2:- Dry roasting the coconut and spices

    This is the most important step in the theeyal preparation. Coconut paste is the major taste maker, so do this step carefully. If the coconut burns, then the theeyal will taste bitter.
    1. Heat a thick bottomed and wide mouthed pan over high flame. When the pan turns hot, reduce the flame to low. Put spices like Kashmiri red chili, hot dry chili, coriander seeds and a few fenugreek seeds. Kashmiri chili is just for color and it is optional.

    2. Sauté over low or medium flame with continuous stirring till the spices turns crispy and fragrant.

    3. Put the grated coconut. It will be better to crush the coconut slightly in the mixer jar before roasting the coconut to ensure uniform browning and crispiness.
    4. Put one spring of curry leaves also for extra fragrance.

      .
    5. Slowly, the coconut will start to change its color and finally will attain a beautiful dark brown color. Immediately switch off the flame and set aside. We will grind this paste once its temperature slightly down. You can see my post on Varutharachathu for more information. Remember, the pan is still hot, the coconut will burn if left it unattended. So stir in between even after switching off the flame or transfer to a dry plate and set aside.
    Step 3:- Preparation of ulli theeyal

    As I said in the intro section, small onions or shallots are using to make ulli theeyal. You can use big onions also, but shallots are tastier. 
    1. I used 200 gm uncleaned shallots for this recipe. If you prefer big onion, then take the same amount.

    2. Peel off the skin of shallots, wash, remove its stalk and half them. Make three to four parts of big onions and set aside.

       
    3. Heat oil in a pan. Use coconut oil while this is a coconut based curry. 
    4. When the oil turns hot, put mustard seeds and wait till the crackling stops.

    5. As soon as the crackling sound stopped, put one spring of curry leaves.

    6. Followed by shallots and one green chili. The red chilies we used while grinding the coconut will give enough heat to this dish. If you want to make the curry less spicy, then omit green chili.
    7. Sauté over high flame till the onion turns soft. Put turmeric powder.

    8. Sauté till its raw smell leaves. It will take one or two minutes. 

    9. Further pour half of tamarind extract. Put salt to taste. Let it boil.
    10. Now you can add the ground coconut paste or the varutharachathu. The varutharachathu should be grounded till smooth. If you feel any difficulty in grinding, put some water and make a thick and smooth paste. 

    11. Mix well. When the gravy start to boil, do a taste test and adjust the salt and spices if needed.

    12. Cover with a lid, reduce the flame to low and cook till the oil separates and the gravy reduces to half.
    13. Serve with steamed Kerala rice or white rice.

    14. Enjoy.

    Happy cooking
    Anju       



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