Ulli Theeyal

Ulli Theeyal(உள்ளி தீயல்) is a coconut-based Kerala dish, that I make when I buy fresh coconut. I have tried this with dry coconut powder and found the difference when it is made with fresh coconut. "Theeyal" means burnt. The taste of this curry truly depends on the level of coconut is fried. Theeyal can be prepared using vegetables like small onions, drumstick, and ladysfinger/okra or a combo of any of these. I prepared this dish with small onions. I prefer to use fresh coconut and coconut oil in the recipe to get the real essence of this dish. Serve this with hot rice and a simple poriyal. We had them with cabbage- peas poriyal. Over to the recipe.
Servings: 1 yield(s)
Prep Time: 10 mins
Cook Time: 20 mins
Total Time: 30 mins
Ingredients
    Main Ingredients
  • 0.25 cup Small Onion
  • 0.25 tsp Turmeric powder
  • 0.5 cup Tamarind Juice
  • 1 dash Salt
  • 0.25 tsp Jaggery Powder
  • 2 tbsp Coconut Oil
  • Roast and Grind
  • 1 cup Fresh grated coconut
  • 0.25 tsp Fenugreek seeds
  • 1 tsp Coriander seeds
  • 3 stick Red Chilli
  • 5 stick Pepper corn
Instructions
  1. Heat a pan and add a drop of coconut oil. Add Coriander seeds, Red chili, peppercorns, and lastly Fenugreek seeds. Take care not to burn the fenugreek seeds. Remove from fire and add grated coconut.
  2. Roast the coconut in medium flame, until they become brown. Do this in a medium flame for a uniform roasting. The coconut should become brown and not black. After cooling, grind thee roasted items to a smooth paste.
  3. Extract the tamarind juice and add a pinch turmeric powder to it. Heat the pan and add coconut oil. Add the to temper items, followed by small onions.
  4. Saute onions until golden and add the ground paste and fry for 3 min. Pour the tamarind extract and allow it to boil. Add salt to taste.
  5. Once it thickens, add jaggery and switch off the flame. Serve hot with rice and side dishes of your choice.