CURRY LEAVES THOGAYAL

When I began writing on Quora, I chose food as my niche. I thoroughly enjoyed exploring its many facets, and soon found myself flooded with questions. One such query that truly made me pause was about the difference between thogayal and chutney.

Until then, I had never given much thought to the subtle distinctions between these two preparations. I had consumed both countless times, yet never reflected on how they differed. Curious to uncover the nuances, I turned to research so I could craft a thoughtful and well-informed answer.

Below is the answer I posted on Quora in response to that question: 

 Thuvaiyal or Thogayal is a thicker chutney prepared in Tamilnadu. Inclusion of lentils,thick consistency and coarse texture of Thuvaiyal differentiates it from chutney. Roasted lentils and chillies is ground along with veggies,coconut or any kind of greens. Its mostly served as an accompaniment for plain rice or curd rice.

Consistency of chutney is semi-thick. Tempering is not required for thuvaiyal. But chutney is always seasoned with mustard,split urad dal,curry leaves and asafoetida. Thuvaiyal is not heated after grinding. But in preparing some chutneys,ground contents is sauteed and then seasoned.

 

Before the advent of the mixer grinder, both chutneys and thogayal were ground using a traditional rolling stone. However, the signature tight texture of thogayal is best achieved only through this method. It requires very little water, allowing the coarse consistency of the lentils to remain intact,something that defines its character and sets it apart.I have also posted other variants of thogayal,that's slightly different with the inclusion of garlic.But in  this version coconut mellows down the astringent taste of curry leaves.It tastes best when mixed with plain rice,or an accompaniment to idli,dosa and pongal.

 

 INGREDIENTS :

 

CURRY LEAVES-  1 BUNCH

GRAM DAL- 3 TSP

TOOR DAL- 3 TSP

SOLID ASAFOETIDA-  1 SMALL PIECE

RED CHILLIES- 5 NOS

SALT TO TASTE

TAMARIND- GOOSEBERRY SIZE

COCONUT GRATINGS- 2 TBSP

OIL- 4 TSP 

 

PROCEDURE :

 

1.Rinse curry leaves for a couple of times to get rid of impurities.Allow the water to drain using a colander.

 

2. In a pan heat 3 teaspoons of oil and roast lentils,red chillies,tamarind,solid asafoetida and coconut and keep it aside.

 

3.In the same pan in the remaining oil roast the cleaned curry leaves till slightly shrinks and changes its colur.Now switch off the stove.

 

4.Take all the roasted ingredients,along with salt in a mixer jar and some water and allow it to rest for 20 minutes. I always  follow this method,because it softens the lentils,makes the grinding process easier and also adds volume to the thogayal.

 

5.After soaking grind the contents to a very thick mixture.

 

6.Now transfer the thogayal to a container and serve this rice or any preparation of your choice.