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.

CURRY LEAVES POWDER ( Karuveppilai Podi )

 

Curry leaves is a quintessential ingredient in Indian cooking. It infuses a nice aroma and enhances the flavour profile of any dish. We tend to discard it,overlooking its immense health benefits. But there are certain dishes,wherein the benefits of these leaves can be fully utilized. This flavoursome powder is one such dish. I would term this as a multi purpose powder : Toss the idli over this podi in preparing podi idli; mix it plain rice and simple seasoning to whip up a tasty rice dish ; slather this podi generously on dosa for making podi dosa.This podi serves as a  best accompaniment for idli,upma, dosa and pongal too.    

INGREDIENTS :

CURRY LEAVES-  2 CUPS

GRAM DAL -  4 TSP

URAD DAL- 4 TSP

PEPPERCORNS-  3/4 TSP

CUMIN SEEDS- 1/2 TSP

RED CHILLIES- 6 NOS

ASAFOETIDA-  1 TSP

OIL- FOR ROASTING 

SALT AS REQUIRED

PROCEDURE :

1.  Wash,rinse curry leaves and drain water. Spread washed curry leaves on clean cotton cloth to take out the moisture content from the leaves.

2. In a pan add 2 tsp of oil and roast the lentils along with other ingredients cited above. Allow the ingredients to cool.

3. In the same pan fry curry leaves till it turns crisp. If you are able to crush the leaves, it denotes that the leaves are fried and crisp.

4. In a mixer jar, take the roasted lentils and other ingredients along with salt. Grind in pulse mode for a few seconds till it is coarsely ground.

 

5. Now add in the fried curry leaves to the ground mixture and grind again till the leaves are powdered.

 

6. Store the powdered contents in a clean air-tight container and stock it inside a refrigerator for prolonged shelf life.

CURRY LEAVES CHUTNEY

Food as medicine / Food is medicine - This concept is gathering steam in recent times. I have noticed surge in T.V shows, focusing on this concept. It has become habitual routine for me to watch these shows and pen down interesting,healthy and tasty recipes.I always resort to recipes,that calls for simple and easily available ingredients,as it difficult to forage peculiar ones. This chutney is one such recipe,I learned from one of the shows. It is good for digestion and induces appetite. At times,we experience a bitter taste in tongue due to intake of various medicines,In that case,you can mix this chutney with plain rice and have it. If you experience decrease or loss of appetite,then you can try this appetite boosting dish.The original recipe doesn't have urad dal,but I have incorporated it for lending volume.

 

 

 

INGREDIENTS :

CURRY LEAVES- 1 CUP

URAD DAL- 1 1/2 TBSP

COCONUT GRATINGS- 1/2 CUP

 

SHALLOTS- 5-6 NOS

 

GARLIC CLOVES- 4-5 NOS

 

PEPPERCORNS- 3/4 TSP

 

CUMIN SEEDS- 1/2 TSP

 

ROCK SALT - As  required

 

SESAME OIL- 4 TSP 

 

TAMARIND- GOOSEBERRY SIZE

 

ASAFOETIDA- 1/2 TSP

 

PROCEDURE:

1.Wash,rinse and keep the curry leaves aside.

 

2. Heat sesame oil in pan and add peppercorn,asafoetida and cumin seeds and fry for a second.

 

3. Then add shallots,urad dal,garlic cloves,salt and tamarind and fry well till shallots turn translucent,tamarind softens and garlic changes colour.

4. At last add curry leaves and fry a couple of seconds. Don;t fry curry leaves for long duration,else,you can't retain bright colour in the chutney.

5. Transfer the sauteed ingredients to a mixie jar. Add coconut gratings and little water over it and blend to fine paste.

6. Seasoning is not required for this chutney.

KAREVEPILLAI / CURRY LEAVES THOKKU.

 Thokku is a thick gravy prepared in the Tamilnadu. The key difference between thokku and chutney is- thokku is sauteed in sesame oil to prolong shelf life and the consistency is thicker compared to chutney. This thokku is one of the productive methods of including curry leaves in our diet. In olden days,this gravy was prepared using soapstone utensil. The stone lends a nice flavour to the dish and acts as a preservative too. Since,curry leaves has good digestive properties,this thokku is a part of postpartum diet. This thokku is a very good appetizer. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 INGREDIENTS

CURRY LEAVES- 1 CUP

TOOR DAL- 6 TSP

URAD DAL- 3 TSP

RED CHILLIES- 5 NOS

PEPPERCORNS- 3/4 TSP

CUMIN SEEDS- 1/2 TSP

TAMARIND- GOOSEBERRY SIZE

JAGGERY- 1 TSP POWDERED

SESAME OIL- 1 TBSP

MUSTARD- 1 TSP

ASAFOETIDA- 1/2 TSP

DRY GINGER POWDER- 1/4 TSP

SALT TO TASTE

 

PROCEDURE

Wash curry leaves thoroughly and wipe it pat dry and keep it aside.

In a pan heat sesame oil and add toor dal,urad dal,peppercorns,cumin seeds, red chillies and roast till the ingredients turn crisp.

In the same pan,add the curry leaves and fry till nice aroma emanates and the leaves change colour.

Soak tamarind in warm water and extract syrup.

In a mixer jar,transfer the roasted ingredients,curry leaves and tamarind syrup and blend to fine paste.

In another pan add sesame oil. Add mustard. When it starts to splutter,add asafoetida and fry the ground paste,salt and fry till you see bubbles and the gravy leaves the sides of the pan.

 

Add powdered jaggery,dry ginger powder and simmer in mild heat and switch off. 

Store it in a air-tight and clean container.

CURRY LEAVES, MINT CHUTNEY

Healthy eating is very vital for well being.Hence,it is really important to focus on nutritious and balanced diet to boost our immune system. If you skim through grandma's recipe diaries,you can discover plethora of home remedies for various health ailments. It is prudent to resort to such simple home remedies instead of ingesting antibiotics, at a drop of a hat. This chutney,is one such remedy for treating stomach ulcer. I learnt it from a T.V show, aired on a Tamil channel.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

INGREDIENTS

 

MINT LEAVES- 1 CUP

 

CURRY LEAVES- 1 CUP

 

GRAM DAL- 3 TSP

 

URAD DAL-3 TSP

 

PEPPERCORNS- 1 TSP

GARLIC CLOVES- 6-7  NOS

ASAFOETIDA- 3/4 TSP

SESAME OIL- 4 TSP

SALT TO TASTE / HIMALAYAN ROCK SALT

TAMARIND-GOOSEBERRY SIZE.

PROCEDURE

Wash curry leaves and mint leaves separately and keep it aside.

In a pan heat 2 tsp of sesame oil and fry curry leaves and it take it off the stove,when it turns soft.

Now throw the mint leaves in he same pan and fry till the leaves shrink. Keep the sauteed leaves aside.

In the same pan add remaining 2 tsp of oil and add the lentils along with peppercorns,asafoetida,tamarind and fry well. At last add garlic cloves,salt and fry for a minute and switch off.

Now in a mixer jar add all the sauteed ingredients together and add some water.

 

Grind to fine paste. This chutney tastes good only with plain rice.

KUDHI MENUSU.

 Curry leaves is an quintessential ingredient in Indian cuisine. Owing to its strong aroma,it used as an
flavoring agent in allthe Indian dishes. Its mainly used in seasoning.  Kudhi menusu  is an authentic dish in Karnataka cuisine. Kudhi means boil and menusu implies peppercorns in Kannada. The ground curry leaves mixture is boiled till it thickens. My grandmother passed down this recipe to my mom .This dish tastes heavenly when mixed with plain rice with a dollop of ghee and also aids in digestion.




INGREDIENTS

CURRY LEAVES-  1 CUP.

PEPPERCORNS-  2 1/2 tsp

TAMARIND - GOOSEBERRY SIZE.

SESAME OIL- 1 TBSP

JAGGERY- 1 TSP

SALT TO TASTE.





METHOD




Wash,rinse and pat dry curry leaves and keep it aside. Soak tamarind in warm water and extract thick syrup.

In a mixer jar blend curry leaves,tamarind syrup or paste,peppercorns to fine paste.

Heat sesame oil in a pan and when the oil is hot,add asafoetida, ground curry leaves paste,powdered jaggery,salt and boil till the water evaporates completely and reaches thick mass like consistency.

To prolong shelf life, store the dish in a refrigerator on cooling.