Easy Recipe: Pavakka/Kaippakka Theeyal

Wednesday, May 16, 2007

Pavakka/Kaippakka Theeyal

A rather exceptional dish, traditional in nature, a theeyal by no means needs an intro to a true Malayalee… It’s just another sample culinary treat from the cosmic and elegant Kerala cuisine, which wud leave you all licking your fingers for sure…. And what more, being under the gravy segment, your lunch is just perfect when it’s served with rice, a simple pickle and curd….and of course, along with a couple of pappadums on the side… Absolutely lip smacking, isn’t it…. ?? And I’m sure your mouths must be watering too just even thinking about it….. :)

Well, to talk about theeyal, it is infact a combo of a few assorted veggies of your choice in a base of fried coconut and dry masala supplemented with the usage of tamarind for the sourness aspect… thereby giving equal credence to sourness and chilly aspects…. And if u r making it with pavakka, u have another facet of bitterness as well. And I’m sure that lots of people who turn their faces off to pavakka would definitely yearn for more of this particular theeyal coz of its marvelous taste…. not highly preferred by kids though.

As for the different combos of theeyal, in fact you can make it with all sorts of veggies. And the most popular being the one with Shallots or Small onions popularly known as Ulli Theeyal…. Another one is with Chena (Elephant yam) and Small onions….my favorite! Another one is a mixed one with chena, muringakka, payar, carrots (optional) and long eggplants (vazhuthananga). So, as you can see, you can add veggies of your choice and availability and make a yummy theeyal for your lunch…

Moving onto the recipe, here’s the authentic way to make a naadan Pavakka theeyal… the original recipe source, of course, credited to my amma-in-law…. :)

You’d require
1 big Bittergourd
A couple of medium sized Onions or around 150 gm Small onions popularly known as Cheriya ulli
¼ tsp of Turmeric powder
1 ½ tbsp of Coriander powder
1 tbsp of Chilly powder
2 – 3 slit Green chillies
A lemon-sized tamarind soaked in a little hot water
½ of one whole coconut
Salt – As required

For seasoning:-
1 tsp of Mustard seeds
2 – 3 broken Dry red chillies
A few Curry leaves
Coconut oil – As required

You can reduce the amount of chilly powder accdg to your tastes though I like it to be hot… And as per the conventional way of making theeyal, u can use the coriander seeds and dry red chillies as whole too… in which case, you’d need only a tbsp of coriander seeds and 2 – 3 nos of dry red chillies. Dry roast them along with coconut and grind it to a very fine and smooth paste. And do use black tamarind to get that dark blackish color for your theeyal. Here, I have used fresh tamarind (the light brown ones) as I had ran out of the old ones, which of course explains the lack of the so called blackish colour quite evident in the image above… :)

Method:-
1)Cut the pavakka into thin, 1 inch pieces.
2)Peel and chop the small onions too into thin slices.
3)Heat oil in a pan.
4)Splutter mustard seeds and sauté broken red chillies and curry leaves.
5)Add the sliced small onions and green chillies and sauté, till the onions turn soft and pink.
6)Add the pavakka pieces and sauté again on a low flame.

7)Meanwhile, dry roast the coconut in a hot pan.
8)When it turns dark brown, switch off the flame and add the powders.
9)Stir well and see to it that it doesn’t get burnt.
10)Allow it to cool and grind it to a smooth fine paste adding sufficient water.
11)Extract the tamarind pulp/juice.
12)When the pavakka is sautéed as well, add the tamarind juice followed by the coconut paste.
13)Add salt and mix well.

14)Simmer till you get the thick gravy consistency.

Pls do note that if you are using Chena and Small onions instead, then you need to cook the chopped chena and onions in water along with a pinch of turmeric and salt until soft instead of sautéing like pavakka. Then follow the rest of the procedure from Step 7 onwards. And finally, add the tempering of spluttered mustard seeds, dry chillies and curry leaves.

So, there you are…just got yourself a yummy theeyal in your hands…. though I too agree that the process is a bit time consuming and probably tedious….but at the end of it, after all, is worth it, rite?? And I always make this only when I have lots of time to spare for cooking. So, for busy cooks, save this one for the weekends and make ur weekend lunch absolutely yummy and wonderful with a naadan curry like Theeyal…. :)

So, on a holiday note, happy cooking!!!

Labels: Naadan Veg Curries