Name: Ulli Theeyal / Onion Theeyal recipe
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 50 min
Ingredients: 20 shallots or pearl onion, peeled and sliced fine; 1 medium potato(optional), cubed; 1/2 cup + 2 Tbsp of shredded coconut; 1.5 tsp of coriander powder; 1 tsp of hot red chili powder; 2 tsp of Kashmiri red chili powder; 2 pinches of fenugreek powder; 1/2 tsp of turmeric powder; 1/2 of lime size tamarind; 1 sprig of curry leaves; salt to taste; 1 tsp of mustard seeds; 2 tsp of oil

Ulli Theeyal / Onion Theeyal recipe

Recipe by Neha NairCourse: SidesCuisine: Indian, KeralaDifficulty: Medium

Servings

servings

Prep time

minutes

Cooking time

minutes

Theeyal is another traditional coconut based Kerala delight in which shallots or pearl onions are sauteed and cooked with dry roasted and ground coconut and spices mixture. It’s smoky, hot and tangy dish.

Ingredients

20 shallots or pearl onion, peeled and sliced fine
1 medium potato(optional), cubed
1/2 cup + 2 Tbsp of shredded coconut
1.5 tsp of coriander powder
1 tsp of hot red chili powder
2 tsp of Kashmiri red chili powder
2 pinches of fenugreek powder
1/2 tsp of turmeric powder
1/2 of lime size tamarind
1 sprig of curry leaves
salt to taste
1 tsp of mustard seeds
2 tsp of oil

Directions

Dry roast coconut in a dry pan until it is dark brown. Switch off the flame and add coriander, hot and kashmiri chilli, fenugreek powder to the hot coconut and stir for few secs.
Grind coconut mixture with just 1-2 tsp of water into a nice paste. Thinly slice the shallots and chop the potato pretty small. 3. Soak tamarind in 1/2 cup of hot water for 15 minutes and sqeeze the water out of the tamarind.
Heat oil in a pan and splutter mustard seeds, then add sliced onions, curry leaves, salt and stir for 3-4 minutes. Then add potato and 1 cup of water and let the potato and onions cook together.
Now add coconut paste and tamarind water to the shallots mixture and let it cook for 3-5 minutes over low-medium heat.
Add little more water if the theeyal is too thick. Ulli Theeyal is done and ready to serve.

Notes

Try to grind coconut mixture with very less water as possible to maintain its dark color.
If not using potato, then add ground coconut and tamarind water together when the shallots are almost cooked.
You can use dry coconut also, if fresh coconut is not available but make sure to keep an eye when you are roasting dry coconut because it’s tends to burn quickly than fresh one.
Easy way to peel pearl onions is to soak onions in a water for 30 minutes and then peel the skin off.