Chena Theeyal recipe / Chena and Drumstick Theeyal
Course: SidesCuisine: Indian, KeralaDifficulty: MediumServings
6
servingsPrep time
20
minutesCooking time
30
minutesChena theeyal is a dish from Kerala in which suran(chena) and drumsticks are cooked together with roasted coconut paste and tamarind. A rich dark color gravy with a fabulous toasty aroma is what this dish totally special.
Ingredients
10-15 pearl onion or 2 medium onion
250 gms suran / chena
3 drumsticks
1/2 cup + 2 Tbsp of shredded coconut
1.5 tsp of coriander powder
1 tsp of hot red chilli powder
2 tsp of kashmiri red chilli powder
1 tsp of black pepper powder
1/4 tsp of fenugreek powder
1/2 tsp of tumeric 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
- Cut the suran vertically into about 1.5 inch pieces(like french fries) and peel and cut drumstick into about 3 inches pieces. Peel and slice the onions.
- Soak tamarind in 1/2 cup of hot water for 15 minutes and sqeeze the water out of the tamarind.
- Dry roast coconut in a dry pan until it is dark brown. Switch off the flame and add coriander, both the chillies, black pepper and fenugreek powder to the hot coconut and stir for few secs.
- Grind coconut mixture into a thick paste (use 1-2 tsp of water if needed).
- Heat oil in a pan and splutter mustard seeds, then add onions, curry leaves, salt and stir for 3-4 minutes.
- Then add in the suran, drumsticks and 3 cups of water. Put on the lid and cook together until the veggies are 95% done over medium heat (takes about 15-20 minutes).
- Now add coconut paste and tamarind water to the above mixture and let it cook again for 3-5 minutes over low-medium heat.
- Add little more water if the theeyal is too thick. Chena theeyal is done and ready to serve.
Notes
- Serve chena theeyal with steamed rice.
- Try to grind coconut mixture with very less water or no water at all to maintain the dark color of theeyal.
- You can use dry coconut also for theeyal, 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.
