Carrot Coconut Thogayal (Thick Chutney)

As I have mentioned in a previous post, a thogayal is a thick and coarsely ground coconut chutney which accompanies a meal of rice and mulagootal. While coconut is indispensable and the main ingredient in a thogayal, sometimes certain vegetables are sautéed in a bit of oil and added. Small Madras onions/ shallots, ridge gourd (peerkangai/ peechingya) and pumpkin (mathan) are a few such vegetables.

This being the season for winter carrots, I have used them to make this thogayal. These carrots lend a faintly sweet flavour to an otherwise spicy and slightly tangy chutney.


Ingredients:


1/4 cup freshly grated coconut

1/4 cup grated carrot

1 tsp oil

1 tbsp black gram lentils (urad dal)

2 tbsp Bengal gram lentils (chana dal)

3 dried red chillies

2 sprigs curry leaves

a small piece of tamarind (size of a grape)

1/4 tsp asafetida powder

salt to taste


Method:


Heat the oil and sauté the lentils, over medium heat, until they turn golden. Add the red chillies and asafetida powder and stir a couple of times, ensuring the asafetida does not burn. Take the pan off the heat and add the curry leaves, allowing it to wilt slightly in the heat of the pan.

Allow to cool a bit and grind this with all the other ingredients, adding just enough water, into a slightly coarse chutney.
This recipe serves about 3.
Serve with mulagootal and rice.

This is my submission to Harini's Food In Colors which is Orange this month.
May I also remind you all that the deadline for FIC submissions is the 28th of February, which is 6 days away. So if you have planned to send in something "Orange" but haven't done it yet, this is the time to do it. I am looking forward to the rest of your entries.

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