A thogayal is a thick, coarsely ground chutney which is very typical of Palakkad Iyer cuisine. The equivalent of this in Kerala cuisine is the “chammandi”. Like the Chammandi, there are various types of Thogayal and what is common to tham all is that these are coconut chutneys which are ground into a thick and coarse paste.
This particular chutney, the Parippu Thogayal is made with coconut, pan roasted red gram lentils/ tuvar dal, dried red chillies and a bit of tamarind. Its usually on the spicier side as it is typically served as a side dish with Molagootal or Molagushyam, both of which are gravies that are on the blander side in taste.
This parippu/ lentil thogayal is just one of the many different kinds we make. In this particular thogayal, curry leaves are not usually added, but I do as we like the subtle flavour that it adds to the meal.
Paruppu Thogayal - Thick Spicy & Tangy Lentil And Coconut Chutney
Ingredients
- 4 tbsps coconut freshly grated
- 1/4 cup red lentil (tuvar dal) gram
- 2 tbsps black gram dal (urad )
- 2 or 3 chillies dried red
- tamarind a small piece ( size of a grape) of
- 1/2 tsp asafetida powder
- sprig curry leaves (optional)
- to taste salt
Instructions
- Heat the oil and add the red gram and the black gram lentils. Sautxe9 till the lentils turn golden. Add the chillies and the asafetida powder and sautxe9 for about half a minute. Turn off the heat. Add the curry leaves and stir a couple of times.
- Grind the sautxe9ed mixture, grated coconut, tamarind and salt with very little water into a coarse paste.
I'm Aparna and My Diverse Kitchen is my ovo-lacto vegetarian food blog where you'll find recipes, food stories & photography. I've been blogging since 2007 and believe the kitchen, and the dining table (by extension) is really the heart of a home. 
Superb Photographs!! Wonderful recipes too.
Thank you Nirmala