Ulli theeyal is a popular Kerala gravy | South Indian gravy for rice, made with shallots(chinna vengayam) and coconut as the main ingredients and other flavourful spices. I am a big fan of vengaya vathal kuzhambhu , so i wanted to try this for a long time. Few months back one of my friend’s mom while casually talking told me the recipe of ulli theeyal and i recorded the same in my mobile. I got a good bunch of small onion during my little india trip and finally made this ulli theeyal. It was a huge hit among all in the family. Try this at home and share your feedback with me.

Preparation Time : 20 mins | Cooking Time : 25 Mins | Serves: 3-4

Ulli | shallots | chinna vengayam 25 Coconut 1/2 cup Dhaniya | coriander seeds 1 tblsp Red chili 3 Red chili powder 1-2 tsp Tamarind a small gooseberry size Salt as needed Turmeric powder 1/4 tsp Mustard seeds 1/4 tsp Methi seeds| venthayam 1/4 tsp Coconut oil 1 tblsp Curry leaves few

ulli theeyal - 1

Method:

  • In a pan add little coconut oil and add the grated coconut, coriander seeds and red chili.
  • Fry this in a medium low flame till the coconut becomes nice golden brown in colour.
  • Keep this aside.
ulli theeyal 1 - 2
  • Slice the onions lengthwise. In the same pan add half of the onions and start cooking this.
ulli theeyal 2 - 3
  • Add little oil while cooking and cook the onions till nice golden brown.
ulli theeyal 3 - 4
  • Take it out from the pan and allow the onions to cool completely .
  • Grind this along with the coconut mixture into a smooth paste. Add little water if needed while grinding.
ulli theeyal 5 - 5
  • In a pan add 2 tsp of oil and add the mustard seeds, red chili and venthayam.
  • Add the other half of the sliced onions and cook till the onions becomes translucent.
ulli theeyal 4 - 6
  • Add the ground paste to this and add 1/2 cup of water.
ulli theeyal 6 - 7
  • Take 1 cup of thin tamarind extract from the tamarind and add it to the pan.
  • Add red chili powder, turmeric powder, salt and asafoetida.
  • Mix well and cook for 10 minutes in a medium flame.
ulli theeyal 7 - 8
  • The gravy should come to a thick kuzhambhu consistency.
ulli theeyal8 - 9
  • Switch off the flame. Ulli theeyal is ready to serve.
  • Enjoy this with hot rice. We had with beetroot curry and kerala papadoms.
Kerala Ulli theeyal - 10
  1. Instead of adding coriander seeds while roasting you can add coriander powder while adding red chili powder.
  2. 1 tsp of urad dal can be added while roasting .