Green chillies are used in most of our day to day cooking and an inevitable part of Indian cuisine. When they are available in plenty, they can be preserved as thokku and pickles. They are well loved for their spiciness. This thokku goes well with curd rice, which is a eternal south Indian favourite. Also can be served with dosai, idli and chapati too. It makes bland dishes interesting due to its spiciness, and adds zing to most dishes . Thokkus have longer shelf life , than chutneys.
Recipe taken from Cook and See part
Ingredients
- Green chillies 350 grams,
- Black gram dal ¼ cup,
- Mustard 2 teaspoon,
- Gingelly/Sesame oil 2 ladles or 1/3 of a cup
- Tamarind 30 to 40 grams (size of a small orange)
- Jaggery 10 to 15 grams
- Salt ¼ to ½ cup,
- Asafoetida Powder 1 teaspoon/ (compound asafoetida a two inch stub).
Method
- In a deep pan, heat one ladle of oil, add asafoetida and black gram dal to a reddish brown colour.
- Add chopped green chillies (cut into two) and stir fry for 3 to 4 minutes (do not scorch the chillies).
- Do not make the chillies crisp or scorch them , just shallow fry till the water content in chillies is reduced .
- In a mixer, grind the tamarind and salt, add rest of the fried ingredients and make a smooth paste.
- Take a deep bottomed iron pan/kadai , heat oil and add mustard. Add the ground paste and jaggery , shallow fry till it starts leaving oil.
- As soon as it cools, bottle it. It will remain unspoilt for a week or more,if kept in refrigerator.
- Use gingelly / sesame oil for most thokku preparations.
- The asafoetida used , should be compound asafoetida or gatti perungayam. It gives a better flavour to the thokku.However if only asafoetida powder is available ,use it.
- Adding jaggery to the thokku , gives a small respite from the fierceness of the chillies.