Chettinad Style Coconut Thovayal

Coconut – 1 cup

Onion – ¼ or ½ cup (depending upon your liking for onion taste) (if you can use pearl onions, that’s the preferred one rather than the big onions)

Red chilis – 4 (depending upon your spice level)

Tamarind – small piece

Salt as needed

Two ways of doing this. Both will give a different flavor.

1.       First way is to grind all the above ingredients raw in a blender (mixie) and tamper it with mustard seeds, split urud dhal, and jeera. Add a little asafetida in the end and mix it thoroughly.

2.       The second way is to sauté all the above ingredients one by one in a pan with a little oil and grind it in the blender and tamper it with mustard seeds, split urud dhal and jeera. Add a little asafetida in the end and mix it thoroughly.

Either methods, the thovayal tastes so good with hot idly or dosai.

This is Amma’s(my mom’s) recipe