I am a great fan of pickles and thokku varieties, especially the Grand sweets and Snacks ones. Back in India I used to get them frequently. I also carried a couple of bottles while travelling to Amsterdam. But alas, they didn’t last me very long. Now, I was left with no other option other than trying it in my kitchen.
I remembered having a homemade version of the kothamalli thokku at one of my aunt’s place. I checked with her for the recipe. Infact she had learnt it from her MIL. So here is her version of the Kothamalli thokku. I was very pleased with the result.
It is a great accompaniment with curd rice, parathas or even as a sandwich spread. You could also simply mix a portion of the thokku with steaming hot rice. It tastes great.
Makes a small cup
What you’ll need
- Fresh Coriander Leaves – 2 Big bunches, (approx 2 cups tightly packed) only leaves and tender stems
- Dried Red Chillies – 5 or 6
- Tamarind – a small gooseberry sized ball
- Asafoetida – a generous pinch
- Jaggery – 1 tsp
- Salt to taste
- Mustard Seeds – ½ tsp
- Gingely oil/Nalla Ennai – 3 to 4 tbsp
Method
- Wash and clean the coriander leaves. Discard the hard and mature stem. Roughly chop and keep aside.
- Heat a kadai with a spoon of oil and fry the red chillies, tamarind and asafoetida.
- Grind the red chillies and tamarind and then add the chopped coriander leaves to the mixie jar and grind. Add very little water and grind to a smooth paste.
- Heat a kadai and add the remaining oil, once the oil is hot, add the mustard seeds.
- Once the mustard splutters add the ground coriander paste, salt and jaggery and sauté till the oil leaves the sides of the kadai.
