Mint Thogayal/Paste

I know many of you would be wondering what this thogayal (pronounced as tho-ga-yal) is all about. I was storming my head all day long wondering how to explain but miserably failed to make full justice to the dish-

 ‘It is a thick paste/dip that is flavorful, tangy and aromatic.  I believe many of you would have come across Indian chutneys and this dish is very similar to that but thicker in consistency. Confusing? Lets just say it is a south Indian condiment that goes best with white rice.'

To me, comfort food is synonymous to something I crave for on a lazy day and this ‘Thogayal’ tops the list of my comfort foods as it can be prepared in no time and there is this happy ‘me’ relishing them with full gusto.'

So why don’t you give it an attempt to find out for yourself what I am talking about. Feel free to comment what you think is equivalent to this dish in your respective cuisines.

Thogayal can be made with coconut/cilantro/mint/capsicum and my sister’s mother in law even makes it with orange skin. So there should be so many other varieties too. We shall explore them all soon but for now, here is the recipe for a simple mint thogayal.

Ingredients :

1. Mint Leaves     - 1 bunch

2. Red chilli         - 1

3. Black pepper    - 1 tsp to 1 1/2 tsp ( Refer Tips)

4. Urad dhal         - 5 tsp (Refer Tips)

5. Tamarind Paste - 1/4 tsp (Refer Tips)
6. Asafoetida        - 1/4 tsp (optional)

7. Salt                 - As needed

8. Oil

Tips :

Black Pepper : Adjust according to your taste. It tastes good when it is spicy.

Urad Dhal     : For Non-Indians who like to explore Indian cooking, you can get this in any Indian grocery store. It is one of the most important ingredient in Indian cooking.

Tamarind Paste : For those of you using tamarind and not the paste,it is a small lime sized piece of tamarind.

Method :

1. Heat a tsp of oil in a pan and when hot-add urad dhal,red chilli,black pepper.Saute for 2-3 mins till the dhal becomes golden brown color.Switch off the flame and transfer the contents to another plate/bowl.
2.Immediately add the washed mint leaves to the same pan and keep sautéing.The heat should be enough for the leaves to shrink in size and change in color.Let the mixture cool down.
3.Grind the sautéed mixture, mint leaves,tamarind paste,salt in a mixer or food processor to a thick paste.Do not add excess water. Just add a tsp of water while grinding.Bear in mind it should be a thick paste.
4.Serve with steaming hot rice or as a side dish for dosas/idlis and other rice.

5.You can refrigerate and store it even for a week.

As mentioned earlier, feel free to comment any dish that you think is similar to this in your respective cuisine as cooking is all about exploring other cuisines.

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