Thengai Thuvayal is one of the easiest recipes to make with roasted lentils, chilies, and coconut. This thogayal pairs wonderfully with hot rice and dollop of ghee or oil.
I consider thengai thogayal to be the ultimate comfort food. I grew up eating this coconut thuvayal on top of steaming hot rice and a lot of ghee. Amma would usually make Milagu Jeera rasam to go with it and we will eat it either with some kind of roasted curry or just appalam (papad).
There are days when we have no fresh produce and this thogayal is the perfect recipe for those days. My mother used to make it as a quick dinner on days when we travel and come home after a long day.
Why does this recipe work?
First and foremost this is a very quick recipe with just the basic ingredients. We always have coconut available in the South Indian kitchen and that makes it even easier.
The thengai thogayal tastes amazing with rice. We don’t need any fancy main dish to go with it.
It is absolutely delicious. So delicious that you will come back for more.
It is vegan and gluten-free . Just make sure that the asafetida you use for the recipe is gluten-free as it usually has some wheat flour mixed with it.
Ingredients needed
Check the recipe card at the bottom of the page for exact measurements and printable detailed recipes.
Coconut - We need freshly grated coconut to make the thengai thuvayal. I have always been using grated frozen coconut and it works well. Check the notes in the bottom to see how to use the frozen coconut.
Lentil - We use urad dal for thuvayal. We can use split ullutham paruppu or whole.
Seasoning - We use mustard seeds and asafetida to season.
Chilies - I use both fresh green chilies and dry red chilies when making my coconut thuvayal. We can skip the green chilies and just use the dry red chilies as well. But my mother always used fresh ones for flavor.
Oil - We use a little oil to fry the ingredients. I prefer to use coconut oil but we can use any cooking oil.
Tamarind - A little fresh tamarind is used when grinding the thuvayal. If fresh tamarind is not available, we can use the tamarind paste dissolved in a little water.
Step-by-step process
Heat oil and add the mustard seeds. When the seeds splutter, add the ullatham paruppu, red chilies, green chilies, and asafetida. Fry until the lentils are golden brown.
Now add the grated fresh coconut and fry it for 3-4 more minutes on low flame. Take care not to burn the coconut. The coconut need not be fried until it is brown.
- Cool down the coconut mixture slightly and then put it in a blender along with salt and tamarind.
Grind it into a coarse paste adding a little water.
Serve with hot rice!
Expert Tips
- Use fresh coconut to make the best-tasting thengai thuvayal.
- Consume the thogayal as soon as it is made for the best flavors.
- Grind the thogayal adding as little water as possible.
- It is not necessary to fry the coconut until it changes color. Just fry it until it is aromatic.
- Serve with hot rice and ghee or sesame oil for the best flavors.
Grated fresh coconut works the best. I use the frozen grated coconut and it works very well. Before using in the recipe, I thaw the frozen coconut by letting it sit out in room temperature for few minutes or microwaving it for about 30 seconds.
Coconut thogayal does not need to be seasoned after. We add the seasoning ingredients before frying. Then whole mixture is ground along with the coconut. If needed, my mother would take out some mustard seeds and lentils after the initial frying and keep it aside to add later to the thogayal.
Thengai thuvayal needs to be refrigerated after a few hours. Especially in hotter places, it needs to go into the refrigerator sooner. It stays well in the refrigerator for a couple of days but spoils after that. It is best eaten when fresh. So I would recommend making smaller batches fresh.
Thengai thuvayal is usually ground a little coarse. Again, it is a personal preference as well. My father likes his thogayal coarse and my husband likes it smooth. So I make it somewhere in between. Also, the thogayal is usually a little thicker than coconut chutney in consistency.
Tamarind adds a layer of flavor to the thogayal. I soak my tamarind piece in a little hot water to soften it and then grind it with the rest of the ingredients. If fresh tamarind is not available. we can dissolve ½ teaspoon of tamarind paste in hot water and use it.
More Thuvayal / thogayal recipes
- Paruppu Thuvayal | Paruppu Thogayal
- Kothamalli Thuvayal | Cilantro Chutney
- Masoor Dal Chutney | Orange Lentil Chutney
- Ullundhu Chutney | Urad Dal Chutney
Recipe
Equipment
- ▢ Blender
Ingredients
- ▢ 1 cup Grated fresh coconut
- ▢ 2 tbsp Ullatham paruppu /urad dal
- ▢ 1 tsp Mustard seeds
- ▢ 2 Dry Red Chilies
- ▢ 2 green chilies
- ▢ ¼ tsp Asafetida
- ▢ 2 teaspoon Oil
- ▢ ¼ tsp Tamarind
- ▢ to taste Salt
Instructions
- Heat oil and add the mustard seeds. When the seeds splutter, add the ullatham paruppu, red chilies, green chilies and asafetida. Fry until the paruppu is golden brown.
- Now add the grated fresh coconut and fry it for 3-4 more minutes in low flame. Take care not to burn the coconut. The coconut need not be fried until it is brown.
- Cool down the coconut mixture slightly and then put it in a blender along with salt and tamarind.
- Grind it into coarse paste adding little water.
- Serve with hot rice!
Notes
- Use fresh coconut to make the best tasting thengai thuvayal.
- Consume the thogayal as soon as it is made for the best flavors.
- Grind the thogayal adding as little water as possible.
- It is not necessary to fry the coconut until it changes color. Just fry it until it is aromatic.
- Serve with hot rice and ghee or sesame oil for best flavors.
Nutrition
More Thogayal
- Peerkangai Thogayal | Ridge Gourd Chutney
- Pudina Thokku | Pudina Thogayal Recipe
Thengai Thuvayal | Fried Coconut Chutney
Equipment
- Blender
Ingredients
- 1 cup Grated fresh coconut
- 2 tbsp Ullatham paruppu /urad dal
- 1 tsp Mustard seeds
- 2 Dry Red Chilies
- 2 green chilies
- ¼ tsp Asafetida
- 2 teaspoon Oil
- ¼ tsp Tamarind
- to taste Salt
Instructions
- Heat oil and add the mustard seeds. When the seeds splutter, add the ullatham paruppu, red chilies, green chilies and asafetida. Fry until the paruppu is golden brown.
- Now add the grated fresh coconut and fry it for 3-4 more minutes in low flame. Take care not to burn the coconut. The coconut need not be fried until it is brown.
- Cool down the coconut mixture slightly and then put it in a blender along with salt and tamarind.
- Grind it into coarse paste adding little water.
- Serve with hot rice!
Notes
- Use fresh coconut to make the best tasting thengai thuvayal.
- Consume the thogayal as soon as it is made for the best flavors.
- Grind the thogayal adding as little water as possible.
- It is not necessary to fry the coconut until it changes color. Just fry it until it is aromatic.
- Serve with hot rice and ghee or sesame oil for best flavors.
