Bread fruit theeyal | Vegetables cooked in a tamarind roasted coconut gravy

My mom prepares theeyal very often…Most of the time she prepares konju theeyal…And everybody in our family equally likes this dish…

A flash back. When I was in 6th standard, I used to go to my father’s friend’s house for Malayalam tutions .. I reach there around 7 or 7.30 am in the morning. So i used to carry my breakfast or sometimes have at home itself. But if Aunty prepares Dosa and Brinjal Theeyal, that day I never miss that. And she make sure that I eat it as she too know it is my favorite…Even after years, when i go there if there is theeyal I make sure to taste it :)…

You need,

• Bread fruit  | Kadachakka | Cheema chakka – 1 medium sized
• Snake gourd – cleaned and cubed  – 1/2 cup (optional)
• Drumstick – 1 small, cut into 1 inch long pieces(optional)
• Small Brinjal – 1 small cubed (optional)
• Onion – 1 medium sliced
• Shallots/ pearl onions – 10 to 15
• Green chilies- 2 slit
• Tomato – 1 large cubed
• Grated coconut – Around 1.5 cup
• Turmeric powder – 1/4 teaspoon
• Coriander powder – 3 teaspoon
• Chilly powder – 2.5 teaspoon
• Curry leaves – 2-3 sprigs
• Tamarind – 1 tbsp seeded
• Fennel seeds (Sauf) – 1 teaspoon
• Salt – To taste
• Coconut/ Refined oil – As required
• Mustard Seeds – 1 teaspoon

You have to,

• Skin, wash the breadfruit. Remove the core and cut it into cubes, wash and set aside. Approx 2-3 cups of cubes you may get.

• Heat a pan and dry roast the grated coconut until they turn reddish brown.
• Now add the chilli powder, coriander powder, turmeric powder, seeded tamarind, sauf and saute till the raw smell disappears.

• Grind this coconut into a fine powder when it cools down(It leaves oil) .

• Add 1 cup of water to this powder and form a paste.

• Heat oil in a bottom thick deep pan .
• Add mustard and allow to popup.
• Add chopped onion, Shallots, little salt,curry leaves and saute until onions turns translucent.

• Now add the Bread fruit, snake gourd, drumstick, brinjal , tomato and saute for 2 minutes.

• Add the ground coconut paste
• Mix well and add 1.5 cup water and salt.
• Bring to a boil, reduce the flame and cover with a lid and cook until the bread fruit is cooked, gravy is semi-thick and the gravy leaves oil.(if any point of time you feel the water is less add 1/2 cup of water)
• Now the curry is ready. Remove from flame.
• Serve with rice or roti.

Note:

• The more slow is flame while you fry the onion, the more tastier the curry will be. And also depends how smoother is the ground coconut paste…
• To prepare shrimp / prawns theeyal, replace the bread fruit with 1 to 1.5 cups of cleaned and de-veined prawns (recipe is here )
• You can increase the quantity of shallots and green chilies to double and ignore the bread fruit and veggies (snake gourd, drum sticks and brinjal). This will become Ulli Theeyal”. There are several way of preparing Theeyal 

I have this with dosa or rice-curd…yummmm 🙂

Old pics: