Ulli Theeyal – Coconut based Shallot curry from Kerala

Ulli Theeyal is one of those dishes I had no idea about till until 7- 8 years ago. Until the day I married a person whose family hails from Kerala. Now this person is not a foodie per se and has shown only sporadic interest in my cooking adventures in the past years we’ve been married. Let’s just say, this person is a tough cookie, until you give them a bowl of Ulli Theeyal with some Kerala matta rice.

Ulli Theeyal is a labour of love!

So, when I learnt of this recipe from my mother-in-law and her mother, the first thing they told me is that it is a labour of love. “Bahut mehnat lagti hai!”, they said (Translation: It takes a lot of effort!). Peeling small Indian shallots is no easy feat. Pearl shallots or Ulli, as they are known in Malayalam, the language spoken in the southern state of Kerala, are omnipresent in south Indian cooking. Us north Indians find them floating in Sambars that we slurp on with our dosas in south Indian restaurants. That, and of course they are served pickled in sirka or vinegar at most dhabas and north Indian restaurants. And honestly, I didn’t give them much thought until I learnt that Ulli Theeyal is made of just these tiny beauties.

Recipe testing the Theeyal

The first time I ate Ulli Theeyal was when I made it at home following recipes from Maria’s menu and Kothiyavanu. Living in Dubai, I’ve cooked and tried a lot of Kerala dishes on my own learning from these two trusty blogs. I would often run these by my mother-in-law since there are different styles of cooking originating from north and south of Kerala. I know it sounds like I know the difference between them but no! Over the years, I have just made my own versions of Kerala dishes, loosely based on what my in-laws cook at home and what I like. This recipe too is one of those things.

So the first time I tried theeyal, it turned out great and was delicious. But soon, I tried it at a Kerala restaurant here in Dubai and it was a dark brown in colour, tangier than my version with smoother consistency and crazy delicious! Turns out ‘theeyal’ means something like ‘well roasted’ or ‘well done’. The punjabi in me, just registered it as ‘achhe se bhuna hua’ like the bhuna aloo or the besan halwa I make!

But it was not the pearl onions/ shallots or ulli that are well done, but the coconut. I found the method was very similar to the Coconut Chicken curry that I already made. Shredded fresh coconut is toasted with whole spices until it reaches a lovely golden brown colour.

Through this recipe I was able to improve the texture, colour and not just the taste of the theeyal, keeping in mind a few things.

What makes for a good Theeyal?

According to me, there are 4 elements to making a good theeyal:

1. Toasting the coconut till brown: I toast the coconut in the kadhai till it is, at least golden brown in colour. Some coconut flakes will be lighter but as soon as most of the coconut becomes golden brown, I know that it is done.
2. Red Hot Chilli Peppers: Not the band, although I do love them! You need the heat from dried red chillies and black pepper to balance the mellow creaminess of the coconut and the sweetness of the onions. Don’t skimp on the chillies. I prefer Kashmiri red chillies for their bright red colour and mellow smoky heat.
3. Tamarind for tanginess: An Ulli Theeyal is not complete without some tang. Do not skip the tamarind water or extract.
4. Balance with sweetness: A tiny amount of jaggery or sugar rounds off the heat from the chillies and the tang from the tamarind. Do not go overboard, a little goes a long way because the cooked shallots too bring sweetness to the dish.

To sum up, this is a coconut based curry which uses some tamarind as a souring agent. The use of jaggery or a bit of sugar can really round off the flavours, even though cooked onions add an element of sweetness. There is also plenty of coriander seeds, dried red chillies and some usual suspects from south Indian curries like Kadi patta, mustard seeds, fenugreek seeds or methre and black pepper.

Bonus Tip: It really makes a huge difference in the consistency of any theeyal if you grind the coconut spice paste really fine and smooth. Add in a bit of hot water and grind till it becomes velvety smooth!

Shallots or Onions? Which allium to use?

I have made this with regular red onions and also made them with the small Indian variety of red (purple) pearl onions which are technically shallots. My guess is that Tamilians call it Chinna vengayam? Both versions were nice, but this dish is traditionally made with shallots, particularly the small red ones and that is what I would recommend. I haven’t yet tried them with regular shallots but would not hold you back to try as shallots are less pungent and sweeter than other onions. But Indian red pearl onions or Ulli is the allium to go with here!

In Dubai, (which should already be declared the 15th district of Kerala!) I easily find ulli and as for the coconut, I get shredded coconut too, that I stock in the freezer. If you don’t get either of these, I recommend shredding fresh coconut in a food processor and keeping in the freezer (for storage), and using shallots or red/purple onions.

If you live outside India, it is good to check your local Indian store for these shallots. Kanika says that in the US she finds frozen shredded coconut and desiccated coconut where she lives. Frozen fresh coconut would be great to use here but desiccated coconut could work too, although I haven’t tried it. The particles of desiccated coconut are often too fine and may get easily charred while toasting, so be careful if you choose to take that route.

Make Ulli Theeyal as part of a Sadhya meal!

I have made this ulli theeyal several times as part of an Onam or Vishu Sadhya. It pairs beautifully on a banana leaf or plate with the usual Sadhya fare like cabbage or beans thoran, parippu dal, beetroot thoran, pulli inji, mango curry, poppadam, pachadi and some Kerala matta rice, followed by payasam of course. The number of dishes you make for a sadhya is up to you. A simple sadhya can just consist of a coconut based stir fry and a curry and payasam. If you are making this as part of a Sadhya feast, I recommend making this a day before because it takes up a considerable amount of time and prep but also because it always tastes better the next day.

Enough talk, let’s make some delicious Ulli Theeyal already!

Serves 2-3 persons

Prep Time: 15-20 mins; Cook Time: 30 mins; Total Time: 45-50 mins

Ingredients

• Indian Red/Purple Pearl shallots (Ulli), 250-300 grams
• Fresh Coconut, shredded, 1/2 cup (Fresh or frozen)
• Coriander seeds, 2 tablespoons
• Dried Red Chillies (I use Kashmiri), 3-4
• Whole Black Pepper, 1/2 tablespoon
• Cumin seeds (Jeera), 1 teaspoon
• Fennel Seeds (Saunf), 1 teaspoon
• Fenugreek Seeds (Methre/ methi seeds), 1/2 teaspoon
• Coconut or Sesame Oil, 2-3 tablespoons, plus an extra tablespoon for toasting the coconut
• Tamarind, around 1/2tablespoon or a small lime size ball
• Jaggery or Sugar, 1 teaspoon
• Curry leaves (Kadi patta), a sprig/ 5-7 leaves
• Warm Water, 2 cups plus a few tablespoons (to blend the coconut spice paste)

Peeling the Ulli: The only part of the recipe that’s tricky is cleaning and peeling the shallots. Because Ulli or Indian pearl onions, or rather shallots are a smaller variety of the allium, the process of peeling them is time consuming and tear inducing. But don’t worry, there are some hacks that make the process slightly easier. Soak the Ulli in a bowl of room temperature tap water for 5-10 minutes. The peels become slightly easier to remove and don’t fly around as much.

Method

Start by gathering the ingredients. Soak the tamarind in half a cup of warm water and keep aside. If using frozen shredded coconut, bring it out to room temp to thaw. Frozen is okay too but will take longer to toast. Collect the whole spices and wash the curry leaves.

As the tamarind soaks and shredded coconut thaws, start peeling the ulli or shallots. If you have soaked the ulli in a bowl of water, it becomes easier to peel these as the peels slide off without much effort.

Place a heavy bottom kadhai or a manchatti (traditional earthen pot) on medium high heat. Add an optional tablespoon of coconut oil. Tip in the shredded coconut in the kadhai and stir to coat it in the oil. You will see it absorbs most of the oil and that is fine. Add in the whole kashmiri red chillies, coriander seeds, cumin seeds, fennel seeds and fenugreek seeds. Reduce the heat to medium low and stir every few minutes to ensure even browning and toasting of the coconut flakes.

Multitasking while making Theeyal: I usually clean and slice the onions at the same time as the shredded coconut toasts in the kadhai. For this, I station my chopping board and the soaked onions not too far away from the stove so that I can stir the coconut from time to time.

Peeling the Ulli/ Shallots

Peel all the shallots and give them a rinse and then drain. Slice the bigger shallots length wise.

It may seem tedious to slice these small shallots but sliced shallots will ensure a more flavourful curry. If you keep the shallots whole, you may not get as much natural sweetness of the shallots in the curry as they don’t achieve that melting consistency. I highly recommend slicing them.

Don’t forget to stir and move the shredded coconut and spices from time to time as you peel and slice the onions. Toast the contents till you see the coconut turn into flakes of dark brown.

Once toasted, transfer the contents of the kadhai on a plate to cool.

Blending the Coconut Spice Paste

Heat around 2 and a half cups of water using your preferred method – Kettle, microwave or stove top. It doesn’t need to boil, just warm is good enough. You will need very little water, just a couple of tablespoons to blend the paste. But please make sure that the blender/mixie jar that you use can handle hot or warm food, if not, let everything cool down further around room temp.

The rest of the warm water will be used later.

Once the coconut and spices are cool enough to handle, transfer them to a mixie or blender jar. The idea is to grind or rather blend it all into a fine and really smooth paste. Use only a few tablespoons of warm water and blend the coconut spice mix.

You may need to add a bit more water (careful not to add too much!) and scrape the sides to ensure everything is blended evenly. Keep blending till you see no discernible particles.

Bringing together the Ulli Theeyal

Place the same kadhai or manchatti on medium high heat.

Add around 2-3 tablespoons of coconut or sesame oil. Once the oil is hot and shimmering, add mustard seeds and wait for them to splutter.

When the mustard seeds splutter and pop, add in the sliced ulli or shallots and the curry leaves followed by salt and turmeric. Stir to combine and coat in oil.

While they cook, strain the tamarind water using a sieve or your hands.

Cook the shallots till they soften and turn transparent. Once they reach that level of doneness and are soft, stream in the tamarind water. Cook the ulli for 3-4 minutes, stirring often.

Next, spoon in the coconut spice paste into the ulli. Stir and cook for 5-7 minutes or till you see some oil separate and glistening in the mix.

Finally, add in roughly 2 cups of warm water to the kadhai and let this come to a boil.

Adjust Seasonings and Balance flavours

Once it starts to boil, reduce the heat to medium low and add a little bit of jaggery to round off the flavours. I added around a teaspoon worth. Taste for salt and seasonings.

Let the Ulli Theeyal simmer for 7-10 minutes or till you see some oil appear on top. Switch off the heat and add a few curry leaves. Optionally drizzle a few drops of coconut oil on top. Let the dish sit for 5 minutes before serving.

Ulli theeyal or any coconut based dish like Parippu curry or Coconut Chicken Curry is always better the next day. If you can, prepare the dish a few hours or even a day before.

Serve this delicious Ulli Theeyal with some red matta rice or Kerala Porotta.