Prawn Theeyal

As a kid I have never enjoyed theeyal, particularly when it's only with shallots or vegetables.  As I always say, now it's the reverse as I grew up.  Now I love theeyal and shallots a lot, I even enjoy raw shallots or pearl onions.  Raw shallots so good for you, in those days when you have rice leftover in home, what they do is wash the rice well and add some more water to the rice and leave it overnight, not in a refrigerator.  The next day morning they drain the water and add fresh water or sometime use the same water.  Mash up the rice well with water, add a few spoons of yogurt, freshly chopped  raw shallots and some green chillies,curry leaves.  You won't believe this gives you unbelievable stamina for the whole day.
The starch from the rice  gives you this stamina and raw pearl onion or shallots adds up lots and lots of health benefits.  Raw shallots are rich in antioxidants,vitamins and minerals.

Shallots reduces the cholesterol level in your body, also it reduces the blood sugar level. Shallots are also particularly effective against liver cancer, since shallots remove the toxins from the liver.  Regular intake of shallots also reduces the infections from stomach.  Although peeling and preparing the shallots are bit time taking work, thinking of all the health benefits, I think it's worth all the efforts.  To read more about shallots click here and here.

Coming back to our recipe here Theeyal is originally a recipe from Kerala, which is almost a similar version of pulikulambu which is prepared in Tamilnadu.  Theeyal is a tangy and spicy curry prepared with a mix of vegetables or prawns.  Theeyal can be served with rice, idli's or dosas.  In case of Prawn theeyal, it can be served with chapathi's too.

Preparation Time: 15 minutes
Cooking Time: 40-45 minutes
Serves  4

Ingredients:
Prawns ( shelled and cleaned )- 1/2 kg
Shallots- 12 ( peeled and chopped)
Tomato- 2 medium sized chopped
Tamarind- 1 lemon sized ball ( soaked in water and extract the pulp)
Chilly powder- 1 tsp
Coriander powder-2 1/2 tsp
Green chilly - 2
Curry leaves-10
Garlic-  4 pods chopped
Methi seeds- 1/4 tsp
Mustard seeds- 1/2 tsp
Fresh grated coconut- 100 g
Oil- 2 tbsp
Salt to taste

Method:
Clean and wash the prawns with little turmeric and salt.  Dry roast the coconut until it turns light brown in colour.  Mix the chilly powder and coriander powder along with the coconut, grind it to a smooth paste by adding little water.
Heat oil in a pan, add mustard seeds when they start spluttering, add methi seeds,curry leaves and garlic.  Now add the onions and stir fry until it turns translucent.  At this stage add the ground paste and stir well with out sticking to the bottom.  Now add the tomatoes, green chillies and stir well.  Cover the pan and let it cook till the tomatoes get softened.  Now add the tamarind juice and water, let it boil for few minutes.  Finally add the prawns, salt,  cover the pan and let it cook till the prawns are completely cooked.  When the colour of the prawns are changed in colour,you know it's cooked.  Leave it till oil floats on top of the curry.  Take it off from heat and serve with hot steaming rice.