July 22, 2010

Karuveppila Thokku /Curry Leaves Pickle

Curry leaves are good source of calcium and vitamins and minerals. Usually, curry leaves are used in the dishes for the flavor it imparts. And generally, these leaves are picked and kept side when served. When people discard/disown someone/something after using it for their benefit, its compared to leaving out the curry leaves while serving. (Kaaryam kazhinjal kariveppila pole)


 

 

 
I often make curry leaves powder and thogayal. Once I got to taste this thokku at my brother-in-laws place. My co-sister had got from her hometown. It was shop bought, probably packed by home based pickle makers. There was no ingredient list on it. Though, it was tad sweeter to my taste, I liked it. I tried to recreate it at home. It came out well. It goes well with dosa/adai and rice too. It keeps good for 2 weeks under refrigeration. I guess it will have shelf life of at least a week, even if kept outside.

 
 


 
You need
 

  • Curry leaves - 1 cup packed, separated from the stalk
  • Red chillies - 4 nos
  • Tamarind - gooseberry size
  • White Sesame seeds - 2 tspn
  • Hing - a small piece
  • Salt
  • Oil - 2 tblspn
  • Jaggery - a tiny piece

 

 Method

 
Wash and dry the curry leaves. Roast it in a kadai/Mw till crisp. Dry roast sesame seeds

Heat a teaspoon of oil. Drop the hing piece and when its fried, remove it. Then roast red chillies.
Powder curry leaves, sesame seeds, hing and salt.
When it is coarsely powdered, add the soaked tamarind and jaggery. Grind till smooth.
Use the tamarind soaked water to grind. You need to have a runny paste.

Heat 2 tablespoon of oil. Add the ground paste. Simmer till it thickens

Adjust the quantity of red chilly and jaggery to suit your taste palette.
 
 


 

17 comments:

  1. I love this thokku very much, its has been a long i made them...looks great..

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  2. This is very flavorful.love ie..looks yummy

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  3. Haven't tasted this....but i like the idea,J.

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  4. I love this very much,very good for health, i hav not yet tried with sesame seeds, should try it out!

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  5. Grand sweets and A2B sell bottled thokkus in varieties.
    At home there is so much kariveppilai that often amma makes kozhambu and thogaiyal, rarely thokku.
    though I am not very interested in pickles, thokkus are the exception. I love this one.

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  6. Iam drooling ..I'll have with plain rice rite now , nice click :)

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  7. Ohh I tried only once but tht's different method...loving this ..shall try on getting my curry leaves batch...looks too gud

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  8. oh.. it might have tastied great with rice n ghee

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  9. your recipe came just in time since I have a few curry plants and I need to reduce their number- now I know what to do with the leaves! Thanks!

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  10. I love their flavor, this is a nice pickle!

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  11. Karuveppila thokku looks delicious. I need to try this one.

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  12. thokku sounds good..should try it sometime..

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  13. Lovely thokku...you know, i NEVER get enough to try a thokku..Looks awesome,. I love curry leaves in any form. My MIL makes karuvepillai kuzhambu.

    Shobha

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  14. I hav enever had pickels with vepala, looks yumm.

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  15. I first tasted this at my cousin's place in Chennai and have been hooked since. Its addictive. :)_

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