This 10-Minute Dish is All You Need to Elevate Even The Most Boring Meal
With a few simple ingredients, this varatiiyathu packs a spiicy, tangy punch.
This family recipe comes from my aunt or valyamma, as I called her. I’ve never tasted this dish anywhere else, other than our home, but she has passed on this recipe to every single person who has ever tasted it (and loved it) and it is has now travelled wide and far. This recipe is special because growing up, if any of us complained about the offerings at mealtime, valyamma would appease us by saying ‘mulaku vazhattiyathund’ — mulaku vazattiiyathu is there. This assurance meant that we’d eat another 5-6 chapatis, riding on the deliciousness of this simple dish. Daal, curds, with cucumber and tomato salad along with mulaku varatiyathu is one of the most cherished meals in our home. If you read through the recipe, the amount of tamarind might be alarming, but this is key to balance out the heat of the chillies. Finally, when sautéing the ingredients in the final step, be sure to do so on a low to medium flame till a beautiful aroma and texture is achieved.
Recipe: Thondan Mulaku Varatiyathu
Ingredients
250 g thondan mulaku (banana chilli), slightly slit along the centre
1 lime-size ball of tamarind soaked in warm water
1/2 tsp turmeric
1 tsp mustard seeds
2-3 sprigs curry leaves
Pinch of hing
Salt to taste
Coconut oil, for frying
Method
Cook the thondan mulaku in the tamarind extract, along with salt and turmeric until it forms a thick coating around the chillies. Don’t overcook — you want the chillies to hold their shape, and not become mushy. Keep this aside.
In a wide pan, heat the oil and splutter mustard seeds and curry leaves. Add the hing.
Reduce the flame and add the chillies, spreading them out so that the insides are also getting coated in the infused oil. Keep sautéing until they are slightly charred, and smell heavenly. The tadka and tamarind should coat the chillies, and the chillies should still hold their shape.
Soorya Menon is a foodie, bookworm and puzzle enthusiast.
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