Green Chili Thokku (Spicy Chili Reduction)
I am not sure what language thokku is in, most likely Telugu, but it refers to any fresh herb/vegetable pounded/ground to a paste with salt, tamarind and jaggery, and reduced in sesame oil. The key ingredients are tamarind, jaggery, and sesame oil. This recipe makes a thokku out of fresh green chilies and is dynamite!
Servings Prep Time
1small jar 15mins
Cook Time
30mins
Servings Prep Time
1small jar 15mins
Cook Time
30mins
Ingredients
  • 2 cups fresh green chilieswashed, stems removed, and dried
  • 2tbsp Salt
  • 1/2tsp Hing
  • 1small lemon sized tamarind
  • 2tbsp jaggery
  • 1/2tsp roasted fenugreek powderdry roast methi, and powder
  • 1/4-1/2cup sesame oil
  • 1tsp Mustard seeds
Instructions
  1. Blend green chilies salt, jaggery, tamarind (paste or extract) into a fine paste
  3. Heat oil, when hot add mustard seeds and let them pop, add hing, then the paste
  4. cook on low to medium heat until the oil separates, and the thokku has reduced considerably
  5. Turn heat off, let cool. Enjoy with dosai, idli, rotis, pooris, or rice
Recipe Notes

This is certainly not for the faint of heart. A little bit goes a long way! Tastes wonderful with dal rice, plain rice with ghee, yogurt rice, idli/dosai/poori/rotis!