The Homemade cooking

Vengaya thokku or Onion paste is a very easy, quick and delicious recipe which goes very well with rice, curd rice, idly, dosa and even chapati too. It’s a wonderful to go for travel food. The Vengaya thokku or Onion paste is a authentic item or recipe in my household. Usually, my mom makes it with finely chopped onions and saute it simply using it for rice or chapati or dosa. But, this one that i show you can be preserved for weeks and months and easy to give to kids too.

Remembering the travel and the journey on trains and flights while i was kid, this one is carried along well packed with idly’s and curd rice and consumed on the way. Even being parent myself i have done the similar things to my kids and still making that as it’s helpful for me.

Preferably this can be made with small onions, as i have less quantity of it i didn’t use it. Small onions gives a wonderful taste to it.

INGREDIENTS:

Big Onions- 5

Kashmiri Red chilies- 4-5

Tamarind Extract- 1 tablespoon

Turmeric powder-1/2 teaspoon

Asafetida powder- 1/4 teaspoon

Salt- as required

Gingely/Sesame oil- 4 tablespoon

Dried Fenugreek powder- A pinch

Mustard seeds- 1/2 teaspoon

Urad Dal -1 teaspoon

START:

1.Slice the onions and keep them ready. In a pan add 1 tablespoon of oil, then add the red chilies and then add the onions.

2.Then add salt, turmeric powder and asafetida powder to it. Saute until it’s golden in color.

3.,Allow it to cool down and then grind it to a smooth paste adding the tamarind paste.

4.In the same pan add the balance 3 tablespoons oil and then add mustard and let it splutter, add the urad dal, let it turn to golden in color, and then add the grounded puree.

5.Slow cook and saute them for 8-10 minutes.

6. You can see the oil oozing on the sides. This is the right consistency. Then add the dry fried fenugreek powder as preservative at the end. It will maintain the shelf life, without for it get spoilt on a longer run.

7. Once the mixture has cool down add them in a glass jar or container and keep it in a dry cool place or in fridge, and make sure you don’t touch them with wet hands or wet spatula or spoons.

NOTES:

• As mentioned earlier, use small onions if you have them. If it’s small onions you can use 20 in numbers.
• I used Kashmiri chili, you can use regular red chilies, if so increase the quantity of the chilies to 7.
• Not many will like to use asafetida powder with onions, if you don’t like it choose to skip that step.
• Some would like to add little bit of jaggery powder at the end, to subside the spice. I personally do not prefer that.
• I added soaked tamarind pulp. You could buy or use tamarind paste if you have them.
• Some would also add tomato’s by making onion and tomato paste. Try that if you like it and i will be soon trying the same with Tomato thokku ( Tomato Pickle)