Name: Shallots with Pigeon Peas & Coconut Milk (Chinnay Vengayam Thengapaal Sambhar)
Yield: Makes 5 cups
Cuisine: India
Ingredients: 2 tablespoons unrefined sesame oil, coconut oil, or canola oil; 1 teaspoon black or yellow mustard seeds; ½ teaspoon black peppercorns, coarsely cracked; 2 fresh green Thai, cayenne, or serrano chiles, stems removed, cut in half lengthwise (do not remove the seeds); 12 to 15 medium-size to large fresh curry leaves; 10 to 12 medium-size to large shallots, thinly sliced; 2 dried red Thai or cayenne chiles, stems removed; 2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh cilantro leaves and tender stems; 1 large tomato, cored and finely chopped; 1½ teaspoons coarse kosher or sea salt; 3 lengthwise slices fresh ginger (each 2½ inches long, 1 inch wide, and ⅛ inch thick), cut into matchstick-thin strips (julienne); ½ cup oily or unoily skinned split yellow pigeon peas (toovar dal), picked over for stones; 1 can (13.5 ounces) unsweetened coconut milk (do not shake the can before opening it); ½ teaspoon ground turmeric

Preparation info

Makes
5 cups

Difficulty
Medium

Appears in

660 Curries

By Raghavan Iyer

Published 2008

About

This curry demonstrates a technique that is common in the cuisine of Kerala: separating the thin coconut milk from the thick, and using the two at different points in cooking the dish. The thin milk stews early on in the curry to absorb the simple spices and herbs, while the thick milk finishes the dish with a creamy aftermath. Ladle this over a small bowl of cooked white rice for a soup course, or double the portion and savor it as the one-dish main event for a quiet night alone.