Zucchini thogayal

Ingredients:

2 zucchini, coarse cut

1/2 large onion, coarse cut

1/2 tbsp tamarind paste

1 tbsp oil

1 tsp mustard seeds

1 tsp urid dhal

1 tsp channa dhal

2 dry red chillies

1 pinch asafoetida

1/4 cup water

Salt to taste

Method: 

Heat oil in a saucepan and add mustard seeds, urid dhal, channa dhal, dry red chillies. Once the mustard sputters and the dhal browns, add in the onion and fry for 2 minutes till it is translucent. Add the pinch of asafoetida. Then add the zucchini and continue frying till the vegetables are nicely browned around the edges. Allow mixture to cool.  Transfer mixture to a blender, add the tamarind and water, and blend to a smooth paste. Season with salt. Thogayals are multi-purpose and can be served with dosas, rotis, on toast, or with cooked rice. 

Variations:

There are countless variations, and it is just a matter of experimenting and seeing which vegetables blend well with the other. Some options are to (i) add more onion and leave the zucchini out for onion thogayal, (ii) add cabbage in place of onion and zucchini for cabbage thogayal, (iii) add 1/2 bunch mint and 1 bunch coriander in place of onion and zucchini for coriander thogayal. You can also add coconut or curry leaves to any of the thogayals for slightly different flavours.