Tirphal or teppal is used a lot in Konkani cooking. It has a very distinct flavor that goes very well in coconut dishes. You can read more about this spice here. We use them in preparing chutni and other dishes.
For preparing chutni, we use tender teppal (called jeev teppal in Konkani) which is generally available during rainy season. These tender teppals have a very strong aroma compared to dried ones. These are used in chutnis, tambli or tavashe (cucumber) hulel etc. When used, teppal is not eaten directly with the dish, but picked up and thrown. These teppals grow fully in December or January when they are collected, dried and stored in airtight containers after removing the seeds from them.
Ingredients:
1 cup grated coconut
3-4 green chillies
1/2 tea spn thick tamarind extract
Salt
7-8 Teppal (tender ones preferred, if not available, use dried ones)
Method:
Grind all the ingredients except teppal in a mixer to a smooth paste. Take a table spoon of water in a mortar, add the teppals and crush them with pestle. Remove and discard the teppals and add the water to the paste. The chutni is ready for use.
The same can be diluted and used as tambli with rice. The chutni can also be mixed with cucumber pieces to make hulel.
Serves : 4-5
Preparation time : 10mins
Pictorial:
Yummy chutney. New to me.
Really new one.
Hi Shilpa,
Did u get teppal from back home (india)?
Seema
Yss I do. But this post is from Aayi who lives in India.
Is this teppal is the szechuan pepper used in chinese cuisine?
Manisha has a picture of both side by side here. In her words – “It’s from the same family. Sichuan peppers are smaller and the fragrance is more bouquet-like than tirphal. I have a pic of both in this post – scroll down to about mid-post”.
Hi Varada,The recipe looks wow. I have never used Tirphal, will try to find out if I can get it here in Delhi also.
This is the first time I am posting a comment on your blog, although I do visit it frequently and have followed some great recipes of yours in my kitchen. The fruit cake I prepare using your recipe is really loved by everyone at my home.
i tried it today…really yummy
hi shilpa,
would like to bring to your attention that it mortar and not mortal.
pls note the small correction
🙂 sireesha
Thanks for pointing out the typo. Updated it
Tepalache sukhi chutni kartachi…using sukhi mirsangi….do you have its recipe
I think aayi has a recipe, will ask her to post
Dear Shilpa, I was looking specifically for use of teppals …. IN ANY RECIPE (!) … preferably using a cauliflower.
I happen to have, a ton of teppals that was ‘impressed’ upon us, when we last visited Mangalore …. and have not used it the last 4 years ! Also I have oferred to cook for a pot luck dinner, today, for a family that has had a death of a relative, in India ! And my wife has specifically instructed me not to use onions or garlic, out of respect for the bereaved.
From what I could get from your lovely website, was that
(1.) Coconut pulp , cream or milk and the like, is a must for the teppal flavor to dominate or be prominent. …
(2.) Avoid jeera, coriander, meeri, or sasum and stronger spices, which may overwhelm the teppal flavor and
(3.) red cilly powder is better for this than ground green chilly paste, and finally
(4.) tamarind is preferred as the souring agent.
I am thinking of making a cauliflower randhayi – dry-ish curry. I intend to use 40 to 50 teppals, so that the teppal flavor is unmistakeable !!!
Btw, my ancestors were presumably, from Bhatkal and Shirali (North Kanara) and we have lived in Cleveland Ohio …. for the last 40 years.
Good Luck with your informative and witty website !@!