Brown payar thoran

There are some dishes which can make you feel at home even when you are elsewhere. Maybe that's why even classy restaurants with a fancy "Indian cuisine" cannot mimic that familiar tingling of a real craving. 

For me that familiarity is felt whenever I come across the brown payar thoran. I have made it so many times in so many ways and it has always left me feeling sumptuously full :D :D

I only know too well that long recipes can be boring, so unless I am in a sunshine mood to try the mix of taste and color, I prefer the easy road to taste :D :D... Besides, what is the need to toil hard for something that you can get plain easy ;-)

What I used

1. Oil: 3 tablespoons
2. Crushed garlic: 4-5
3. Diced onion medium size: 1
4. Salt: to taste
5. Chopped green chillies: 2
6. Turmeric powder: 1/4 teaspoon
7. Brown payar pre-cooked with salt: ~2 cups
8. Grated coconut: 1/2 cup
9. Curry leaves: 1 sprig

PS: For the pre-cooked payar, how much you want to cook the payar is up to you. Since on this particular day, I wanted it really soft, I kept it to pressure cook a little longer than was necessary. But if you like the brown skin intact, you can adjust the timing accordingly

How I made it

1. In a pan, heat the oil on medium flame and fry the garlic till you literally "hear" the smell of garlic
2. To this, add the onion with some salt and saute till onion changes color to a lovely pale pink almost transparent
3. Put in the green chillies and turmeric powder and continue mixing till the raw smell of turmeric is gone
4. To this add the pre-cooked brown payar and mix everything well. Check the salt and add if more is needed
5. Once the contents are fully mixed and salt is enough, add the grated coconut and curry leaves and mix well
6. Cook on medium flame with the pan covered for about 15 minutes with occasional stirring
7. Switch off the flame and let the contents sit for a while before you attack it ;-)

Now I felt this is simple and tasty,especially with the garlic... but if you feel this is still too much, here is a simpler one with way less ingredients :D :D.. and yes!! I have tried it too  ;-)

• Heat the oil on medium fame and saute the onions with some salt. Once onions are done, add the green chillies and pre-cooked payar together and cook for about 10 min and you are done!

Now if you wanted an even simpler one, I would suggest to just cook the payar with some salt and eat it, though I don't think you can call it thoran.. Still who cares as long as you are cool with it what you intake :D :D

This payar thoran is my my favorite and it's just wow when you have it with brown rice, pulisserry and beef ularthiyathu or a crispy fish fry!

This is something everyone must have at least once in their lifetime. It's sooooo worth it!! :D :D