Any Thogayal fans here? We for certain are true blue thogayal lovers at home. When you are bored or wondering what to cook especially during weekends or after festivals, thogayal stock in the refrigerator comes handy. One such recipe I whipped up quickly, post Diwali, was the Pudina Thogayal or the South Indian Mint Chuntey with Lentils.
Thogayals are South Indian chutneys made with lentils, coconut, a bit of tamarind and some herbs like curry leaves, coriander and in this case, Pudina or Mint Leaves. This Pudina Thogayal recipe is No Onion No Garlic and is ready under 20 minutes.
A dollop size thogayal is served during meals with Steamed rice. Nalla Ennai or Sesame Oil is drizzled on top. Two Morsels of thogayal mixed with rice sets your taste buds on fire and also your appetite.
Post festivals, we like to enjoy thogayal with meals as they help in digestion and elevate taste buds too, especially after eating a variety of sweets.
While thogayal Rice can be a meal by itself, it can also be eaten along with Sambar, Rasam or Mor Kuzhambu. A side of any vegetable like Beans Carrot Thoran or Vazhaipoo Paruppu Usili will complete the meal.

Ah! I almost forgot – The killer combination of Thayir Sadam or Curd Rice with a dollop of Pudina Thogayal – bliss!
So, without any further ado, let us check out how I made this delicious Pudina Thogayal at home.
How to Make Pudina Thogayal with Step By Step Recipe
Wash and pat dry the mint leaves and keep aside. Gather all the ingredients on a plate.

Heat a heavy bottom Kadhai or pan, add 1 tbsp Coconut Oil.
Once the oil has heated, add the Urad Dal, Chana Dal and whole red chillies. Saute on low flame until the dal roasts golden brown in colour.


Add the mint leaves and saute. You will see that the mint leaves would wilt and reduce in volume.


Now add the grated coconut, mix once and switch off the flame.

Add the jaggery, marble size tamarind and keep this mixture aside for cooling completely.

Once the ingredients have cooled, add them to a mixer grinder jar along with salt to taste and asafoetida or hing.

Grind the thogayal with little water.

Remove the contents and store in an air tight jar. Lasts for a week under refrigeration.
Serve with Adai, Idli, Dosa. Tastes best with Steamed Rice, Ghee or Sesame Oil .
Recipe Notes
- Thogayal is thick in consistency so add water according (with the help of spoon preferably)
- The shelf life of this thogayal is one week under refrigeration. During summers, it might be less.
- Adding Jaggery can be optional but highly recommended. The quantity will also depend on the type of tamarind you use. I am using a seedless dark tamarind variety which is tangy.
- The whole red chillies used are guntur chillies, which are a spicy variety. You can opt for Kashmiri Red chillies (the colour would be deep red) or any other variety available in your pantry.


Pudina Thogayal (South Indian Mint Chutney)
Equipment
- Mixer Grinder
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp Urad Dal
- 1 tbsp Chana Dal
- 1 cup Pudina Leaves or Mint Leaves 1 cup is 200 ml
- 1/3 cup Fresh Grated Coconut 1/3 cup is 80 ml
- 8-10 nos. Whole Red Chillies I have used Guntur Chillies
- 1 no. Marble Sized Tamarind
- 1 tbsp Jaggery Adjust quantity according to Tamarind
- 1 tbsp Coconut Oil You can use Sesame Oil or neutral oil too
- 1/4 tsp Hing or Asafoetida Skip this ingredient for gluten free recipe
- Salt to taste
- Water as required to grind the thogayal Check notes
Instructions
- Wash and pat dry the mint leaves and keep aside. Gather all the ingredients on a plate.
- Heat a heavy bottom Kadhai or pan, add 1 tbsp Coconut Oil.
- Once the oil has heated, add the Urad Dal, Chana Dal and whole red chillies.
- Saute on low flame until the dal roasts golden brown in colour. Add the mint leaves and saute
- You will see that the mint leaves would wilt and reduce in volume.
- Now add the grated coconut, mix once and switch off the flame.
- Add the jaggery, marble size tamarind and keep this mixture aside for cooling completely.
- Once the ingredients have cooled, add them to a mixer grinder jar along with salt to taste and asafoetida or hing.
- Grind the thogayal with little water.
- Remove the contents and store in an air tight jar.
- Lasts for a week under refrigeration. Serve with Adai, Idli, Dosa. Tastes best with Steamed Rice, Ghee or Sesame Oil .
Notes
- Thogayal is thick in consistency so add water according (with the help of spoon preferably)
- The shelf life of this thogayal is one week under refrigeration. During summers, it might be less.
- Adding Jaggery can be optional but highly recommended. The quantity will also depend on the type of tamarind you use. I am using a seedless dark tamarind variety which is tangy.
- The whole red chillies used are guntur chillies, which are a spicy variety. You can opt for Kashmiri Red chillies (the colour would be deep red) or any other variety available in your pantry.
Some Other Thogayal Recipes on the blog that you would like to try at home
- Curry Leaf Thogayal (Karuvepillai Thogayal)
- Coconut Thogayal (Thengai Thogayal)
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Vidya Narayan
Thogayal with steamed rice & sesame oil… ? my fav combo ?
Hey Praneetha, how have you been? Long time! btw, thank you so much.
Hi vidya.. I am doing good.. took a short break from blogging.. but it turned into a long one.. ?
Welcome back and hope to see you more often now. Cheers!