Nalla nuvvula roti thokku, a flavorful instant chutney made of black sesame seeds and very basic spices. Roti Thokku is a regional Telugu term for hand-pounded vegetable chutney in Telangana and some know it by roti chutney or roti pachadi. It’s a versatile recipe, absolutely healthy and delicious as a very little amount of oil goes into making this recipe.
Roti thokkulu, are a traditional passed-down recipe from grandma’s. There’s something about this coarse hand-pounded roti thokku and it evokes many beautiful memories associated with my Nayanamma(Paternal grandmother). This thokku is spicy, tart, and delicious which goes best with any breakfast, flatbreads, rice, and even with crackers. It’s a classic combination to have this instant hand-pounded thokku with warm rice and drizzle of Thalpu noone/Thalimpu noone/Popu noone/ Oil in the Telangana area.
Roti thokku, has got its name from the way it is made, generally these chutneys are hand-pounded in a large mortar pestle called Rolu or khalvam, and by the time the thokku made in this mortar is called roti thokku and in the Andhra region, they’re also called as Roti pachadi. Chutneys have a vast variations across the country of India, starting from Telangana “thokku”, Andhra “Pachadi”, Tamilnadu “Thogayal”, Karnataka “Gojju”, and various North Indian chutneys. The flavors, usage of ingredients, cooking techniques changes with each state and each have their own distinctive flavor. They are sustainable, flavor packed, healthy, and delicious and the presence of this instant thokku/chutney makes a meal wholesome and satisfactory that you keep craving for more.
Unlike the year long pickles, these instant chutneys are not meant to be preserved as the vegetables used in the recipe are flash fried in little oil and later hand pounded/grinded. These thokkulu or instant chutneys are meant to add an intense flavor profile to your meal and it’s also a way of reducing food wastage. These thokkulu or instant chutneys come to the rescue when you have limited ingredients at home and you have to make something delicious and quick, this chutney is a perfect example.
For making this Nalla nuvvula roti thokku, we just need black sesame seeds, red/green chilies, garlic, tamarind, jaggery, salt. That is all we need to make this flavorful chutney. And Let me share you the basic ingredients we need to make any Telangana style thokku. We use tamarind as a souring agent, green chillies or red chillies to add a spicy punch, sesame seeds for the rich nutty taste and a hint of jaggery/sugar to balance all the flavors. Typically we use sesame seeds, coriander seeds, cumin seeds, garlic pods, chillies, tamarind, jaggery and salt.
And this dish is a completely based on plant based ingredients and also makes a great accompaniment with any meal. Do try this out and let me know your feedback, but before that please Checkout more traditional and vegetarian Telangana recipes here.
NALLA NUVVULA ROTI THOKKU
Ingredients
- ½ cup Black sesame seeds
- 3 Green chilies
- ¼ cup Tamarind
- 2 tbsp Jaggery
- 5 Garlic cloves
- 1 tbsp Coriander seeds
- 1 tsp Cumin seeds
- Salt to taste
- 2 tbsp Vegetable oil
Instructions
- Heat a pan, add oil, once it's hot add cumin seeds, coriander seeds, garlic cloves, slit green chillies, black sesame seeds, tamarind petals and fry until the garlic turns golden brown.
- Add in salt to taste and cook for 2 more minutes.
- Cool the fried stalks and spices and later transfer them to a mortar pestle and pound them by hand or just coarsely grind them in a blender.
- Taste and adjust the salt.Transfer the thokku/chutney to a bowl and serve with rice, flatbreads, or with savory breakfasts.
Notes
- You can add an additional tempering after blending the sesame seeds mixture.
- You can substitute the black sesame seeds with white sesame seeds too.
- This stays good for a day at room temperature and upto a week in refrigerator.
- Although traditionally we use garlic in thokku, you can omit if you want to make a garlic-free recipe and instead use hing/asafoetida in both roasting the veggies and in the tempering.
- Ps., I haven't added any water here while pounding the thokku/chutney, well you can add couple tbsps of water to make thinner chutney/thokku.
If you’ve tried this recipe and loved it, I’d love to hear your feedback by tagging your photo and share it with #mycurryveda on Instagram @mycurryveda or on Facebook . Also follow @taste.of.telangana on Instagram for more traditional recipes, culture and stories.
