Thursday, February 9, 2012

Thayir Milagai (How to make Yogurt Marinated Green Chiles)

Fried Thayir Milagai

Thayir milagai and a bowl of Yogurt Rice is a simple but perfect combination; it is one of our all time picnic favorites :D. We enjoy these delicious chiles with everything - rice, dosas, and even toast. I know some friends who love to munch on a bowl of these for a little snack!

It is quite easy to make thayir milagai; the best time to make them is in the summertime when chiles are abundant and we have long, hot, sunny days to dry them. I remember all the ladies getting ready to prepare all sorts of dried veggies - particularly the yogurt chiles - every year. Helping to bring in the dried chiles and put them back in the marinade were some of the duties of all the children - one of the side benefits of helping was that we loved sampling the delicious half-dry chiles :D. The half-dry chiles are also delicious with Molagushyam, Molakootal, and other mild curries - I am sure that it was no mystery to Amma how quantity of the chiles were dwindling rapidly.

Thayir Milagai means yogurt chiles; thayir = yogurt and milagai = chiles. The best chiles suitable for making Thayir Milagai are flavorful green ones that have a bite but not necessarily the hottest. If only very hot green chiles are available, some or all of the seeds including the core may be removed before marinating them in the yogurt. Stored in airtight containers, the dried chiles last a long time.

Dried Thayir Milagai

Ingredients:

1/2 lb Green Chiles
1 Tbsp Sea Salt
1 Cup Tart Yogurt or Buttermilk

Method:

Wash the chiles well and wipe them dry.

Make a slit on the blossom ends of the chiles while keeping the stems intact; carefully remove some or all of the seeds if you like a milder chile.

Mix the yogurt and salt in a clean glass or ceramic jar with a lid.

Immerse the chiles into the yogurt, cover, and allow to stand overnight or a bit longer at room temperature.

Drain the chiles and reserve the yogurt marinade.

Spread the chiles on a non-reactive tray lined with parchment paper (makes it easy to clean the tray and the chiles won't stick either :D) and let dry in the sun for several hours.

At the end of the day return the chiles to the reserved yogurt, mix well and let soak overnight again.

In the morning, drain the chiles again and dry as before.

Repeat the above procedure about 3-4 times more.

Discard any remaining yogurt and dry the chiles thoroughly for another 3-4 days.

Store in an airtight jar until needed.

Heat a of tablespoonful of oil and cook and stir the chiles slowly until deep brown.

Cool and serve. Enjoy!!

13 comments:

Christine said...

Thanks for posting this recipe- I'm looking forward to trying it. If I were to go to an Indian market, is there a specific type of chili you would recommend I ask for?

Geetha said...

You are welcome Christine :-}. You can purchase any chile you like such as jalapeno or the yellow kind called guero (sp?) and use them; they are available in most markets as well as Latino markets. Have fun!

Anonymous said...

Hi.
I tried this recipe but n the 2nd day of marination, there was fungus on the yogurt and chillies. Please sugest if it is safe to eat them.

Geetha said...

Hello Anon, I am so sorry that your chiles succumbed to fungal growth. I have never seen this happen. I do not think it advisable to eat moldy food - please discard the entire batch. If you try again, please wash the chiles thoroughly, drain and dry them and use a sterile container to marinate and clean utensils for stirring. You might consider marinating in the fridge if there is a tendency for fungus in your area.

Happy cooking!

Anonymous said...

Is it possible to dry the chillies in the oven (as opposed to drying outdoors)?

Geetha said...

Hello Anon, It is possible to dry chiles and other things in the oven; keep the temperature of the oven as low as you can - ovens vary so check your oven for its lowest setting. Spread the chiles in a baking pan over a sheet of parchment paper so they don't stick to the pan. Stir or turn them over periodically to dry well. Let me know how it works :)!

Anonymous said...

Thanks for that tip. Will let you know how it goes.

Geetha said...

:)

bilvapatra said...

Geetha, I was excited that this childhood activity was at my doorstep! Today is the 4th day of sunning and going back into marinade.

Some questions:
a. Should the yoghurt be thick or thin?
b. Since you have said 2 cups yoghurt I stayed with that, hence all chilles are not being immersed but nearly so. Is that ok?
c. Daily when i take them out of the marinade I find they are now stuck with the yoghurt. Should I shake these off now?

If there is a provision on your page I would like to post an image of the chillies in the sunning plate.

d. I went and used the Bhavnagari chillies, the huge ones. They look pretty but can be a challenge to fry. But I will come to that later :) But pls tell me will I get the taste?

Anonymous said...

Geetha, I was excited that this childhood activity was at my doorstep! Today is the 4th day of sunning and going back into marinade.

Some questions:
a. Should the yoghurt be thick or thin?
b. Since you have said 2 cups yoghurt I stayed with that, hence all chilles are not being immersed but nearly so. Is that ok?
c. Daily when i take them out of the marinade I find they are now stuck with the yoghurt. Should I shake these off now?

If there is a provision on your page I would like to post an image of the chillies in the sunning plate.

d. I went and used the Bhavnagari chillies, the huge ones. They look pretty but can be a challenge to fry. But I will come to that later :) But pls tell me will I get the taste?

meera

Geetha said...

Hello Meera, Glad that you are enjoying this activity :). The answers to your questions: a. the yogurt will become thin when you beat it with salt and add chiles. b. I have given 1 cup of yogurt for 1/2 lb of chiles - if you are using more or big chiles, you can use more yogurt and salt. As long as the chiles are coated and you can shake it a few times to get all the chiles covered at least part of the time, it should be ok if they are not completely immersed. c. it is fine for the yogurt to stick to chiles; as they dry, most will flake off so no need to shake it off. I am not sure how to have your photo be included in this post. d. I am not acquainted with Bhavnagari chiles - only way to check is to try :). Good luck with your culinary experiment!

gith said...

The chillies must completely submerge in the curd and kept in a clean dry place in the evening.the next day it should be thoroughly sun dried. Please keep the left over curd in the refrigerator so that fungus will not form in it. Repeat action till the curd is completely absorbed by the chillies.

phantom363 said...

Thank You for this post. I am growing chillies in my garden in Toronto. Last year I had so much crop, that much went to waste, even after pickling. This year I plan to make thayir molagais. Using the oven method. :)