Veppam poo Thogayal - Veppam poo Thuvaiyal - Neem flower Thogayal

Neem flower/ Veppam Poo has got antibacterial properties and helps in controlling phlegm, reducing bile, and treating nausea and intestinal worms. Eating Neem flowers once a week helps in cleansing the body system. Many recipes can be made using Neem flower/ Veppam Poo. Veppam poo Thogayal is one of the traditional recipes having its origin in south India and is one of the many variants of thogayal. It is made by roasting dried Neem flower/ Veppam Poo and other spices and ground along with Jaggery/ Vellam. Veppam poo Thogayal goes well with Rice, gingelly oil, and Papaddams. 

Planning & Pre-Preparation: 5 mins
Cooking time: 4-5 mins

Ingredients

• Oil - 2 Tsp.

• Urad Dal/ Uluttam Paruppu – 4 Tbsp.

• Bengal Gram/ Kadalai Paruppu - 2 Tbsp.

• Red Chillies/ Sigappu Milagai – 3

• Neem flower/ Veppam Poo (dried) – 1 Cup.

• Tamarind/ Puli - small lemon sized

• Salt - per taste

• Asafoetida/Kayam/Hing – 1/2 Tsp.

• Jaggery (powdered)/ Vellam - 1 Tsp.

• Water – ¼ Cup.

Directions

• To a kadai add oil and Urad Dal/ Uluttam Paruppu. Roast the dal on low flame for about 20 secs.

• After 20 secs, add Bengal Gram/ Kadalai Paruppu and roast for another 20 secs.

• After roasting for 20 secs, add Red Chillies/ Sigappu Milagai. Keep roasting until Red Chillies/ Sigappu Milagai turns crisp. 

• Now add clean and dried Neem flower/ Veppam Poo and keep roasting until the Neem flower/ Veppam Poo turns into a slightly black colour. 

• After a few mins, the ingredients would have been almost roasted.

• Now add a small lemon sized Tamarind/ Puli and mix well. Roasting Tamarind/ Puli helps to soften its texture while grinding. 

• Then add Salt and Asafoetida/Kayam/Hing. Mix well

• Switch off the flame and let it cool down before grinding.

• Transfer the roasted ingredients to the mixer grinder and add powdered Jaggery/ Vellam and Water. 

• Grind Coarsely. Veppam poo thogayal is ready!!! Serve with hot rice, gingelly oil and Papaddams.

Points to be noted

• Neem flower/ Veppam Poo should be properly cleaned before using and well roasted to avoid the bitterness of the dish.

• Tamarind/ Puli will stick to Kadai if not roasted continuously. Some Tamarind/ Puli will have seeds. Remove them before roasting.

• Depending upon the sweet intake, you can either increase/decrease Jaggery/ Vellam.

• All the ingredients should be roasted on low flame to avoid burning the dish.