Ulli Theeyal

It was Onam yesterday, an auspicious festival of Kerala celebrated by people belonging to every religion together. Usually atleast 15-16 items are placed on a banana leaf , called "Onam Sadya", savouring each and every curry and sides with rice is the tradition. I will be posting onam sadya recipes that I made, in the forthcoming days.
I had a boxful of sambar onions and this was the first item that I made and it was delicious.
Ingredients:
Sambar onions/shallots-2 cups
Tamarind-1  ping pong sized ball piece
Salt
Seasoning- little Oil, 1tsp mustard seed, half tsp fenugreek seeds, few curry leaves
For roasting-half cup dessicated coconut, 2 tbsp coriander seeds, 5 whole red chillies
Method:
1. First dry roast dessicated coconut, coriander seeds and whole red chillies till the coconut turns brown, Keep it aside and when it cools down , grind it into a paste in little oil instead of water.
2. Next soak tamarind in hot water and keep it aside
3.In little oil, add the seasoning ingredients and when it splutters add the sambar onions and saute till it turns soft and brownish.
4.Add the tamarind extract to the sauteed onions and when it starts boiling add the ground coconut and cook till its neither too thin or too thick. Add salt to taste.
Its ready to serve as a side. Despite the amount of onions it just makes a small bowl full of theeyal.
TIP: You could use coriander powder and chilli powder instead of whole spices, ie 2 tsp coriander powder and 1 tsp chillipowder when dessicated coconut is almost brown