This dish is considered a highly nutritious dish and is particularly made for those recovering from a serious illness or childbirth and who need to eat a diet with more calcium content.
This is my grandmother’s recipe as remembered by my mother. Sorry that I do not have an accompanying photo for it as my parents have been vegetarians for nearly 15 years now.
Nethali Theeyal
Time taken: 15 mins
Serves 4
Ingredients:
- Nethali/ Anchovies – 1 cup
- Tamarind extract – 1 ½ cup
- Onion – ½
- Green chillies – 2
- Crushed chillies – 1 tbsp
- Salt, to taste
- Oil
Method:
- Clean the nethali.
- Place all the ingredients except oil – the cleaned nethali, chopped onion and chillies, tamarind extract, crushed chillies and salt to taste – in a pan.
- Cook on low heat, for around 15 mins, till the gravy thickens.
- Drizzle some oil on the edges of the curry before removing the pan from stove.
Recipe source: Raji Thillainathan.
A Taste of Sri Lankan cuisine 
Hi, roughly how much tamarind is in the 1.5 cups of tamarind water? Is it the same amount as what you would use in a fish kulambu with 1 cup of fish?
Hi Kala, I checked with my mother and she said to dissolve a quarter cup of tamarind in water to make up the 1 1/2 cup of tamarind extract.
Are you familiar with a theeyal recipe that includes eggplant? That is how I remember theeyal in my family back in SL. I’m guessing the eggplant goes in at the same time as all the other ingredients. Just wondering if you have any thoughts on the regional differences of these recipes.