Tomato Pachadi - Tribute to Jayasree Satish

This is another way of making tomato pachadi.  This is a tribute to our blogger friend who passed away last week. We will definitely miss you Jayasree :(

Raita with some seasoning

Well we all make raita with onion or with cucumber. We commonly call it Thayir pachadi. I make cucmber thayir pachadi very often during this summer season. We had a chance to eat cucumber thayir pachadi with a little twist, couple of months back. We had a trip to Eshwari Akka's house and she made this pachadi that time. It was really tasty and i wanted to try this today as a side dish for bisibelebath.

Ingredients:-

1. cucumber - 1/2 (or 1 according to the required quantiy)
2. Onion - 1/2 (chop it finely) (optional)
3. Yogurt - 1 cup (according to the req. quantity)
4. salt to taste
5. Rosemary - 1/2 (i used fresh rosemary leaves)
6. Basil - 1 leaf

Shred the cucumber, chop the onion. Take 1/4th quantity of cucumber, add rosemary, basil leaf in a mixie and grind it finely. You will get a light green color paste. Now add it to the chopped onion, add the yogurt and required amount of salt. Mix it well. Serve it with any variety rice. It will definitely be refreshing. Usually people used to season the thayir pachadi which i won't do it. If you want, you can season it with mustard seeds.

Gooseberry Pachadi

This is my favorite pachadi. During gooseberry season in chennai, my patti used to make this and its very good to eat with plain white rice and a teaspoon of melted ghee. I am sending this recipe to Vani's AFAM (A Fruit A month) event. Here is the recipe.


Ingredients:-

1. Gooseberry(nellikka) - 10
   
2. Green chillies - 2
3. Coconut- 1 tbsp
4. Curd - 1 cup
5. Salt to taste
6. Oil - 1/2 tsp
7. mustard seeds - 1/4 tsp
8. Asafoetida powder - a pinch
9. Curry leaves - few

First cut the goose berry into two and take out the seeds from it. Now put the goose berries in a microwave safe vessel and add 1/4 cup of water and microwave it for 2 mts. The gooseberries become tender now. Let it cool. Grind, the cooked gooseberries+green chillies+coconut into a fine paste. Add it to curd and mix required amount of salt to it. Take a pan, preheat oil, add mustard seeds, when it splutters add curry leaves and asafoetida powder to it and fry it till golden brown. Pour it on top of gooseberry-curd mixture. Now goose berry pachadi is ready to serve. We even call this gooseberry arachukalakki.

Pumpkin Pachadi

This is one of my favorite pachadi. Here is the recipe for pachadi.

Ingredients:-

1. Pumpkin - 1 cup (chop it into small cubes)
2. Tamarind paste - 2 tsp
3. Salt to taste
4. Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp
5. Jaggery - 1 tbsp
6. Mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp
7. Coconut - 1 tbsp
8. Red chillies - 1

For seasoning:-

1. Oil - 1/2 tsp
2. Mustard seeds - 1/4 tsp
3. urad dhall - 1/4 tsp
4. Curry leaves - few

First take a pan, fry 1/2 tsp mustard seeds,(given in ingredients) coconut and red chillies to golden brown. Let it cool and grind it into a fine paste and keep it aside. Take a pan, put the pumpkin pieces, required amount of water, turmeric powder, salt and turmeric paste and let it cook for 10 mts. It may take more than 10 mts. for the pumpkin to cook. Let it cook. Now add the grounded paste to it and let it boil for another 7 mts. Now add jaggery and some more water to the pachadi and let everything mix nicely. The required consistency may not be watery or thick. It shold be in between the both. If necessary, mix 1/2 tsp rice flour with 3 tbsp water and add it to the pachadi. take a small pan, pre heat oil, add mustard seeds, when it splutters, add urad dhall and curry leaves and pour it on top of pachadi. This can be a wonderful side dish for kootu rice.

Banana Stem pachadi - Vaazhathandu pachadi

This pachadi is made out of banana stem. We call it vaazhathandu in tamil. Here is the recipe

Ingredients:-

1. Vaazhathandu or Banana stem - 1/2 cup (finely chopped)
2. Curd - 1 cup
3. oil - 1/2 tsp
4. Salt to taste
   
5. Mustard seeds - 1/4 tsp
6. asafoetida powder - a pinch
7. Curry leaves - few

First chop the banana stem into very small pieces. add it immediately to curd, add salt to it and mix it well. Now take a small pan, pre heat oil, add mustard seeds, when it splutters add curry leaves and asafoetida powder to it and fry it till golden brown. Pour it on top of curd+banana stem mixture. Now vazhathandu pachadi is ready to serve. This is also a raita.

Dangar pachadi

This is made with urad dhall. Here is the recipe.

Ingredients:-

1. urad dhall - 2 tbsp
2. Curd - 1 cup
3. Salt to taste
4. Oil-1/4 tsp
5. mustard seeds - 1/4 tsp
6. Asafoetida powder - a pinch
7. Green chillies - 1

Take a pan, fry urad dhall to golden brown. when a nice aroma comes out from urad dhall, turn off the stove. Let it cool and grind it into a fine powder. Add this to curd, add salt and mix well. Take a small pan, pre heat oil, add mustard seeds, when it splutters add green chillies and asafoetida powder to it and pour it on top of the curd+urad dhall mixture. Now dangar pachadi is ready. We can replace red chillies in the place of green chillies.

Okra Pachadi 2

This is my all time favorite recipe. Here is the recipe.

Ingredients:-

1. Okra (Ladies Finger) - 4 (chop it into 1" sized)
2. Curd - 1 cup
3. Oil - 1/4 tsp
4. Mustard seeds - 1/4 tsp
5. Asafoetida powder - a pinch
6. Salt to taste.
   

Take a pan, pre heat oil, add mustard seeds, when it splutters add asafoetida powder and okra and fry it till it is fully cooked and tender. Okra needs to be fully cooked. Add it to the curd adding required amount of salt and mix it thoroughly. This is okra pachadi.

onion pachadi

This is another pachadi which is basically raita - served with fried rice. My MIL used to fry onion a little bit before adding it to curd. Here is the recipe.

Ingredients:-

1. Onion - 1 ( finely chopped)
2. Oil - 1/2 tsp
3. Curd - 1 cup
4. mustard seeds - 1/4 tsp
5. Asafoetida powder - a pinch

Take a pan, pre heat oil, splutter the mustard seeds, add asafoetida powder, add chopped onions and saute for 2 mts. Onions should not be fully cooked for this pachadi. Add half cooked onions to curd. Mix it and serve. This is onion pachadi.

Tomato Pachadi - 1

Tomato Pachadi is my favourite. Here is the recipe.

Ingredients:-

1. Tomato - 1 cup (finely chopped)
2. Green chillies - 2
3. salt to taste
4. Curd - 1 cup
5. oil - 1/2 tsp
6. Mustard seeds - 1/4 tsp
7. Asafoetida powder - a pinch

Take a pan, pre heat oil, add mustard seeds when it splutters add green chillies and tomato and saute for 2 to 3 mts. Do not mash the tomatoes. Just add this to curd add required amount of salt. Sprinkle asafoetida powder and serve. This is tomato curd pachadi

Boondhi pachadi

The recipe for this is similar to the ginger pachadi with a small addition. Here is the recipe.

Ingredients :-

1. Coconut - 3 tbsp
2. Green chillies - 2 (acc to taste)
3. salt to taste
4. Curd - 1 cup
5. Oil - 1/2 tsp
6. mustard seeds - 1/4 tsp
7. Asafoetida powder - a pinch
   
8. Boondhi - 3 tbsp

First, grind coconut, green chillies into a fine paste. Mix the paste in curd adding required amount of salt. This is pachadi. Take a small pan, pre heat oil add mustard seeds, when it splutters add asafoetida powder and pour it on top of pachadi. While at the time of serving, add boondhi to it and serve.

Boondhi is made out of besan flour and nowadays in all Indian stores, Boondhi packet is available. Just grab it and use it for making this pachadi.

Cucumber Pachadi

This is very simple pachadi which is basically raita. Most of the pachadi's are made out of yogurt and some don't. Here is the recipe.

Ingredients:-

1. Cucumber - 1/2 (1 if it is small)
   
2. Yogurt - 1 cup
3. Salt - a pinch
4. Oil - 1/2 tsp
5. Mustard seeds - 1/4tsp
6. Asafoetida powder - a pinch
7. Green Chillies -1

Just chop cucumber into very small pieces(squares) or shred the cucumber. Add yogurt to it. Add salt and green chillies to it. Take a small pan, pre heat oil, add mustard seeds and asafoetida powder, when it splutters, pour it on top of yogurt. Now pachadi is ready to serve.

Orange Zest pachadi

Orange zest (orange thol in tamil) is usually used for making face pack. This is something very different and tastes really good. The main ingredients are as follows...

Ingredients:-

1. Orange Zest - 2 tbsp
2. Tamarind paste - 1 tbsp
3. Jaggery - 1 tbsp
4. Green chillies - 1 (add acc. to taste)
   
5. Salt to taste
6. Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp

For Seasoning:-

1. Sesame Oil - 1 tsp
2. Mustard Seeds - 1/2 tsp
3. Curry leaves - few leaves
4. Asafoetida powder - a pinch

First chop the orange zest into very tiny pieces or can even use a shredder. Keep it aside. Now take a pan, pre heat the oil add mustard seeds, when it splutters add asafoetida powder, Green chillies and curry leaves and let it fry till golden brown. Now put the chopped or shredded orange zest to it and saute for a minute. Now add the tamarind paste and add a cup of water, turmeric powder and salt to it and let the zest cook for 7 to 10 mts. When the zest is tender add the jaggery powder to it and mix it well. If necessary add some more water and let it boil for another 5 mts. This is a wonderful side dish for kootu rice, molagootal rice. This pachadi has variety of flavours like, sour tangy from orange zest, sweet from jaggery, sour from tamarind, spicy from green chillies.

Okra Pachadi

This is another pachadi which is a wonderful combination for Molagootal (see receipe). The main ingredients are as follow...

Ingredients:-

1. Okra - one Medium cup (cut it into an inch sized)
2. Tamarind - a small marble sized (Goligundu alavu) or 1 tbsp paste
3. Mustard - 1 tsp
4. Fresh coconut - 2 tsp
5. Red chillies - 1 or 2 (acc to taste)
6. Salt to taste
7. Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp
   
8. Jaggery - 2 tsp

For seasoning:-

1. Oil - 2 tsp
2. Mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp
3. Red chillies - 1
4. Asafoetida powder - a pinch

There are two ways of making this pachadi, one is, take a small pan, pour a drop of oil, heat it and add 1 tsp mustard seeds + Coconut + red chillies (said in ingredients), fry it till golden brown and grind it into a paste. Second method is, just fry the red chillies only in a small pan to golden brown, add it with raw mustard seeds + coconut and grind it into a fine paste. You choose either one.

Now take a pan, pre heat the oil, add mustard seeds for seasoning, when it splutters add red chillies, asafoetida powder and Cut okra to it. Saute for a minute. Now add tamarind paste to it. Add a small cup of water, salt and turmeric powder and let the okra cook for 7 mts. Now add the mustard +coconut+red chillies paste to it and again let it boil for another 7 mts. By then, everything will be mixed. Now add the jaggery to it. If necessary add some more water(not much). If you need thicker consistency, take 1 tsp rice flour mix it with 3 tbsp water and pour it on top of the ingredients (this is optional). When you add jaggery, the pachadi will automatically become thicker. Turn off the stove when you get the required consistency. This pachadi can be used as a side dish for chapathi also.

Ginger Pachadi

This is another receipe most common in Kerala Iyer house. Ginger is good for digestion. The main ingredients are as follow...

Ingredients:-

1. Ginger - 2 tsp
2. Green chillies - 1 or 2 according to taste
3. Fresh Coconut - 2 tbsp
4. Sour curd - one medium cup
5. Salt to taste
6. Oil - 1/2 tsp
7. Mustard seeds - 1/4 tsp
8. Asafoetida powder - a pinch

This pachadi is very simple and easy to make. First take ginger + Green chillies + Fresh coconut + salt and grind it into a fine paste. Add a little bit of water while grinding. Now add the sour curd (or thick Buttermilk) to the paste and mix it well. This is ginger pachadi. Take a small pan, pre heat the oil, add mustard seeds and asafoetida powder, when it splutters pour it into the pachadi. Mix it well and serve it with Sambar Rice or any variety rice.

Mango pachadi

This is one of the yummiest receipe and its easy to make. The main ingredients are as follow.
Ingredients:-

1. Raw mango - 1/2 (chop it into cubes)
2. Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp
3. salt to taste
4. Jaggery - 1 tbsp

For Seasoning:-

1. oil - 1 tsp
2. mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp
3. Urid dal - 1/4 tsp
4. Red chillies - 1
5. Curry leaves - 5 or 6 nos.

Take a wide pan, put the mangoes in it and add a cup of water, turmeric powder and salt to it. Let it cook for 10 mts. The mango should be tender. Now add the jaggery to it and let it boil for another 2 mts. The consistency should be kind of thick and watery. You should be able to pour it. If its more watery, mix a teaspoon of rice flour with 3 or 4 tbsp water and pour it on top of it and let it boil for another 2 mts. Pachadi is ready now. Now pre heat the oil in a seasoning pan, add mustard seeds, when it splutters add urid dal, red chillies and asafoetida powder. Fry it till golden brown. Pour it on top of the Pachadi and put the curry leaves on top of it. Mix it well. Now pachadi is ready to serve. It will have sour taste from mango, sweet taste from jaggery and spicy taste from red chillies.