Kerala Style Carrot Pachadi

Carrot Pachadi is a healthy side dish and easy to prepare within minutes. Try this recipe for this Sadya and enjoy the taste.

Prep Time: 5 mins    | Cook time: 15 mins    |  Serves: 4

Ingredients:

 Large Carrot                         2 no. 

Green Chillies                         3 no.

Thick Curd                              1/4 cup

Salt                                        To taste

Sugar                                      1 Tablespoon(optional)

For Grinding

Grated Coconut                         1/2 cup

Chopped Ginger                         1 Teaspoon

Chopped Green Chili                   1 no.

Cumin Seed                                ¼ Teaspoon

For Seasoning

Coconut Oil –                             1 Tablespoon

Mustard Seeds                          1/2 Teaspoon

Dry Red Chillies                         1 or 2no.

Urdh dal                                     1 Teaspoon.

Chopped Coriander Leaves for decorations

Method:

• Wash and Peel the skin and grate the carrots.
• Peel and grate the carrot.
• Blend the curd with little salt until smooth and keep aside.
• Grind coconut along with the green chillies, ginger , cumin seeds  to form a nice paste and keep aside.

• Boil the grated carrot, chopped green chillies with little water and salt. Cook for 7 minutes.

• Once the carrots are cooked and soft, add the ground coconut paste to the pan.

• Continue cooking on medium heat for another 5-8 minutes.
• Switch off the stove when the carrot becomes thick and soft.
• Once the cooked carrot is cool, add curd to it and stir well.
• For tempering, heat coconut oil in a pan, add mustard seeds and when it crackles, add whole red chili and Urdh dal . Fry for a minute.

• Pour this seasoning over the Pachadi and mix well.
• Decorate with Chopped Coriander Leaves.
• Serve with Rice.

Note:

• If you want to make this Pachadi a bit sweet, you can add 1-2 teaspoons of sugar .

You might also like to check these Pachadi  recipes:

PACHADI RECIPES

Coconut Thayir Pachadi

Ingredients:

Fresh coconut                             – 4 tbsp.

Curd                                           - 1 cup

Green chilies                              - 4 no(adjust as per your spice tolerance)

 Chopped Cilantro                       - 2 tbsp.

Grated ginger                           – 1 tsp.

Salt                                          – to taste

Water                                        - little

For tempering

Coconut oil                               - 1 teaspoon

Mustard seeds                         - 1/2 teaspoon

Urdh dhal                                – ¼ tsp.

Asafetida                                – 1/8 tsp.

Curry leaves -                            a few sprigs

Coriander leaves                     for decoration

Method:

• Grind the coconut along with the ginger-green chillies into smooth paste adding water little by little.
• Whisk the curds well. Mix well the curd with coconut paste and salt.
• Heat the oil in a skillet and crackle the mustard seeds and all seasonings.
• Pour seasoning into the coconut Pachadi. Decorate with chopped cilantros.
• Serve with rice, idli, dosa, adai.

405: Vazhathandu Pachadi/ Banana Stem Raita

The banana tree is one of those few species where each part is used in some way or the other, be it the leaves which are used for eating food, the fruit which is eaten in the raw or ripe form, or the flower or stem which is also consumed.

The stem is cooked in various ways in South Indian cuisine Dishes such as vazhaithandu usli (dry cooked banana stem with lentils), vazhaithandu kootu (banana stem cooked with lentils), vazahaithandu poriyal (banana stem tempered and garnished with coconut) are popular in Tamil Nadu.

Health Benefits of Banana stems are:

• Helps detoxify the body
• Rich source of fiber and helps in weight loss.
• Vitamin B6 helps in production of hemoglobin and insulin.
• The Banana Stem juice also relieves ulcers, burning sensation and acidity.

 Yesterday my SIL Nalini gave me a tender banana stem to me .  Next day itself I made this vazhathandu pachadi and vazhathandu Thuvaran. Here the challenge is to prepare the vegetable for cooking! Cutting the banana stem  is a real task! And really time consuming. I prefer to keep it prepared  previously.

Ingredients:

 Banana Stem        -      6 inch

 Green Chilies                2 no.

Grated Ginger               1 Tbsp.

Thick Plain Curd             1 cup.

Salt                               to taste.

Coriander leaves            few

For Tadka

Oil                                ½ Tsp.

Mustard seeds               ½ Tsp.

Hing powder                  a pinch

Red chilies                     1 no.

  

Ingredients:

• Wash and discard the outer cover of banana stem and take the inner part only.
• Cut the stem into thin rounds and remove the excess thread. Then chop the round stems into small pieces and put it in buttermilk water.
• Drain the water. Steam the chopped  banana stem pieces in microwave for 3 minutes.
• Finely chop the green chilies. Put the cooked banana stem in a bowl and add salt, green chillies and grated ginger. Mix it well.
• Beat the curd  well and add it to the banana stem and mix it well.
• Heat the oil in kadai and add all seasonings and fry it for a minute and add to the banana stem pachadi. Let it soak  for 30 minutes before serving.
• Garnish with coriander leaves.
• Serve it cool with steam rice. Enjoy!

404: Pavakkai Kichadi/ Bitter gourd in Yogurt sauce

Pavakkai Kichadi is a traditional Kerala dish made using fried bitter gourd and yogurt.

Recipe Type:  Side dish, Kerala Onam & Vishu Sadya Recipes

Cuisine:         Kerala, South Indian

Ingredients:

Finely chopped Bitter gourd       1 cup

Thick Plain Yogurt/Curd             1 cup

Grated ginger                            1 Tbsp.

Mustard seeds                           ½ Tsp.

Finely chopped Green chilies      3 no.

Grated coconut                          2 Tbsp.

Coriander leaves                        1 Tbsp.  

Oil                                              for deep frying

For Seasoning

Coconut oil                                  1 Tsp.

Mustard seeds                             ¼ Tsp.

Red chili                                      1 no.

Hing                                            1/8 Tsp.

Curry leaves                               1 String.

    

Method:

• Fry the Pavakkai / Bitter gourd, Green Chilly and Curry leaves till it is brown and crisp. When it’s almost brown take it off from the oil and keep aside.
• Grind grated coconut, ginger and mustard seeds to a fine paste. Mix the curd to this paste. Add Fried items into curd.  Add salt and mix it well.
• Heat coconut oil, splutter mustard seeds, curry leaves ,red chilies and hing. Add the seasoning to the curd mix.  Decorate with coriander leaves.
• Now Pavakkai kichadi is ready to serve.
• Serve with steam plain rice.

Inji Thayir/Ginger Yogurt

This is a must item for any sadya(feast) like Onam  and Vishu or even the wedding feasts. This is very easy to prepare and ginger helps in digestion.

Ingredients:

Grated Ginger                                                2 tbsp.

 Thick Yogurt/ Curd                                        1 cup

Red Chilies                                                       2 no.

Salt                                                                    to taste

Seasoning:

Coconut oil                                                      1 tsp.

Mustard seeds                                                  ¼ tsp.

 Curry leaves                                                     1 stem

Method:

• Mash the ginger and red chilly roughly, using a Mortar
• Mix all the ingredients together, and mix well,
• Heat a oil in a pan , fry mustard seeds , curry leaves .
• Add to Inji thayir.
• Serve with rice.

Mambazha Pachadi/Mango Pachadi

Pachadi refers to a traditional South Indian side-dish. This Manga Pachadi is prepared on Tamil New Year (April 14^th) day at every tamilian’s house. This is typically made with boiled mangoes with ginger, green or red chilies and tempered in oil with mustard seeds, ginger, cocounut, neem leaves .

Ayurveda teaches that all six tastes should be eaten at every meal for us to feel satisfied and to ensure that all major food groups and nutrients are represented. If you want more info please see the link

http://ayurvedadosha.org/ayurveda-diet/six-tastes.

This Pachadi is a representative 6 tastes – Salty – (Salt), Sweet(Jaggery), Sour (Tamarind), Bitter (Neem leaves), Hot     (Red chilies), Astring (Mango)

Life is composed of Ups and Downs and Victory and Defeat, Happiness and Sorrow. These are the ingredients with 6 tastes.

Ingredients:

Slightly Ripe mango                  1 no

Grated ginger                           1 tbsp.

Turmeric powder                     ¼ tsp.

Tamarind                                    a  small marble size

Grated Jaggery                        2 tbsp

Salt                                             a pinch 

Seasoning:

Coconut oil (or)Ghee        2tsp.

Mustard seeds               1tsp

Cumin seeds                ¼ tsp.

Curry leaves                     1 stem

Red chilies                        4 no.

Neem leaves                     1 tsbp.

Grated coconut                 1 tsp.

 Method:

• Wash the mango and cut into medium size thin pieces.
• Soak tamarind into hot water, and extract juice.
• Add mango pieces, ginger, turmeric powder, salt and little water into the tamarind juice and cook well.
• Now add jaggery and Simmer until the jaggery smell is lost.
• Remove from the fire, let it cool
• Heat ghee / oil and add seasonings, fry it.
• Now add the seasons to the mango Pachadi. Mix it well & remove from the heat.
• Enjoy a tasty and healthy mango Pachadi. 

Tips:

• If the mango is too sour, reduce the quantity of tamarind juice
• If the mango is too sweet, reduce the quantity of jaggery.

Sutta Kathirikkai Thayir Pachadi ~ Roasted Eggplant Raita

Yesterday I saw this small brinjals at Indian store, first came in my mind is this Thayir Pachadi. The eggplant is usually roasted on an open flame,  if you don’t have  gas stove , you can baste the eggplant with oil and bake in the oven till the skin gets roasted.

  Ingredients:

Medium size brinjals                       - 2 no

Oil to baste                                 – ¼ tsp.

Chopped green chillies                  – 4 no

Grated ginger                              – 1tsp

Yogurt                                      -  1 cup

Salt to taste

For seasonings:

 Oil                                         – 1 tsp.

 Mustard seeds                       – 1/2 tsp.

Cumin seeds                          – 1/2 tsp.

Asafetida                               – a pinch

Curry leaves                             – 4 or 5

 Chopped Cilantro                        – 2 tbsp. – for garnish

 Method:

•  Wash the brinjals thoroughly and wipe them dry.
• Pierce a fork or a knife into the vegetable and roast it in the flame.

• Once cool, discard the skin and mash the eggplant.  Whip the yogurt well.
• Add the yogurt, ginger, green chilies and salt to mashed eggplant and mix well.  
• Heat the oil for tempering; add the mustard seeds to it, when it begins to splutter, add the cumin seeds to it. Add curry leaves and Asafetida as well.
•  Pour this into the eggplant-yogurt mix.
• SuttaKaithrikkai Pachadi is ready
• Garnish with cilantro and serve as a side with rice, especially kathambha satham.

For  Oven Use::

• Preheat the oven to 400F.  Place the brinjals  on a baking sheet and brush the skin with the oil. Let it bake till the skin becomes all wrinkly and roasted, for about 10-15 mins. Take it out of the oven and let it cool.

Nellikkai Pachadi- Indian Gooseberry Raitha

Nellikkai is very rich in Protein. It is widely used in In Indian Ayurveda Medicines.  These are mostly available in winter season.

My mother makes powder of this and stores it in normal temp / refrigerator. The method of making the powder is to remove the seed. Cut it into small pieces and dry it in the sun. When it is dried thoroughly it can be grinded to make it into powder OR the dried pieces can be stored too. Here I used store bought frozen gooseberry. I used to make this Pachadi in Dhuvadesi days.

Ingredients:

Frozen or Fresh Gooseberry               -   5 no

 Grated Fresh Coconut                    – 2 tbsp.

Green chilies                                  – 2 no

Chopped coriander                           – 1 tsp.

Curd                                           -  1 cup

Salt                                            to taste

Seasoning:

Oil                                            - 1 tsp.

Mustard Seeds                           – ½ tsp.

Curry leaves                             – 1 tsp.

Hing                                         – 1/8 tsp.

Method

• Cook the Nellikkai in boiling water. Cool and remove the seeds.
• Grind the boiled Nellikkai, and other ingredients except curd. Make like chutney.
• Churn the curd with little water.
• Mix the Nellikkai chutney into the curd. Mix well.
• Heat oil in a small pan, add all seasonings, till they splutter and pour it into the Pachadi.
• Serve with hot plain rice.

Ginger Pachadi

Madappalli provides a simple recipe to make Ginger Pachadi.

Ingredients:

 Fresh Ginger piece – 1 Big

Fresh Grated Coconut- ¼ cup

Green Chilies – 5 no

Plain Yogurt/ Curd – 1 cup

Salt to taste

Seasonings:

Oil- ½ tsp

Mustard Seeds – 1 tsp

Asafetida – ¼ tsp

Curry leaves – few (optional)

Method :

Wash and ‘grate the ginger.

Grind coconut  with ginger, green chillies and salt coarsely.

Churn the curd very well and mix with grounded ginger masala.

Season with the above seasonings ingredients.

Serve with rice.

Ginger Pachadi

Beetroot Pachadi

Beet greens are a very good source of calcium, iron, Vitamins A and C. Beetroots are an excellent source of folic acid. They are a very good source of fiber, manganese and potassium. Beet greens and beetroot are a good source of phosphorus, magnesium, iron and vitamin B6. Betacaine is the pigment that gives beetroot its color, and has powerful antioxidant. Beet fiber has been shown to have cholesterol lowering capabilities properties. Beetroot contains the bioactive agent betaine, which supports healthy liver function.

 This is one of my favorite dish from Kerala Cuisine.I love this colorful pachadi.

Ingredients: 

Beetroot                       – 1 no (finely chopped or grated)

Ginger grated                 – 1 tbsp

Green chillies                 - 5 no (finely chopped)

Curd                                – 1 cup

Seasoning:

Coconut Oil                       – 1tsp

Mustard seeds                   – ½ tsp

Red chillies                         – 2 no

Curry leaves                      – 1 stem

Salt                                   – to taste

Method:

• Wash and remove the skin of beetroot and chop it finely. Put it in the microwave bowl and cook it for 4 minutes. (If you don’t have microwave , you can sauté it in frying pan for 3 minutes.)
• Heat oil in a pan and sauté finely chopped ginger, green chillies and cooked beetroot for 2 minutes. Add salt and mix well.
• When it is cooked remove from fire. Let the mixture cool… and then add thick curd to it and mix it well.
• Heat oil in a pan and add mustard seeds, curry leaves and red chillies. When it splutters pour this over the beetroot and combine it well.

Zucchini Pachadi

Zucchini, a small summer squash, is botanically a fruit. However, in gastronomic terms, it is considered to be a vegetable. Though you can avail zucchini throughout the year, the best ones appear during late spring.  Zucchini have lot of health benefits. You want to know about health benefit please see this link

http://www.naturalfoodbenefits.com/display.asp?CAT=2&ID=81

Ingredients: 

Zucchini                                  – 1 (grated and sprinkled with a pinch of salt)

Plain low-fat yogurt                   – 2 cups

Fresh hot chili peppers               - 3 no

Chopped fresh coriander leaves,    1 tablespoon

Fresh lemon zest                          1/2 teaspoon (optional)

For the Seasoning:

Vegetable oil                           1 teaspoon

Black mustard seeds                   1 teaspoon

Fresh curry leaves                      – 10 nos

Asafetida                                - 2 pinch

Salt                                          as needed

Method:

• Squeeze the excess water from the zucchini.
• Mix the yogurt in a bowl with the grated zucchini, chopped chili pepper, coriander, lemon zest and
• Set aside.
• Heat the oil in a small skillet, add mustard seeds, curry leaves and Asafetida.
• Fry, for 1 minute. Pour the seasoned oil over the yogurt mixture and stir in the salt. Garnish with coriander leaves.

Pineapple Pachadi

Pineapples are rich in vitamins, proteins and essential minerals. At the same time, they are extremely low in terms of fat content. That makes this fruit an ideal low-calorie, yet filling food. It is a perfect choice for a midday snack for weight watchers and the calorie conscious community. Pineapple is very good for overall dental health. Since it has a high content of Vitamin C, it can reduce the chances of gum inflammation and other gum diseases.

Kerala Cuisine is blessed with many Pineapple dishes, and this Pineapple Pachadi is one of my favorite. And in southern Kerala, this sweet dish is used as an accompaniment for Sadya.

The cleaning and cutting part of the pineapple is quite difficult and time consuming. This is a tedious job, which I always hate to do. In this recipe instead of fresh pineapple I used tinned pineapples.

Here’s my version of Pineapple Pachadi…

Ingredients:

Pineapple                                1 tin

Turmeric Powder                      a pinch

Mustard seeds crushed             1 teaspoon.

Water                                      1/4 cup

Salt                                         To taste

Well beaten Yogurt                    2 cups

For grinding:-

Jeera/cumin seeds                    1/2 teaspoon.

Grated coconut                         1/2 cup

Green chillies                            3 Nos.

For Seasoning:

Mustard Seeds                           1/2 teaspoon.

Dried Whole Red Chilies              3 no.

Curry leaves                               a sprig

Coconut Oil                                 2 Tablespoon

Method:

• Chop the pineapple into small pieces. Mix together chopped pineapple, turmeric powder , crushed mustard seeds, salt and water in a pan and cook till pineapple are soft and well  cooked.
• Grind coconut with Jeera and green chillies. Add the ground mixture into the cooked pineapple.
• Lower the heat and be cook for 10 minutes till it becomes thick.
• Remove from the fire and add the yogurt and mix well. Not to boil it after adding yogurt.
• Heat coconut oil in a pan, add mustard seeds when its starts to pop, add dry red chilli, and curry leaves and sauté it for few minutes.
• Pour this into the cooked pineapple mixture.
• Serve with hot rice.

Pineapple Pachadi

Dangar Pachadi

This recipe is made with Urdh dhal powder. This is very famous in Thirunelvelli and Madurai districts. This pachadi very well goes with vatral kuzhambu.  You can make this pachadi within 5 minutes.

Ingredients:

Urdh dhal powder                   – 3 tbsp

Plain yogurt                          – 1 cup

Chopped green chillies              – 2 tbsp

Jeera                                     – 1 tsp

Hing                                     – 1/8 tsp

Mustard seed                         – ½ tsp

Curry leaves                          – 1 tsp

Chopped coriander leaves        – 1 tbsp

Salt                                     – to taste

Method

• Mix Urdh dhal and salt, very well.
• Heat oil fry mustard seeds, Jeera, and Hing, curry leaves
• Add to the dhal mixture .
• Whisk the yogurt and add to the dhal mixture.
• If you need you can add water in it. Whisk well.
• Garnish with coriander leaves.