VADUMANGAI PACHADI / ARACHU KALAKKI

This traditional pachadi is a quick and tasty pachadi, popularly known as "azhugamanga pachadi", again NOT with the rotten mangoes as the name says, but with brined baby mangoes or soft old maavadu/vadu mangai which has lost its crunchiness in a year. It is usually served as a side dish with South Indian thali. This is a traditional Tanjore brahmin recipe . It is called as 'arachu kalakki' in Kerala. Click here for Vadumangai thogayal (azhugamanga thogayal) 

INGREDIENTS:

Vadumangai / Tender mangoes in brine - 8
Green chillies - 1 or 2
Grated coconut - 1/4 cup
Thick curds - 1 cup
Salt - if needed

To temper:
Oil / Coconut oil - 1 teaspoon
Mustard seeds - 1/4 teaspoon
Dry red chillies -1

METHOD:

Whisk curd smoothly. Take maavadu or brined mangoes, grind with chillies, coconut to a paste. Add it to the curd alongwith very little salt if necessary (brined mangoes have salt in it). Mix well and temper with the given ingredients. Curry leaves can also be added for tempering.

Serve as a side dish with South Indian thali. You can also have it with hot steamed rice with fried appalam or pappadam. 

NOTE: You can also make this with brined amla or cooked and mashed yam.
The seeds of baby mangoes have medicinal benefits. So it is not necessary to remove the seeds. However, you can remove the seeds if if it is big and not so tender. 

SHIVRATHRI RAITHA / SHIVARATHRI RAITHA

Pictured by Mrs.Safeera, my friend

INGREDIENTS:

Sweet potato  - 1 small

Organic cucumber  - 1

Singhara (Water chestnuts) - 3

Curd - 2 cups

Roasted peanuts - 2 tsp. (Roughly crushed)

Green chilly - 1 (finely chopped)

Cumin powder - 1/4 tsp.
Salt - to taste
Coriander leaves - 1 tablespoon (finely chopped)

METHOD:

Boil sweet potatoes and roughly mash it or cut it to small pieces. Boil, peel and chop singhara. Cut cucumbers finely. Beat curd until smooth. 

Mix all the ingredients. Offer to the Lord. Serve chilled or at room temperature.

MANGO PACHADI (SWEET) / MANGAI PACHADI

INGREDIENTS:

Raw mango - 1 cup

Crushed jaggery - 2 cups

Ghee 1 tsp.
Mustard seeds - 1/8 tsp.
Dry red chilly - 1
Hing

METHOD:

NOTE: If the mango is sour the jaggery ratio is as said in the ingredients. If the mango is kilimooku variety, it will not be sour and slightly sweet. Then you can  put jaggery in the ratio 1:1.

Select firm raw mango.

Peel the skin and slice the mangoes to biteable size. Boil in little water till it is tender.

Crush jaggery with a crusher. Add to the mango and allow it to boil till the raw smell is diffused and glossy.

Temper mustard seeds, hing and red chillies in ghee and add to the pachadi. Give it a boil. Serve hot or cold.

VEPPAMPOO (NEEM FLOWER) PACHADI

In addition to the general pandigai menu, this pachadi is prepared on Tamil New Year and has all the six tastes (sweet, sour, salt, bitter, pungent and astringent).

INGREDIENTS:

Crushed jaggery - 1 cup
Mango sliced - 1/4 cup
Tamarind - a marble size OR tamarind paste - 1/2 tsp.
Dry red chilly OR green chilly - 1
Mustard seeds - 1/4 tsp.
Fresh veppampoo (neem flowers) - 3 tsp.
Salt - 1/8 tsp.
Ghee - 1 tsp.

METHOD:

Soak the tamarind in water, extract pulp.

Boil the mango slices in little water with a pinch of salt.

Add the mangoes to the tamarind extract and boil till the raw smell of tamarind goes. Now, add the crushed jaggery and again boil it till the raw smell of the jaggery goes.

In a pan, heat a tsp. of ghee, add mustard seeds and when they splutter add red chilly and fry the veppampoo (neem flowers) till golden brown. Add to the above and mix well.

SNAKEGOURD PACHADI

INGREDIENTS:

Snakegourd - 100 gms
Curd - 11/2 cups
Salt - as per taste
Oil - 2 tablespoon
Mustard seeds - 1/4 tsp.
Urad dhal - 1/2 tsp.
Red chilly - 1
Hing

METHOD:

Heat oil, add mustard seeds, urad dhal, chilly and hing. When golden brown add chopped snakegourd and salt. Fry till it is cooked and shrinked. Add it to the curd and mix well. Goes well as a side dish with manathakkali vathal kozhambu. You can add curd to get the desired consistency.

LADY'SFINGER PACHADI

INGREDIENTS:

Lady's finger - 100 gms
Curd - 11/2 cups
Salt - as per taste
Oil - 2 tablespoon
Mustard seeds - 1/4 tsp.
Urad dhal - 1/2 tsp.
Red chilly - 1
Hing

METHOD:

Heat oil, add mustard seeds, urad dhal, chilly and hing. When golden brown add chopped lady'sfinger and salt. Fry well it it shrinks and crisp. Add it to the curd while serving and mix well. Do not add the lady's finger before. It will become soggy. Goes well as a side dish to South Indian Thali. You can add curd to get the desired consistency.

GINGER PACHADI

INGREDIENTS:

Ginger - 2" piece
Coconut scraped - 1/4 cup
Green chilly - 1
Salt- as per taste
Curd - 1 or 2 cups
Mustard seeds - 1/4 tsp.
Urad dhal - 1/2 tsp.
Hing
Oil - 1 tsp.

METHOD:

Wash the ginger well. Peel out the skin. Chop it and grind it in a mixie alongwith chilly, coconut and salt. Transfer it to a bowl, add curd to it and mix well . If too thick, mix some more curd. Season with mustard seeds, urad dhal and hing. Spicy, ginger pachadi is ready.

DAANGAR PACHADI

INGREDIENTS:

Dry roasted urad dhal powder - 4 tsp.
Salt - as per taste
Fresh curd - 1/2 cup
Thick butter milk - 1/2 cup
Hing - 1 pinch
Coriander leaves - few

For seasoning:
Mustard seeds - 1/4 tsp.
Oil - 1 tsp.

METHOD:

Mix all the ingredients without any lumps. If thick, add some more buttermilk. Season with mustard seeds. Add finely chopped coriander leaves and mix well.

VARIATION:
RAW DAANGAR PACHADI:

Use raw urad dhal powder, instead of roasted urad dhal powder, and season with cumin seeds and mustard seeds.

NELLIKAI PACHADI

As already said, nellikai pachadi or nellikai thogayal is done on Dwadashi days.

INGREDIENTS:

Big nellikai(Amla) - 2
Salt - as per taste
Green chillies - 2
Curd - 1 cup
Scraped coconut - 2 teaspoons
Mustard seeds - 1/4 tsp.
Urad dhal - 1/2 tsp.

METHOD:

Steam cook nellikai and discard the seeds. Mash the cooked nellikai using your hand. In a mixie, grind the green chillies, salt and scraped coconut, add mashed nellikai and give it a whip.

Transfer it to a bowl and add the curd . Mix well.

Season it with mustard seeds and urad dhal.

CUCUMBER RAITHA

INGREDIENTS:

Cucumber (small variety) - 2
Thick curd - 2 cups
Salt
Green chillies - 1 or 2
Coriander leaves - few

METHOD:

Slit green chillies, take out the seeds and cut into very fine pieces.

Grate or chop cucumber very finely. Add salt and leave it for 10 minutes. Squeeze out the excess water using your hand.

Now add curd, chillies and coriander leaves and mix well.

Best with any pulao and a pachadi for pandigais also. A bowl of this will equate a meal. Good for obese people and everyone.

ONION RAITHA

INGREDIENTS:

Big onion -1
Thick Curd - 2 cups
Salt
Coriander leaves - few

METHOD:

Chop onions very finely. Add salt and leave it for 10 minutes.

Now add the curd, mix well and garnish with coriander leaves.

Best with veg. biriyani and veg. pulao.