Pachadi is a Side dish in south India which is equivalent to ‘Raita’ in North India. Usually pachadi is made with vegetables mixed with curd and a mixture of coconut and green chilies, though there are some varieties where vegetables are cooked in tamarind pulp too. One of my all time favorites is the vendakaya pachadi or the okra/lady’s finger pachadi. The fried okra in the curd-coconut-chili mixture tastes just awesome. This is a necessary part of every feast called saddi or sadya, a full fledged festive meal served on plantain leaves.
Ingredients:
- 500 gm okra/lady’s finger
- 1 inch piece of ginger
- 2 tbsp of coconut
- 100 gm of whipped curd
- 2 green chilies
- 1 tsp mustard
- 5-6 curry leaves
- Salt to taste
- 2 tbsp oil
Method:
- In a pan heat some oil and add the chopped okra, salt and fry till they are cooked. You can sprinkle some water too, but make sure they don’t become sticky.
- Let it cool
- Grind the coconut, ginger and green chilies with 1 tbsp of curd
- Take a serving bowl, add the fried okra, the coconut paste and adjust salt
- For tempering, heat some oil in a pan, add mustard seeds, after it crackles add curry leaves and add it to the pachadi
- Serve as a side dish with rice and sambar/aviyal
Preparation time: 20 minutes
Serves: 3