If there’s one thing you can count on Andhra cuisine, it is to spice up a meal. Pachadis are hands down a highlight of the cuisine The innumerable number of Pachadis (chutneys) that the cuisine offers is mind boggling.
Beerakaya Pachadi is probably the first one I learnt from my mom-in-law and began making on my own and one that I frequently make even now. When you taste it, you can never guess the vegetable it is made of.
Pachadi can have different meanings depending upon the context of the cuisine. In Andhra cuisine, Pachadi refers to a thick spicy chutney mostly made with mustard, fenugreek seeds and chillies as the key ingredients, a chutney that can be consumed immediately or can be used as a preserve having a longer shelf life.
Quite versatile as it can be made from a variety of vegetables, peels, leafy greens, herbs as well as rhizomes like ginger and mango ginger (mamidi allam pachadi is simply too good)
Beerakaya Pachadi is an Andhra style spicy Ridge Gourd Chutney
BEerakaya – Telugu; Heerekayi – kannada; Turai – Hindi ; Peerthangai – Tamil
Pachadis belong to the category of Appetizers. A true appetizer meant to be consumed as the “modati muddha” or first morsel, it makes one salivate and gets the digestive juices active. Indian cuisine is truly amazing that way. Goes perfectly well with Dosa and Chapathi as well with a side of perugu/yogurt.
Pachadis are meant to liven the taste buds. This recipe makes used of the pottu (peels) as well as the kaya (vegetable)
Tips to make the best Pachadi
Fresh and tender Beerakaya make the best pachadi.
Check for bitterness by tasting before using. Some of them can be bitter even when they look tender.
For longer shelf life, use red chillies. If Pachadi is eaten sooner, green chillies can be added along with red chillies as well as coriander leaves
- 1 cup 200 gms beerakaya / ridge gourd (about 1/2 a small ridge gourd)
- 1 handful ridge gourd peels
- 8 byadagi red chillies
- 1 green chilli
- 1 stalk curry leaves
- couple of sprigs of coriander leaves
- 1-1/2 tsp size tamarind
- 1-1/2 tbsp urad dal/black gram
- 1/2 tsp mustard seeds/aavaalu
- 1/2 tsp fenugreek seeds/menthulu
- big pinch of hing/asafetida
- 3 tsp peanut oil for pan roasting
- salt to taste
- 2 tsp sesame or peanut oil
- 1/2 tsp mustard seeds
- big pinch hing /asafetida
-
Scrub and wash the ridge gourd clean. Towel dry completely.
-
Trim the ends of the Ridge gourd and peel the skin just over the ridges as well as roughly elsewhere leaving some skin on. Discard the thin peels from the ridges and keep the broad the peels aside.
-
Chop the peeled ridge gourd into small cubes. For this chutney, we will use about 1 cup and a handful of the peels.
-
Heat peanut oil in a skillet or kadai. When the oil is hot, add mustard seeds. When they begin to splutter, add fenugreek seeds, urad dal and red chillies and pan fry on low-medium heat until the methi seeds and urad dal are golden brown and fragrant and the red chillies plump up. Do not let any of them burn.
-
Reserving the oil in the Kadai, strain the spices to a small mixie jar and set aside to cool completely.
-
In the remaining oil in the kadai, stir fry the green chili and curry leaves until white spots appear on the chilli and curry leaves are not raw anymore. Strain those onto a plate.
-
In the remaining oil, pan fry the chopped ridge gourd pieces on medium-high flame for a few minutes until the raw smell goes away and they appear shiny/translucent. Make sure that they don't leave water. Remove onto the plate and let cool completely.
-
Add a few drops of oil next and saute the peels until the rawness goes away and they appear dull green. switch off the stove and let cool.
-
Grind the ground spices and red chillies to a fine powder in a small jar grinder first.
-
Add the roasted green chilli, curry leaves, roasted peels and ridge gourd pieces, tamarind and salt and grind to a semi smooth paste without adding water.
-
Taste check and adjust salt if needed.
-
Transfer to a clean (non-reactive) glass bowl
-
, Heat oil a small kadai. When the oil is hot, add mustard seeds and let them pop. Turn off the stove and add hing to this. Pour this tempering over the pachadi.
-
Serve with steaming hot rice and ghee or as a side with Dosa, Pesarattu and the like.
-
Store airtight in the refrigerator for later use.
Always handle with a dry spoon.
It will easily store well in the refrigerator for a week when handled with a dry spoon.
Leave a Reply