Pachadi series: Carrot & capsicum pachadi (Carrot & green bell pepper chutney)

Ingredients:

• Medium size carrots about 4
• Small Green bell pepper – 1
• Green chilles- 5
• a handfull of coriander leaves
• few curry leaves
• Tamarind paste and salt.

Dry ingredients :

• chana dal – 3 tsps
• urad dal – 1 1/2 tsp
• dhania and jeera – 1/2 tsp each

Take these four ingredients in a dry pan and toast them till light brown. Once warm transfer these to a mixer and grind to a fine powder.

Procedure:

Peel and chop the carrot to small pieces. chop the  green bell pepper and slit the chilles.

In a pan add two tsps of oil, then add the curry leaves and green chillies. After a minute add the veggies and salt. Cover and cook till soft. Just before turning off the stove add the coriander leaves and tamarind.

Combine this mixture with the  powdered dry ingredients and grind to a coarse paste.
If the mixer is not cooperating, add a bit of water. That should work.

Transfer the mixture to a bowl, adjust the seasoning and do the talimpu (tempering).. Take a tsp of oil, once hot add few mustard seeds. Then half a tsp each of chana dal, urad dal and jeera. Then add the curry leaves and a pinch of asafatedia.

Serve with chapathi or hot white rice. Also tastes great with toasted wheat bread.

Pachadi series: Dondakaya pachadi (Tindora chutney)

Ingredients:

• Tindora: about 25
• Green chilles:  5
• Cumin seeds: 1/2 tsp
• Garlic cloves :2
• few curry leaves
• tamarind paste – 3 tsps
• jaggery/sugar: 1/4th tsp (optional)
• salt to taste and
• talimpu ingredients.

Procedure:

Wash the tindora and cut the edges off. Cut the tindora to small pieces.

Slit the green chilles.

In a pan put the cumin seeds and fry for few seconds. Remove.

In the same pan, add some oil, green chilles, curry leaves and the tindora. Add some salt and cook till the vegetable becomes soft. Cool completely.

Take a mixer, add the cumin seeds and run it for few seconds. Then add the sauteed tindora, garlic cloves, tamarind paste and salt. Grind till soft. Check the seasonings.

Do the talimpu (popu/tadka) with a tsp of oil, bit of mustard seeds, 1/2 tsp each of chana dal, urad dal and cumin.  Also add few curry leaves and hing.

Mix the tadka with  pachadi and serve it with chapathi or white rice.