Anai Pachadi
Submitted by sandi22
South Indian vegetable curry with butternut squash, coconut, tamarind, and mustard seed tempering. Tangy, mildly spiced, and perfect with rice.
YIELD
4 servingsPREP
20 minCOOK
20 minREADY
40 minThis South Indian side dish balances sweet squash with the sharp tang of tamarind and the earthy heat of green chilies and mustard seeds.
Butternut squash simmers with tamarind paste and turmeric until tender, then gets stirred with a ground paste of coconut, green chilies, and mustard seeds. The finishing touch is a traditional tempering: mustard seeds sputtered in hot oil with fenugreek, red chili, and curry leaves, poured over the top to release all those aromatic oils. The result is tangy, mildly spiced, and just rich enough from the coconut.
Serve it as a side with rice and dal, or swap the squash for okra, eggplant, or a mix of both for variety.
Chef Tips
- Cut squash evenly so pieces cook at the same rate
- Let mustard seeds splutter completely in the oil before adding other spices
- Substitute yogurt for tamarind at the end if you prefer a milder, creamier tang
- Use fresh curry leaves if possible; dried ones won’t have the same aromatic punch
Ingredients
Directions
Cut squash into inch square and ¼ inch thick slices. Wash and in about a cup and a half of water, add tamarind paste and sliced squash.
Add turmeric, salt and cook on low heat until done.
Grind coconut, green chillies, ½ teaspoon mustard seeds and stir into cooked squash. Can wash out blender and add this water too.
Let mustard seeds splutter in oil, add fenugreek, red chilli, curry leaves and in a couple of minutes pour onto pachadi.
Variations:
Instead of tamarind paste can use yogurt at the end. Can use cut okra or, okra and eggplant pieces, instead of squash.
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