Puli Milagai
This is a hot and sweet pachadi, that goes well with idly, dosa and curd rice. You can make this recipe when you are tired of the regular chutneys. This is a saiva-pillai recipe which I learnt from my mom. This recipe is typically made with young and tender green chillies -my mom calls them pinju milagai / kunju milagai. When the chilly season ends the chillies which remain in the plant do not mature and remain small in size. Such chillies are ideal for this recipe. These green chillies are not very hot and spicy and they can be eaten along with the pachadi. Green chillies and shallots are sautéed in gingelly oil and simmered in tamarind sauce to which jaggery is added to create this yummy sidedish. This stays at room temperature for 2 days and in fridge for 3-4 days.
Posting this recipe for “spotlight-curries and gravies” event conducted by Chandhrani of Cuisine delights, originally started by Indrani of Recipe Junction.
Puli Milagai
Ingredients:
1 tbsp. gingelly oil
10 12 no. young & tender greenchillies
25 no.shallots / sambar onions
¼ tsp turmeric powder
A big marble size tamarind
A small lemon size ball of jaggery
Salt to taste
For tempering:
1 tbsp.gingelly oil
½ tsp mustard
½ tsp urad dhal
A pinch of hing
Few curry leaves
Method:
- Wash and slit the green chillies half way through .
- Peel the shallots .
- Extract juice from tamarind.
- In a pan heat 1 tbsp. gingelly oil. Add the chillies and shallots and sauté well, till they are half cooked.
- Now add ½ cup of water. Let the chillies and onions get cooked thoroughly.
- Now add the tamarind juice, turmeric powder and salt . Allow the mixture to simmer for 10 minutes.
- Add jaggery to the mix, let it simmer for few more minutes and remove from fire.
- The tempering is done liberally with gingelly oil. Enjoy puli milagai with hot Idli or Dosa.
Naarthangai Pachadi / Citron Pachadi
When I saw naarthangai at the local market last week, bought them on an impulse because where we live it is a rare sight to see. When I came home MIL told that we already have a big jar of naarthangai pickle. So I decided to make some other recipes using naarthangai – made pachadi and uppu naarthangai.
This naarthangai pachadi is a saiva pillai special which I learnt from my mom, but this is the first time I am trying it on my own. This sweet and sour pachadi tastes different from your regular pickle and tingles your tastebuds. This recipe is conventionally had as a side dish with idli, dosa and curd rice. I have tried them with rotis and they taste as good. This easily provides you with your daily dose of vitamin C, which in turn helps in better absorption of iron. No wonder moms and grandmothers always served a piece of citron/lemon pickle with lunch 
This stays well in the fridge for 2-3 weeks in a sterile closed container. When needed, take the required quantity of pachadi in a separate bowl using a clean dry spoon. Reheat if you want. Outside the fridge it stays well for a week.
P.S. Use only gingelly oil, which is important for the flavour of the pachadi. It also acts as a preservative.
Naarthangai Pachadi / Citron Pachadi
Ingredients:
1 naarthangai / citron big size
1 big lemon size ball of tamarind
2 small lemon size balls of jaggery
6-8 red chillies ( adjust according to taste )
1/2 tsp fenugreek seeds
2 pinches of hing
salt as required
2 tsp + 1/2 tsp gingelly oil
For tempering:
1 tbsp gingelly oil
1 tsp mustard
1/2 tsp urad dhal
1 sprig of curry leaves (optional)
Method:
- Soak the tamarind in 2 cups of hot water and extract a thick juice.
- Roast the red chillies, fenugreek and hing separately in 1/2 tsp oil. Cool and make it into a powder.
- Wash and cut the naarthangai into small bite size pieces.
- In a pan add 2 tsp gingelly oil and saute the cut pieces. Add 2 cups of water or water till the pieces are immersed. Cook in a medium flame for about 10 minutes till the naarthangai pieces are soft.
- Now drain the excess water and keep the cooked naarthangai pieces aside. This step is very important because the water in naarthangai is cooked is very bitter and should be discarded.
- Now add the naarthangai pieces to the tamarind juice along with the chilly powder mix and the required amount of salt. Pour this into the pan and allow it to boil.
- Now add the jaggery and simmer for 5-10 minutes.
- Finally do the tempering in generous amounts of gingelly oil. This acts as a preservative.
- Store in a dry, sterile container with a tight lid in the fridge. Enjoy with idli, dosa and curd rice.
Inji Pachadi / Ginger Pachadi
This is a very simple dish served as an accompaniment to sodhi. It also tastes good with curd rice. It is very good for digestion.
Reposting this recipe for DNSW-I event hosted by Akila of Akila’s Kitchen.
Inji Pachadi / Ginger Pachadi
Ingredients:
50 gms ginger-peeled and cut into small pieces
1/2 cup shredded coconut
1-2 red chillies
1/4 tsp turmeric powder
A large lemon sized ball of jaggery
Salt to taste
2+2 tsp oil
For tempering:
1 tsp oil
½ tsp mustard
½ tsp urad dhal
1-2 sprigs curry leaves
Method:
- Heat the pan. Add 2 tsp oil and fry the red chillies. In the same oil fry the chopped ginger till golden brown.
- Add 2 more tsp of oil and fry the shredded coconut till golden brown.
- Allow this to cool and grind in mixer along with salt to a fine paste.
- Transfer this paste along with turmeric powder to a pan and allow it to simmer. Add the jaggery and simmer till raw smell is gone.
- Temper with mustard, urad dhal and curry leaves. Serve with rice and sodhi.
Mangai Pachadi / Raw Mango Pachadi
Iniya tamil puthandu nalvazhthukal (Wishing you all a very happy tamil new year). This recipe is a staple at my home on tamil new year’s day. I don’t know what is the relationship of mango and tamil new year. I guess the month of “chithirai” marks the onset of mango season and so it is cooked on the day of tamil new year.
This is a very simple recipe. This sweet and tangy recipe tastes good with sambar, rasam and curd rice as well. From my experience I know it tastes good with rotis also.
Posting this recipe for ’C for colorful currries’ event hosted by Charitha of ’women’s era2008′.
Reposting this recipe for mango recipes hosted by Sameena of myculinarycreations.
Mangai pachadi / raw mango pachadi
Ingredients:
I medium sized raw mango (preferably kili-mooku type which is not very sour)
¼ tsp turmeric powder
½ tsp chilli powder
Salt as required
1 big lemon sized ball of jaggery
¼ cup shredded coconut
½ tsp jeera
For tempering:
1 tsp oil
½ tsp mustard
½ tsp urad dhal
1-2 sprigs curry leaves
Method:
- Wash and peel the mango .
- Now cut the mango into thin slices.
- In a pan add half a cup of water and cook the mango slices with salt, chilli powder and turmeric powder till the mango pieces become very soft and mushy. Alternatively you can pressur cook the mango for two whistles.
- Grind the coconut and jeera into a paste. After the mango is cooked add this coconut paste and jaggery and simmer for 2-3 minutes
- . Temper with mustard, urad dhal and curry leaves. Tangy mango pachadi is ready to serve.
Vendaikkai Pachadi- Tirunelveli Special
This recipe is a tirunelveli special one. It is a must recipe in our marriage lunches. We also make this on function days when we prepare oru vagai curry ( oru vagai curry consists of one poriyal, kootu, aviyal, pachadi, paruppu and ghee , sambar and appalam . It means one food of each variety ). This is a very simple and tasty recipe and tastes very good with rasam rice. My mom has an array of pachadi recipes. Pachadis with their tangy taste make a good companion to rasam. On somedays when we decide to make a simple lunch, it consists of rice, rasam and a pachadi.It can also be had with sambar rice and curd rice. Vendakkai Pachadi tastes good with ulundham paruppu saadham also.
Vendaikkai Pachadi/Ladies Finger Pachadi
Ingredients:
15 no. ladies finger
2 small size tomatoes
1 medium sized onion
1 green chilly
1/3 cup shredded coconut
1/2 tsp cumin seeds
Salt to taste
2 tsp oil
For tempering:
1/2 tsp oil
1/2 tsp mustard
1/2 tsp urad dhal
2 sprigs curry leaves
Method:
- Slit each ladies finger into two or four and chop finely.
- Chop onion and tomatoes finely and keep aside.
- Heat 2 tsp of oil in a pan. Add the ladies finger and onion and sauté for few minutes. Then add the tomato pieces and sauté some more. Now add 1 cup of water and let the vegetables cook.
- Meanwhile grind coconut, cumin seeds and green chilly into a smooth paste. After the vegetables are cooked add the paste, let it boil for 2-3 minutes. Pachadi is ready. Do the tempering with mustard and urad dhal.
