Vengaya Pachadi (a Kerala main course accompaniment)

Our ancestors cooked their meals in simple ways from the simple ingredients available and lead simple lives which were devoid of any artificialities which we have so much in our lives! It was a win-win situation where the food cooked was delicious beyond words,was finished in no time and gave them the needed nutrition to make up for lost elements within the body! My ancestral home in Palakkad,Kerala used to reverberate with childish laughter,ladies gossiping,the pounding of spices on the stone mortar with the heavy iron pestle,the “squelch squelch” of wet grinding batter on the manual stone grinder with the heavy iron grinding stone (the ladies were strong and capable of lifting heavy objects and capable of doing heavy work which we would be afraid of these days).

Vengaya means Onion (referring to baby Onions in India) and Pachadi means a kind of chutney cooked with whole ingredients rather than grinding them to a paste.This classic accompaniment is a trademark of my great grandma’s kitchen and I am pretty nostalgic when she used to pair it with mild curries. The Tamarind in the Pachadi went beautifully well with the coconut laced curries which we had with plain rice! Recently the State of Kerala was enveloped in massive floods which was quite depressing to see and hear and for that reason the theme for the Secretly Cooking Challenge was Kerala! This can be paired with North Indian snacks as well as it goes marvellously with basting on meats as well as marinating chicken and fish,

I was paired with Sasmita Sahoo Samanta who blogs at First Timer Cook.

Sasmita gave me small/baby Onion and Tamarind and I gave her all purpose flour and sugar with which she made a delicious Malabar Parotta.This is the link to her delicious recipe :

https://www.firsttimercook.com/2018/10/malabar-parotta-barotta-kerala-paratha-Vegan-Eggfree.html

However I could not get baby Onions here so used the small Shallots which went amazingly well.

The Shallots I used…

This Pachadi goes well with all curries and even with plain rice! It is the salt-sweet-acidic and spicy taste which makes everyone a complete fan of it! This was the recipe entered for the Secretly Cooking Challenge!

So let us go to the recipe :

Preparation Time : 15 minutes

Makes : 2 – 3 servings

INGREDIENTS

3 – 4 Shallots/Baby Onions

A lemon sized ball of Tamarind (soaked in 2 cups water for 2 hours)

1 tbsp oil

1 tsp black mustard seeds (rai)

1 dried chilli (split in 3)

1 tsp salt

2 tsp sugar

1/2 tsp turmeric powder

1/4 tsp red chilli powder

1/8/pinch tsp asafoetida

METHOD

Peel and dice Shallots.

Heat oil and add the mustard seeds,asafoetida and split dried red chilli. Let the seeds splutter.

Add the diced Shallots and fry till translucent.

Add the turmeric and red chilli and mix well.

Now strain the Tamarind water into the cooked Shallots and stir well.

Add salt and sugar and stir well. Taste and adjust the seasoning here.

Lower the heat and let the tamarind water simmer till it reduces to half.

When it reduces to half the original quantity take off heat and leave to come to room temperature. The liquid will thicken and it will be extremely delicious!

Serve with any main course or as a dip.

17 thoughts on “Vengaya Pachadi (a Kerala main course accompaniment)”

The Girl Next Door says:

October 8, 2018 at 9:26 am

Oh, my! The vengaya pachadi looks so delicious! 🙂
This sounds similar to the vattalkozhambu that we Tam-Brahms make.

Rafeeda - The Big Sweet Tooth says:

October 8, 2018 at 9:42 am

Oh slurp! Peeling shallots maybe a pain, but all that disappears when you have the dish that uses this ingredient, isn’t it? I can’t stop drooling at that pachadi, must try this when I get a chance to…

shobhakeshwani says:

October 8, 2018 at 10:26 am

Onion pachadi looks yummy and spicy. Will try it out sometime. It is very different than the usual onion chutneys we make.

Vidya Narayan says:

October 9, 2018 at 10:56 am

The problem with such recipes is that once you make them, you can actually draw up a menu just to finish this whole thing off. I would pair this with rice and molagutal as much as roti sabzi or even breakfast. Tamarind and shallots with spices – way to entice your taste buds.

Priya says:

October 9, 2018 at 10:08 pm

oh yumm…looking at that picture, i just want some curd rice to eat with this pachadi

themadscientistskitchen says:

October 10, 2018 at 12:47 pm

Oo…ma my mouth is watering . I love the use of shallots something I assumed were used only to make Sambhar. Yummy.

Priya Suresh says:

October 10, 2018 at 11:24 pm

Definitely a fingerlicking goodness pachadi, how delicious and tempting its looks.. Tongue tickling dish for the sure. Loving it.

Sujata Roy says:

October 11, 2018 at 9:13 pm

Pachadi looks mouthwatering Amrita. Just like a fingerlicking dip or chutney. Loved it. Bookmarking it to try soon. Awesome share.

Renu says:

October 12, 2018 at 12:56 pm

The pachadi looks yum and tasty. Looks quite flavourful and aromatic.

Anu Kollon says:

October 13, 2018 at 12:25 am

this pachadi is mouth watering and looks super delicious

mayurisjikoni says:

October 16, 2018 at 11:43 pm

A mouth watering pachadi Amrita using onions. This can be enjoyed with so many things. You’re so write life has become so artificial and people have forgotten all about simple living. But the way the world is going, soon we all may be forced to lead simple lives like our ancestors.

Kalyani says:

October 17, 2018 at 6:40 pm

your first paragraph took me back to a kerala tharuvaadu (kerala home).. the pachadi is so lipsmackimg..very simialr to the Gojju we make with onions from karnataka , yet different.. lovely clicks , Amrita 🙂

Aruna says:

October 17, 2018 at 9:54 pm

What a flavourful pachadi! I would be loathe to share it with anyone.

jayashreetrao says:

October 18, 2018 at 4:12 pm

The vengaya pachadi looks tasty and will be ideal with many things.

Seema Doraiswamy Sriram says:

October 22, 2018 at 1:04 pm

Oh my god…i had so forgotten about this. Can i make with frozen shallots?

poonampagar says:

October 22, 2018 at 6:14 pm

The pachadi sounds spicy, tangy and sweet all in one go. So fingerling good ! Would love to try it with my favourite waran bhat . Thanks for this tempting share Amrita !

PepperOnPizza says:

October 22, 2018 at 8:12 pm

Im asking myself why I have not ever made this for myself. Such a tasty looking pachadi, and it must be brilliant with rice or with chapatis. Thanks for sharing the recipe to an old favourite!