London Diaries

Over the next month or so, I'll try to regularly post writings of our London adventures. I'm working on documenting our trip with the best my memory can do, so hopefully it should be an interesting read!

Pachadis - The Delight of Andhra - Thotakura & Gongura Pachadi Recipes

I find a certain kind of joy by beginning my meal with mixing hot rice, Pachadi and ghee. It's probably the quirks that come with being from Andhra. Pachadis are chutneys, mostly made with vegetables, and almost any kind of vegetable, to come to that. Even vegetable peels... And they are the most delicious sort of chutneys that humankind have come up with till date. An essential ingredient in Pachadi in tamarind. You need the tanginess, folks! What's Andhra food without a bit of spice and sour? 
Thotakura and Gongura are leafy vegetables found in Andhra. I'm not sure if you find them in the north... Thotakura has small, light green leaves which are very supple, and Gongura had broader and thicker leaves. The leaves come in big bunches, but don't be  put off by the size, the whole bunch really comes down to a handful once you fry it. 
*I'm going to give the recipe for Thotakura Pachadi, but the Thotakura leaves can be freely replaced with Gongura.

THOTAKURA PACHADI

Ingredients:

Thotakura Leaves - 1 bunch, or 300g
Tamarind - 1 tsp
Garlic - 4 cloves
Oil - 2 tbsp
Salt - 2 tsp

For the Flavoured powder:
Urad Dal: 1 tbsp
Chana Dal: 1 tbsp
Dhaniya (Coriander) Seeds: 1 tbsp
Methi Seeds: 1/2 tsp
Jeera (Cumin): 1 tsp
Mustard Seeds: 1 tsp
Red Chili (dried): 4

Method:

1. On medium-low, heat a Kadai (rounded vessel) and add 1 tbsp of oil. Once heated, add the Thotakura leaves, and cook for 15 minuted, or until they cook almost completely. Add salt, give it a stir, and set aside to cool.

2. In another smaller pan, heat the remaining tbsp of oil. Don't let the oil get to hot, other the lentils begin to burn. Add all the second batch of ingredients to the oil, and roast until they just about begin to blacken. Immediately take off the heat. 

3. In the same pan, using the oil that remained after roasting the spices, heat it, and the garlic and tamarind and stir for half a minute. Keep aside to cool.

4. Put all the cooled ingredients into the food processor, and process until you get a smooth paste. You can add some oil at this point. 

That's it! You're done! 

**For the Gongura Pachadi,all you have to do is replace the Thotakura leaves with the Gongura leaves, and reduce the tamarind content to 1/2 a tsp. 

Enjoy :)