Thenghai Thayir Pachadi ~ Coconut Yogurt Pachadi

This is a quick and easy coconut chutney from Chandra Padmanabhan’s cookbook Dakshin – Vegetarian cuisine from South India. She listed this pachadi under salads but I think it would pair well with idli, pongal and upma. I made this pachadi to go with ven pongal as part of my Buffet on Table, month long marathon this September.

Source: Dakshin, Vegetarian Cuisine from South India
Total Time: 8 – 10 minutes
Preparation: 5 minutes
Cooking Time: 3 – 5 minutes
Serves: 4

Ingredients:

• 3 tbsp. grated Fresh Coconut or 4 tbsp. flaked Coconut (I used dry coconut flakes)
• 4 Green Chilies
• ½” Ginger piece
• ½ – ¾ cup chopped Cilantro ~ Kothmir
• 1 cup Yogurt, whisked
• ¾ tsp. Salt (adjust to taste)

Tempering

• 1 ½ tsp. Oil
• ¼ – ½ tsp. Mustard Seeds
• 1 tsp. Chana Dal ~ Bengal Gram
• ½ tsp. Urad Dal ~ Black Gram
• ¼ tsp. Cumin Seeds
• 1 Red Chili, broken into two pieces
• ⅛ – ¼ tsp. Asafoetida
• 2-4 Curry Leaves

Preparation:

• Take coconut, green chilies, ginger, half of the cilantro in a blender and grind to paste.
• Take yogurt in a serving bowl, add coconut paste, salt and mix well.
• Take oil in a pan for tempering. When oil is hot, add all the ingredients listed under tempering.
• When mustard seeds splutter and dals change color, remove from fire.
• Pour it over yogurt mixture and mix well.
• Garnish with remaining cilantro and chill until ready to serve.

This day in 2014: Manakish Zaatar