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    Home » Recipes » Chutney~Pachadi

    Published: Apr 30, 2016 · Modified: Aug 9, 2023 by Usha Rao

    Zucchini Pachadi ~ Indian Zucchini Chutney

    Jump to Recipe

    Zucchini pachadi is a spicy, tangy, nutrient packed South Indian chutney from Telugu cuisine.  It goes well with plain rice, dosa and also tastes equally good as a spread for sandwiches and rolls.

    Chutneys are an integral part of South Indian cuisine and Telugu cuisine is no exception.  We make chutneys from pretty much all the vegetables. Though zucchini is not native to India, it looks and tastes similar to cucumber & ridge gourd. 

    Zucchini chutney recipe is inspired by beerakaya pachadi and sorakaya pachadi.  In Britain, France and European countries, zucchini is courgette and if you are from that region, do try this Indian courgette chutney.

    Bowl of zucchini pachadi.
    Chutney with more dry red chilies, hence a darker color.
    Jump to:
    • About the Recipe
    • Ingredients
    • Instructions
    • Serve & Storage
    • Variation
    • Tips
    • A-Z Telangana Cuisine
    • Zucchini Recipes
    • 📖 Recipe

    About the Recipe

    Zucchini chutney recipe is similar to most vegetable chutneys; roast chilies, basic spices and the vegetable.  Then grind it with tamarind and sesame seeds and/or peanuts.

    In Telugu, chutney and pickle are both called  pachadi and to differentiate between the two, it is prefixed with noorina pachadi or roti pachadi, depending on the region.  Traditionally these chutneys are ground in a mortar pestle.   

    In Telangana it is noorina pachadi meaning a ground chutney and to be more precise, noorina is a term used to specify the process of grinding using a mortar pestle. And in Andhra, it is roti pachadi meaning a pachadi ground in a mortar.       

    Regardless of what it is called and how it is prepared, these pachadlu are delicious.  If you are a fan of South Indian chutneys, try some of these chutneys; tomato pachadi, zucchini tomato pachadi, vankaya (brinjal) pachadi, cabbage pachadi and kobbari pachadi. 

    Ingredients

    Ingredients for zucchini pachadi on a colored board.
    • Zucchini - use tender medium zucchini and do not peel it.
    • Chilies - use a combination of green and red chilies.  I normally use green chilies but for this recipe I use more red chilies for color.  You can always use only green chilies as I have in zucchini tomato pachadi.
    • Tamarind - use washed and soaked tamarind, and add it when cooking the zucchini.  However, my preferred choice is homemade tamarind paste or concentrate.  You can always substitute tamarind with lime juice.
    • Nuts & Seeds - In Telangana region, sesame seeds are must in almost all the noorina pachadlu (plural of pachadi).  Some people also add peanuts and I started adding it for protein quotient.  Feel free to use both or either of these.  
    • Garlic - I am generous with garlic and feel free to adjust it to your liking and for a no garlic chutney, substitute with some asafetida.  
    • Tempering - Oil, cumin, fenugreek, curry leaves, turmeric and salt. 

    Instructions

    It is an easy preparation. Roast chilies, nuts & seeds and spices separately. Then roast zucchini in the same pan and let cool. First grind the chilies, spices and nuts to a fine paste. Then add zucchini and coarsely grind.

    Grinding Chutneys - Some Indian chutneys, specially vegetable chutneys taste better when coarsely ground and a mortar pestle does the best job.  In a modern kitchen, I prefer using a food processor over a blender or a mixie.  

    Using a Food Processor - However, certain whole spices and nuts do not grind well in a food processor.  Hence, when using a food processor for grinding chutneys, I use ground spices and nuts.

    Grind dry red chilies and fenugreek seeds to a powder and similarly, powder roasted peanuts and sesame seeds. Use these in the preparation, rather than whole. Again, if using an Indian mixie, you skip the above steps and use whole ingredients as is.   

    SBS Instructions

    SBS photo - sauteing spices and chilies in a steel frying pan.

    Step 1: Heat oil in a pan, roast red chili, green chilies, curry leaves and cumin seeds.

    SBS Photo 2 - sauteing garlic and spices in a steel pan.

    Step 2: Then add whole or crushed garlic, fenugreek powder, turmeric and salt.  Mix well.

    SBS photo 3 - sauteing zucchini pieces in a steel frying pan.

    Step 3: Add washed, sliced zucchini pieces and mix well until spices coat the pieces.

    SBS photo 4 - cooked zucchini in a steel frying pan.

    Step 4: Add tamarind, cover and cook on medium flame until zucchini is soft and cook uncovered until all the liquids evaporate.

    SBS photo 5 - roasted zucchini and spices in a steel pan for chutney.

    Step 5: Add cilantro, sesame and peanut powder and give a good stir.  Let the mixture cool.

    SBS photo 6 - coarse ground chutney in a manual food processor.

    Step 6: Transfer to a food processor, grind to a coarse paste.  I prefer keeping it coarse than grinding it to a fine paste.

    Serve & Storage

    Serve zucchini pachadi with piping hot rice, with dosa or biyyapatlu (instant rice flour dosa) and, as a spread for sandwiches and rolls. Store leftovers in the refrigerator for up to 4-5 days. Serve it cold or at room temperature.

    Zucchini chutney in a bowl. In the background are a steel bowl of rice and a bowl of soup.
    Chutney with more green chilies and fewer red chillies. Hence light color.

    Variation

    For a variation, add tomatoes for a zucchini tomato pachadi and depending on how sour the tomatoes are, cut back on tamarind. Substitute zucchini with ridge gourd or ivy gourd (tindora) or even red bell pepper.

    Tips

    • Color - color of the chutney depends on the chilies used. For a brownish color use more red chilies and for a light color , use more green chilies.  
    • Food processor - for a coarse texture, use a food processor or a mortar pestle.
    • Red chilies and fenugreek seeds do not grind well in a food processor.  Hence, first grind these in a spice grinder and then add with the rest of the spice powders during the preparation.

    A-Z Telangana Cuisine

    Zucchini pachadi is the last recipe in the Journey Through Telangana Cuisine, A-Z series. In this series, I focus mostly on Telugu cuisine from Telangana. Here are some of the recipes from the series.

    • Journey Through Regional Cuisine, Journey Through Telangana Cuisine, Blogging Marathon,
      Recap of A-Z Telangana Cuisine - BM # 63
    • Rava Laddu, Endu Kobbari Rava Laddu, Kobbari Rava Laddu, Coconut Rava Laddu, Sooji Laddu, Indian Laddu, Indian Sweet, Telugu Food, Telangana Food, Blogging Marathon, Journey Through Regional Cuisines,
      Yendu Kobbari Rava Laddu ~ Dry Coconut Rava Laddu
    • Extra Spicy Chicken Curry, Spicy Kodi Koora, Golichina Kodi Koora, Colichina Chicken Koora, Chicken Fry Curry, Murgh Curry, Bhuna Murgh, Telangana Food, Telangana Cuisine, Telugu Food, Indian Food, South Indian Food, Blogging Marathon, Journey Through the Cuisines, A-Z Challenge, A-Z Telangana Cuisine
      Xtra Spicy Golichina Kodi Koora ~ Xtra Spicy Chicken Curry
    • Tomato Vadiyalu, Vadiyalu, Telangana Food, Telangana Cuisine, Telugu Food, Indian Food, South Indian Food, Blogging Marathon, Journey Through the Cuisines, A-Z Challenge, A-Z Telangana Cuisine
      Tamata Atukula Vadiyalu ~ Tomato Poha Vadi

    Zucchini Recipes

    If you like zucchini, do check out zucchini rice, zucchini brownie and more recipes the below.

    • A bowl of zucchini dal with a spoon
      Zucchini Moong Dal - Zucchini Pappu
    • Bowl of tomato zucchini pachadi.
      Zucchini Tomato Chutney
    • Bowl of gram flour zucchini stir fry
      Besan Zucchini Stir Fry, Easy Summer Recipe
    • Fritters, American Fritters, American Cuisine, Blogging Marathon, Zucchini
      Zucchini Fritters
    Zucchini pachadi in a bowl with a handle.

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    📖 Recipe

    Bowl of zucchini pachadi.

    Zucchini Pachadi

    Zucchini pachadi is a spicy, tangy Indian chutney, seasoned with Indian chilies, some basic Indian spices and tamarind. A great condiment and a side dish for rice & dosa. It also works great as a spread for sandwiches and rolls.
    5 from 2 votes
    Print Pin Rate
    Course: Condiment, Side Dish
    Cuisine: Indian Cuisine, South Indian Cuisine, Telugu Cuisine
    Prep Time: 10 minutes minutes
    Cook Time: 15 minutes minutes
    Servings: 4
    Calories: 128kcal
    Author: Usha Rao

    Equipment

    • 1 Knife & Cutting Board
    • 1 Frying pan and mixing spoon
    • 1 Food processor or Indian Mixie or Mortar pestle
    • 1 Spice Grind optional and require it if using a food processor to gring the chutney

    Ingredients

    • 1½ - 2 tablespoons Oil can use less
    • 8-10 Curry Leaves
    • 4 small Green Chiles adjust to taste
    • 3 big Cloves of Garlic
    • 3 Dry Red Chilies
    • ½ teaspoon Cumin Seeds
    • ½ teaspoon Ground Fenugreek
    • ¼ teaspoon Turmeric Powder
    • 2 medium Zucchini 360 grams and 3 cups after cutting
    • 1 ½ teaspoon Salt adjust to taste
    • 1 ½ tablespoons Roasted Sesame Seeds
    • 1 tablespoon Roasted Peanuts
    • Gooseberry sized Tamarind about 1 heap of or use 1 - 2 tablespoons homemade tamarind paste
    • ¼ cup chopped Cilantro | Kotmir

    Instructions

    • Roast sesame seeds and peanuts separately. Cool and make a powder. I always keep roasted sesame and peanuts handy in my pantry as I use these two ingredients a lot in my cooking.
    • In a spice grinder, grind dry red chilies and fenugreek seeds to powder. This step is optional. Skip this step if using an Indian mixie.. These ingredients do not grind well in US blenders and food processors. Hence I do this additional step.
    • Heat oil in a pan. Add curry leaves, green chilies, cumin and saute until chilies change color. If using whole dry red chilies (skipped above step), add in this step.
    • Add garlic, spices powder (red chilies and fenugreek powder), salt, turmeric and stir.
    • Add zucchini pieces, stir until spices coat the veggies and are lightly roasted.
    • Add tamarind and give it a good stir. If using tamarind paste or concentrate, add after the zucchini is cooked.
    • Cover and cook until the zucchini is tender. Zucchini cooks very fast and keep an eye on it.
    • Remove cover and continue cooking until the mixture is dry. If using tamarind paste or concentrate, add at this step.
    • Add sesame powder and peanut powder and salt. Stir and turn off the heat.
    • Let the mixture cool completely and grind to a coarse paste. If necessary add some water. I ground in a food processor as I wanted a coarse texture and did not add any water.
    • Transfer to a bowl, taste the pachadi and adjust salt. If the chutney is not tangy enough to your taste, add homemade tamarind paste/concentrate to taste. Or add a few drops of lime juice.
    • Serve chutney with rice, dosa or use as a spread for sandwiches.

    Notes

    • Food processor - for a coarse texture, use a food processor or a mortar pestle.
    • Red chilies and fenugreek seeds do not grind well in a food processor.  Hence, first grind these in a spice grinder and then add with the rest of the spice powders during the preparation.
    • Color - color of the chutney depends on the chilies used. For a brownish color use more red chilies and for a light color, use more green chilies.  
    • Variation - For a variation, use tomatoes for a zucchini tomato pachadi and depending on how sour the tomatoes are, cut back on tamarind.
    • Substitutions - Substitute zucchini with ridge gourd (turai | beerakaya) or ivy gourd (tindora | dondakaya) or even red bell pepper.
    • Sesame & Peanuts - use combination or only sesame seeds.  If you do not have sesame seeds, than use only peanuts.  
    • Nutrition - values mentioned below are approximate values.

    Nutrition

    Calories: 128kcal | Carbohydrates: 12g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 9g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 4g | Trans Fat: 0.02g | Sodium: 1046mg | Potassium: 424mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 6g | Vitamin A: 664IU | Vitamin C: 112mg | Calcium: 69mg | Iron: 2mg
    Tried this recipe?Share a photo! Mention @usha_myspicykitchen or tag #Usha_MySpicyKitchen!
    Bowl of zucchini pachadi in a black bowl and a plate of rice flour dosa in the background.
    Zucchini pachadi with more red chilies and served with rice flour dosa.

    More Chutney~Pachadi

    • Bowl of tomato onion chutney on a metal plate.
      Tomato Onion Pachadi
    • Jar of nilliva tomato pachadi.
      Tomato Pickle
    • Bowl of vankaya pachadi.
      Vankaya Pachadi ~ Brinjal Chutney
    • Bowl of green apple Indian pickle
      South Indian Apple Pickle

    Reader Interactions

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      5 from 2 votes (1 rating without comment)

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    1. Anita says

      May 14, 2020 at 10:49 pm

      5 stars
      Excellent zucchini pachadi. Tastes way different from zucchini thuvayal that I usually make. We loved it. Thanks.

      Reply
      • Usha Rao says

        May 18, 2020 at 2:31 am

        Thank you for trying the recipe and glad you loved it.

        Reply
    2. Smruti | Herbivore Cucina says

      May 16, 2016 at 1:53 pm

      Usha that is such a fingerlicking good pachadi with Zuchhini. Loved your pick for Z!

      Reply
    3. Nalini says

      May 07, 2016 at 11:40 am

      Finger licking pachadi Usha,what a stunning clicks..Nice way to end the marathon and loved all your Telungana recipes and bookmarked lot ..

      Reply
    4. Vaishali Sabnani says

      May 06, 2016 at 1:58 pm

      Zuccini is the star of the day and must say this pachadi looks super tempting.

      Reply
    5. harini says

      May 06, 2016 at 10:02 am

      Manam e vegetabe to naina pacchadi cheyagalam, right, usha? This one sounds very flavorful with all the sesame and peanuts in there.

      Reply
    6. Amara says

      May 04, 2016 at 12:27 am

      Never used Zucchini in Indian cooking. Love this Pachhadi. Looks yummy:)

      Reply
    7. Pavani says

      May 03, 2016 at 1:47 pm

      Love this zucchini pachadi. I make it quite often and it tastes great with rice or roti or idli or upma or just about anything.

      Reply
    8. srividhya says

      May 01, 2016 at 7:04 pm

      Loved the setup as usual. Yummy pachadi with zucchini. Very nice.

      Reply
    9. sapana behl says

      May 01, 2016 at 6:43 pm

      Zucchini pachadi looks lip smacking.I love your pictures throughout the series.Very interesting Telangana dishes you have presented in the marathon.Great job.

      Reply
    10. Priya Suresh says

      May 01, 2016 at 5:18 am

      You are totally rite, marathoners rocks with many delicious dishes with Z and this pachadi looks absolutely prefect to tickle my tastebuds. Your Telugana dishes rocks Usha and learned so many beautiful traditional dishes from you, enjoyed running this marathon with you.

      Reply
    11. Suma Gandlur says

      April 30, 2016 at 6:25 pm

      Usha, leaving out Hyderabad from the equation must have made this marathon challenge really a challenging one. I am not much familar with Telangana cuisine and got an opportunity to learn about it a little thru you, in this marathon.
      The chutney sounds flavorful and the pictures look amazing. It was fun running the marathon with you as usual.

      Reply
    12. Srivalli says

      April 30, 2016 at 9:57 am

      Usha what stunning pictures you have for us to enjoy! I have been drooling over all your pictures as always and this series is so special. I have bookmarked so many that I wonder when I will ever make all!..Great job and lovely pictures.

      Reply
    13. Gayathri Kumar says

      April 30, 2016 at 8:41 am

      Yeah, zucchini rules the blogs today. Your pachadi sounds so delicious. And I enjoyed reading through all your posts this month..

      Reply
    14. PJ says

      April 30, 2016 at 7:13 am

      Yes Usha, it is indeed raining Zucchini cuisines in our marathon today! Nice pachadi and beautiful clicks as always.Learnt a lot about the cuisine and it was fun running this marathon with you Usha 🙂

      Reply

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