Vendakka Khichdi
Khichdi….a household name u r bound to hear anywhere in India….be it in north or south, east or west… this is one dish name which really makes u feel at home…Though it is a common name in the country, the likeness as well as its preparation guidelines are poles contradictory in North and South. While in North India, Khichdi is a combo of mildly spiced rice and lentils prepared as a whole meal especially for convalescents, the khichdi made in South India is more or like a variety of Raitha with curd and coconut as the base. So you see, similar recipe names can often confuse you even if you belong to the same country…
Coming back to South Indian khichdi or kitchadi (however u may want to spell and pronounce it), it indeed forms an integral part of a Kerala Sadhya (feast). Nothing too much to emphasize on the taste and the flavor; it is actually a side dish for rice which can be prepared instantly without any hassles. As said before, khichdi is a combo of cooked veggie with coconut and curd as the base and finally garnished with a tempering and fresh curry leaves. Though the most popular khichdi is made with Vellarikka (Cucumber), it can be prepared with other veggies too like Lady’s finger (Vendakka), Bitter gourd (Pavakka), Tomatoes and even Beetroot. And as for the nutritional value of this dish, there is nothing exceptional to mention as it has only one specific vegetable in a gravy form. And should ur kids be “allergic” to beetroots, well, you can definitely use this to make him have some with rice. You can reduce the usage of chilies accdgly. Now for this recipe that is neither sweet nor spicy or sour yet tastes yummy.
You’d require
250 gm Lady’s finger/Vendakka cut into thin roundels
A handful of grated coconut
½ tsp Cumin seeds
½ tsp Mustard seeds
6 nos Green chilies
1 ½ cups Curd (sour less)
And for seasoning, you require
3 tbsp Coconut oil
1 tsp Mustard seeds
1 – 2 nos Dry red chilies also know as Vattalmulaku
A few Curry leaves
Method:-
1) Grind together coconut, two green chilies and cumin seeds into a fine paste.
2) Add crushed mustard seeds into the above coconut paste. Do make sure you don`t crush the mustard seeds too much as it would make the dish taste bitter.
3) Beat the curd well.
4) Mix well together the beaten curd, ground paste and salt.
5) Heat the oil in a pan.
6) Splutter mustard seeds and sauté red chilies and curry leaves.
7) Add the remaining finely chopped green chilies and vendakka pieces.
8) Fry them until they turn golden brown.
9) Add the curd mixture and heat it through. Do not boil.
10)Remove from the flame and serve as a side dish for rice.
You can try the same recipe with finely chopped Pavakka (Bitter gourd) too. And if you are making this dish with Vellarikka, Tomato or Beetroot, here’s how it goes. Cook the very finely chopped veggie in a little water along with salt. When done, add the ground paste and cook again. Season it with spluttered mustard seeds, dry chilies and curry leaves. When cool, add the curd and reqd salt and mix well.
Though I love the Pavakka/Vendakka khichdi, on nutritional front, I’d rather go with Vellarikka or Beetroot…can definitely avoid a lot of oil which goes into it while deep frying. But when u r celebrating a sadhya at home occasionally and u r making khichdi which is obviously unavoidable, then of course, u can compromise by having a little or so of it. On a philosophical note, compromising on even the minute things in life lays a solid foundation for happiness, which eventually ends up in calling for celebrations. Hope u’d agree with me…
So on that note, Happy cooking!!!!
Labels: Naadan Veg Curries
posted by Viji at
8:35 AM
2 Comments:
I am going to make kitchadi
I'm Tamil, and in our cuisine, we have a raitha like curd based dish, which we call patchadi. Idea being we're adding something raw (pacha) to curd, hence pachadi.
Have to agree - vendekkai pachadi is absolutely the king of pachadis, even though it's definitely not pacha, and has to be sauteed first.
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