Kobbari (Coconut) Pachadi

Without a pachadi (pickle) our meal is incomplete. Even after living in the US for nearly six whole years, my heart and palate still screams and craves for aavakaya, maagai and gongura. Without any one of the pickles I don’t feel the satisfaction of eating rice. For the past two years, VJ and I have cut down majorly on rice, so the making of chutney’s and pickles has gone down. But when I am at home mom treats us to kobbari pachadi which is our absolute favorite. When I mean favorite I mean we munch down the entire box of pachadi within the next 24 hours. My sister and I fight to finish it off. We eat it with everything because it’s our favorite. Whenever we tell our mom that we are coming, she stocks up on coconut as she knows it’s our absolute favorite.

How many ever times I make this pachadi it never is the same as mom makes it. I love the make mom makes it and maybe I can never replicate it. VJ seems to like the way I make it, but I don’t like the way I make it. As soon as I landed I told my mom that I’m going to follow her around like a puppy and get pictures of everything she’s going to make. But this has been a little difficult when I have a little puppy (Arlo) following me. Arlo has been extremely difficult to manage without VJ. He has been following mom or me like a lost puppy and it has been impossible to take pictures or ask mom to make something while he’s awake. I finally just put him Mother Goose Club on TV so that I could take pictures for just five minutes. So here’s mom’s recipe for kobbari pachadi.

Ingredients

Coconut – 1 whole

Green Chilies – 4

Dried Red Chilies – 9 or 10

Sesame Seed Oil – 3 tablespoons

Channa Dal – 1 tablespoon

Urad Dal – 1 tablespoon

Fenugreek Seeds – Just a few (5 or 6)

Mustard Seeds – 1 teaspoon

Cumin Seeds – 1 teaspoon

Asafoetida – 1/4 teaspoon

Salt – As needed

Turmeric – A pinch

Tamarind – a small piece (the size of a marble)

How To Make

Step 1: Cut coconut into small pieces and add into into a food processor jar.

Step 2: In a pan add the oil and once hot, add Channa Dal and Urad Dal. As they start changing color add fenugreek seeds, and mustard seeds. As the mustard seeds start to splutter add cumin seeds and asafoetida. Now add the dried red chilies, fry them until they are crisp, keep them aside.

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Step 3: Once it has cooled down, add it to the coconut pieces. Also add the green chilies, salt, turmeric powder, and tamarind.

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Step 4: Blend it without water until the coconut pieces are shredded thoroughly. Make sure the chilies pieces have bleded too.

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Step 5: Serve it with rice, roti, dosa, idli or upma.

Love,
Po