Most Andhra meals are incomplete without a pachadi. It’s a must that every meal has to have a chutney or a pickle. Mom sends me aavakaya, tokkudu pachadi, maagaya, tomato aavakaya, nimmakaya pachadi and so many more. I had no idea how much I depeneded on mom for pickles, and also the amount of pickles we eat on a day to day basis. I’ve been quite lazy recently so I have decided to make some chutneys that would go really well with rice. I’m so bored of making the same old tomato chutney, so I decided to make one. My in-laws and parents always have a chutney, my mother-in-law’s bendakaya (okra) pachadi is quite the best. I haven’t had any other chutney that’s quite as tasty as that one. I have so many chutney’s  in my mind, that it is nearly impossible for me to remember sometimes. My mother-in-law keeps telling me about cabbage pachadi that has me so curious that I want to make it immediately, but I keep forgetting the process.

Beerakaya or Ridge Gourd is a really bland vegetable. But it has a kind of sweet taste to it. The beerakaya that are available here always turn out to be bitter. I still take the chance and get them, because I love to make chutney from them. The best part of beerakaya is that you can use even the skin – a recipe for another day. Usually I only make beerakaya but most of them turned out bitter, forcing me to improvise. Unfortunately, I only had a few tomatoes, So I had to improvise and add some coconut too. Despite the many ingredients, the chutney turned out quite fine. Most stores don’t care that the vegetable that I bought and spent so much money on turned out to be bitter. It’s not something they can control, but the guy I get my vegetables from is so sweet, he lets me take one if I tell him that. This time though I didn’t have time to replace, so I made it work.

Ingredients

Beerakaya (Ridge Gourd) – 1

Tomato – 3 medium

Coconut – 1/4 cup

Tamarind – a small piece

Salt – As Required

Turmeric – 1/4 teaspoon

For Kharam:

Oil – 1 tablespoon

Urad Dal – 1 tablespoon

Mustard Seeds – 1 tablespoon

Cumin Seeds – 1 tablespoon

Fenugreek Seeds – 1/4 teaspoon

Asafoetida – 1/4 teaspoon

Dried Red Chilies – 5 or 6

How to Make

Step 1: Peel the beerakaya, chop them and keep them aside. Chop tomatoes too and keep them aside.

Step 2: In a pan, once hot, add oil, then urad dal. Once the urad dal starts to change color add mustard seeds. Once the mustard seeds start spluttering, add fenugreek seeds, asafoetida, then cumin seeds, and Dried Red Chilies. Fry the red chilies until they become crisp and become dark red.

Step 3: Keep these aside in a jar. In the same pan add the chopped beerakaya and tomatoes. Add the tamarind, salt, and turmeric. Water isn’t required tomatoes let out a lot of water.

Step 4: Once they become mushy, keep them aside to cool down.

Step 5: In a jar, add the coconut and mince it until the coconut seems shredded.

Step 6: Add the mushed up beerakaya and tomatoes, and mince it again till all the ingredients mix together.

Step 7: Serve it with rice/idli/dosa.