Vankaya Tomato Pachadi

I AM on a roll with regards to pachadulu. Without pachadi our meal is incomplete as I have mentioned a million times before. I love pachadi’s and chutney’s that both my mom and mother-in-law make. They are very special to my heart. I don’t make them that often as mom and MIL make. Maybe I will from now on. I enjoy them a lot. Even though we have aavakaya or other pickles all year long, but we still need pachadi’s on the side. Pickles that last all year long are called ooragaya and pickles that go in the fridge or last for a few days are called pachadi, though we do call some of the ooragaya pachadi too.

I make them often to accompany idli or dosa, and Arlo loves them too. He points at his plate and asks for the side that we are eating. He says it’s spicy but continues to eat and ask for more. I was so surprised when Arlo could eat the jalapeno shmear at Einstein Bagels and preferred that instead of the veggie shmear. I’m proud of him for following his parents footsteps. After seeing most of the kids here, I have been worried that Arlo will not eat any of the Indian food that I would cook for him. Though he loves eating pizza, he still loves eating rice. My mom made him some pickles without too much of red chili powder.

Ingredients

Brinjal (Eggplant) – 500 Grams

Tomatoes – 250 Grams

Oil – 3 tablespoons

Urad Dal – 1 tablespoon

Fenugreek Seeds – 1/4 teaspoon (Just a few)

Mustard Seeds – 1 tablespoon

Cumin – 1 teaspoon

Asafoetida – 1/2 teaspoon

Dried Red Chilies – 10

Green Chilies – 5 (Or more depending on taste)

Tamarind – size of a marble

Salt – As needed

Turmeric – 1/3 teaspoon

Coriander Leaves – 1/2 a stalk

How To Make

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Step 1: In a pan add 2 tablespoons oil, once hot add urad dal and mustard seeds. Once the mustard seeds start spluttering add the fenugreek seeds and the cumin. Once the fenugreek seeds start changing color, add asafoetida and the dried red chilies.

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Step 2: Once the dried red chilies are fried a little add the green chilies and fry a little. Add the entire thing into a food blender jar and keep it aside.

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Step 3: In the same pan add the remaining oil. Once hot add the brinjal and tomatoes and fry them a little.

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Step 4: Add turmeric and a little salt to the pieces and mix it well.

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Step 5: Keep mixing every few minutes until all the pieces are soft and a little mushy. Add the soaked tamarind to the brinjal and tomato pieces.

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Step 6: Once the brinjals and tomatoes are mushy leave them aside to cool down. Blend the chilies mixture in the food processor jar. Add the coriander leaves too and make it into a paste.

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Step 7: Once the veggies have cooled down add to the food processor jar and give it a few pulses so that they all mix together (it needn’t be processed too much as we don’t want it to be a paste).

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Step 8: Serve this pachadi with rice and hot ghee.