This is a very simple dish that is made on Yugadi as well as Rama Navami. It has a nice tang from green mangoes which is probably the reason I enjoy this the most. (Please note that this is not the Ugadi Pachadi that is made in Andhra Pradesh.)
I made this in bulk last week to take to a slightly belated Yugadi celebration at the New Delhi Konkani Sabha on Sunday. I made this for 70 people. I expected to bring back a lot of it. I even joked to S that we could take a box each to work the next day. As it turned out, we did have lots left when people began leaving. Just when I started to close my boxes, a lady walked up to me and said, "If you don't mind, I'd like to take some of this home." I was thrilled. I emptied all the contents of one box into her container. She eyed the next box. I quickly emptied that as well. She said, "I came back quickly because I definitely wasn't going back without the pachadi." I said, "Thanks, I'm honoured." She looked at me and her expression was one of complete surprise. I probably didn't look like one of those people who could (and would) have anything to do cooking. But hey, I was thrilled.
Such encounters always take me back to this topic. But it could just be me. People who know me also know how lazy I can be. Considering I commute from Gurgaon to NOIDA and back everyday, they probably expect that I would not lift a finger. In a way, I'd like for people to think that of me. (The lower the expectations, the happier they'll be with anything I do.)
Coming to my "nearly award winning" recipe:
2-3 tbsp Cucumber, grated or finely chopped
1/2 cup Moong Dal, washed and soaked for an hour
2 tbsp scraped Coconut
1 tsp Green Chilli-Ginger paste
2 tbsp scraped Coconut
1 tsp Green Chilli-Ginger paste
1 small Raw Mango, grated (or juice of 1 Lime)
Salt to Taste
Coriander leaves for garnish
Salt to Taste
Coriander leaves for garnish
For the tempering:
1 tsp Oil
1/4 tsp Mustard Seeds
1/4 tsp Asafoetida
7-8 Curry Leaves
Grind the coconut along with the chilli-ginger paste and make a rough chutney like paste.
Place the soaked moong dal in a large bowl. Add the ground paste, cucumber, raw mango, salt and mix well. In a small kadhai or frying ladle, heat the oil, add the mustard seeds and asafoetida, and when the mustard splutters, add the curry leaves. Add this to the cucumber mixture.
Your pachadi is ready. Go ahead and make this on Rama Navami and get ready to get appreciation by the truck load. This is the last of the three part series on Rama Navami. I think I have finally gotten around to at least cooking and posting about things festive.
11 comments:
I love Southkai Kosambari too with moong dal, so yummy. I add crushed Peanuts for crunch. Almost won? You should have won for this, looks perfect! :)
Enjoy the weekend, see you on Monday.
I imagine ur travelling everyday. How do u manage to cook? it is such a delicous kosambari! No wonder the lady wrapped all the leftover!
I hate commuting ... I wonder how you manage it .. I love kosambri too, I too made this on Ram Navmi I added some grated carrots too
Thank you so much Raaga to learn about such a delicious dish on a great day of Sri Rama Navami.Wish you all a Happy Sri Rama Navami.
Best wishes
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Love the addition of mango..
I will be trying this over on the other side of the world. Looks lovely!
Kosumbari looks delicious Raaga..I've tried this recipe once and liked it instantly.Somewhere between an upkari and a salad..yummy!!You made this for 70 people??Mindblowing yaar..how do you manage??Hats off superwoman!!
Reminds me of my Pati's kosambri :) Lovely!
Lovely koshmibiri..,
I would have loved to add it to have it for AFAM, but so sorry as i have already posted the rounduP ,before i received ur mail.., do check out the roundup...
You commute so much and still have such a nice blog! Hats off to you!
It's also because of the way we look I imagine - or maybe the way I dress and talk? But when I was in Chennai, working in the corporate office of an automobile company 45k from the city, I used to leave home at 6 am every morning and come back at 6pm. While we did have breakfast and lunch at the office canteen, it still left dinner and hubby's lunch. He was doing the dishes and the washing everyday so I decided that since he could most definitely not cook (and wasn't interested to learn), I would since I loved cooking anyway. I used to cook dinner after coming home as well as lunch for the next day. And every single person in my office would look shocked when they learnt of this in the course of conversation...."really? You cook?" Something about, if you don't look traditional enough and didn't have an arranged marriage and were known to enjoy a drink - couldn't possibly add up to a woman who would do "traditional things" like cooking.
You go girl! - good for you!! Cook when you want and don't when you can't ;)
Miri
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