Cuisine: Andhra Pradesh
Category: Lunch
Prep: 20 min
Cook: 40 min
Serves: 4
Difficulty: Medium
🌿 Vegetarian
Classic Andhra/Telangana perugu pachadi — yogurt raita Andhra style in bold South Indian spices.
Ingredients
- - 400g yogurt raita Andhra style
- - 3 tbsp sesame oil
- - 2 large onions
- - 2 tomatoes
- - 1 tbsp ginger-garlic paste
- - 1 tsp red chilli powder
- - 1 tsp coriander powder
- - 1/2 tsp turmeric
- - 1 sprig curry leaves
- - Salt to taste
- - Fresh coriander
Method
- Whisk yogurt: Beat 2 cups thick fresh yogurt until completely smooth. Add salt.
- Prepare cucumbers: Peel and finely dice 1 medium cucumber. Remove seeds.
- Roast and grind mustard: Dry roast 1 tsp mustard seeds briefly. Grind with 1 green chilli and a little water to a coarse paste.
- Make coconut paste: Blend 3 tbsp fresh grated coconut with the mustard paste to a smooth paste.
- Combine: Mix the coconut-mustard paste into the whisked yogurt. Add diced cucumber.
- Season: Add salt and half tsp sugar. Mix gently.
- Make tempering: Heat 1 tbsp oil. Add 1 tsp mustard seeds. When they pop add 2 dried red chillies, 1 sprig curry leaves and a pinch of asafoetida.
- Add tempering: Pour sizzling tempering over the perugu pachadi. Mix gently.
- Chill: Refrigerate for at least 20 minutes before serving — perugu pachadi tastes best cold.
- Serve: Adjust salt. This is Andhra style cucumber yogurt relish. Serve with rice, biryani or as a cooling side dish.