Tantalising Pachadis & Salads for the weight-watchers

Dangar Pachadi – let us not forget tradition

This is a traditional , very tasty raita , almost forgotten now.

Urad dhal 1 ½ tbsp

Green chillies 2

Jeera ½ tsp

Thick curds 1 cup

Salt, hing powder

To temper in 1/2 tsp oil:

Mustard seed ½ tsp

Curry leaves few

Chopped coraiander leaves to garnish



Lightly roast the dhal dry & powder as fine as possible. Mix this into the beaten curds with chopped green chillies , salt , hing & jeera lightly crushed with fingers ( to release the aroma ). Temper & garnish.

Some powder the dhal raw & make this – the choice is yours.

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Milakaai Pachadi

This can be made to sauce consistency & preserved in the fridge for 10 days.

Chopped green chillies 1 cup

Chopped capsicum 1 cup

Chopped ginger 1/4 cup

Curry leaves few

Tamarind lemon size -make 1 1/2 cup tamarind water

Jaggery lemon size

To temper:

Oil 1 tbsp

Mustard 1 tsp

Uradh dhal 1 tsp

Methi seeds ½ tsp

Hing powder ½ tsp

Salt , haldi .





Heat oil (1 tbsp ) temper mustard, udad dhal, little methi seeds, hing – add the Chillies, capsicum, ginger & curry leaves & fry for a few mts.

Then add tamarind water, salt, haldi & boil well for about 10 mts.

Strain in soup strainer.

Mash the residue slightly, add strained water, jaggery & boil.

If the consistency is not like sauce , add a little rice flour with water & give a boil.

This goes very well with curd rice & dosai.

If you use a mincer for chopping the vegetables , there is no need to strain & mash.

Cabbage Salad


An everyday salad.

Fresh white cabbage 250 gms
Tomatoes 2

Paneer chopped ½ cup

Roasted peanuts ½ cup

Capsicum 1 medium

Grated coconut ¼ cup(optional)

Green chillies 2

Coriander leaves 2 tbsp

Salt, lime juice & sugar



Shred cabbage thin &fine.

Chop paneer & capsicum.

Deseed tomatoes & chop.

Crush peanuts coarse.

Slit green chillies lengthwise.

Mix all ingredients from cabbage to chillies.

Gently mix salt, sugar & lime juice.

Sprinkle chopped coriander leaves on top.

Serve chilled.

Palak-kaddu Raita
Kaddu is Yellow pumpkin or parangikkai or mathan.
These two vegetables complement each other so well in this dish !



Palak , roughly chopped 2cups

Kaddu cut into small cubes 1 cup

Black salt ½ tsp

Roasted jeera powder ½ tsp

Chilli powder 1 tsp

Fresh,thick curds 2 cups

Salt &sugar to taste.



Clean & roughly chop palak leaves.

Cut kaddu into small cubes and steam for 5 mins.

Heat 1 tsp oil or ghee & lightly fry the chopped palak leaves , till they shrink well.

Mix both & lightly mash with a potato masher till they become homogeneous.

To the above , add spices , salt , sugar & curds

Mix well & chill.

Serve with Bisibela , stuffed parathas etc.
palak-kaddu raitha.jpg

Carrot & date Salad



This simple salad looks nice & tastes very good.



Freshly grated carrots - 2 cups

Chopped seedless dates - ½ cup

Coarsely powdered peanuts - 2 tbsp

Lime juice - 2 tsp

Honey - 1 tbsp

Freshly powdered pepper – 1 level tsp

Salt



Gently mix all ingredients except peanuts & salt & chill very well.

Just before serving add salt , mix gently & sprinkle peanuts on top.
carrot-date salad.jpg

Kamala , my honey !

This is a sweet & sour pachadi.
Oranges are called Kamala in South India.
Particularly the lose jacket variety is ideal.

Medium sized oranges - 3 (or 2 big )

Tamarind paste - 2 tbsp

Green chillies-slit into two - 3,4

Red chillies - 3,4

Honey - 4 tbsp ( jaggery can be substituted )

Salt , haldi ,

hing powder - ½ tsp

methi powder - ½ tsp

Oil - 3tbsp

Peel the oranges . Chop the fruit into big pieces.

Take the skin , scrape as much of the white portion as possible to remove the bitterness & cut remaining skin into pieces.

Heat the oil , temper with mustard , add red & green chillies , fry for 1 mte & add chopped pieces of the skin.

Fry till they start shrinking well.

Mix tamarind paste with 1 cup of water & add to the above.

Add salt , haldi , hing powder , methi powder & boil well.

When well cooked , add fruit pieces , simmer & remove from fire.

Add honey & mix thoroughly.

The consistency should be like sauce.

Jaggery , if added instead of honey , gives an equally good taste.Chillies & sweetness can be adjusted to individual taste.



This goes very well with idli , dosa & curd rice..This can be preserved in the fridge for a week.

Mathan Puli Pachadi or Yellow Pumpkin Kadugu Pachadi

Mathan is yellow parangikkai ( pumpkin )or kaddu



Mathan cut into very small cubes - 1 cup

Tamarind paste - 2 tsp

Salt , haldi , jaggery to taste



To grind:

Grated coconut - 3 tbsp

Green chillies - 2-3 (to taste )

Mustard seeds - 1tsp



To temper:

Coconut oil - 1 tsp

Mustard seeds - ½ tsp

Curry leaves - few



Boil mathan cubes with salt & haldi.

Grind coconut & green chillies first fine & lastly add mustard seeds & grind coarse.

Add the paste to the boiled vegetables & add jaggery as per taste.

Simmer , remove & temper.



Grinding mustard seeds with the paste gives a unique flavour to this dish.

Nethuk kottu maavu pachadi

Tur dhal 1 ½ tbsp

Red chillies 2

Hing powder ¼ tsp

Fresh curds 1 cup

Mustard seeds ½ tsp

Curry leaves few

Chopped coriander few

Salt

Oil 1 tsp

In 1 /2 tsp oil fry red chilli , tur dhal &hing till colour changes.

Powder & add with salt to the churned curds.

Temper mustard & curry leaves in ½ tsp oil.

Garnish with coriander leaves.

Bread Loaf - 1

Baked beans - 1 large can (450 gms)

Green Chutney - 4-5 tbsp

For decoration:

Grated Carrots & cabbage - 2 cups

Apple sliced - 1

Walnuts - few

To be mixed into a dressing:

Condensed milk - ¼ can(of a 400 gms full can)

Salad oil - ½ tbsp

White vinegar - 2 tbsp

Salt - ¼ tsp

Milk - 1 tbsp

Lemon juice - 1 tsp

Mustard powder - ½ tsp

Removethe crust from bread slices.

Divide each slice into 2 & apply chutney on one side.

Fill a serving plate with bread slices, placing the chutney side on the bottom.

Spread the baked beans on the bread pieces.

Spread the dressing on the beans.

Decorate with grated carrots & cabbage on the sides. Put apple slices in the centre & sprinkle walnuts on top.

Serve cold.

Note : If you are in a hurry, you can use mayonnaise as a dressing in place of the above.

For the tower:

Gelatine - 2 tbsp

Water - ¼ cup

Thick curds - 2 cups

Cucumber grated - ½ cup

Salt & pepper

Mix gelatine in warm water, dissolve, add all other ingredients & set in a TALL WET jelly mould.

For stuffing cucumber:

2 big cucumbers 8” long

Paneer - 1 cup (soft crumbs)

Malai - 2 tbsp

Grated coconut - 3 tbsp

Lime juice - 1 tbsp

Powdered sugar - 1 tbsp

Lemon colour - few drops

Peel cucumber &with a penknife & back of a spoon, carefully scoop out the entire soft portion with seeds from the centre to make a hollow.

Prepare the stuffing & divide into 2.

Add lemon colour to one part.

Fill yellow stuffing in one & white in the other.

Chill them well.

Take out, cut horizontal slices & refrigerate.

Just before serving, unmould the tower, surround that by cucumber slices.