Quick and easy raita with roasted urad dal flour, popularly known as dangar pachadi! A delicious side for rice dishes!
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Raita varieties
When we think about raita, the first thing that comes into our mind is the famous onion raita that we pair with biryani and pulao varieties. (PS – I don’t have that simple recipe yet on my blog. I will share it soon) But folks, there are so many raita varieties in Indian cuisine with different vegetables, including fresh and dried ones.
You can find amazing Indian raita varieties, including okra raita, eggplant raita, cilantro-yogurt raita, and many more on my blog archives. Do check it out.
Quick raita
In Tamil, we call raita, pachadi. Today’s recipe, the dangar pachadi, is a very popular recipe from the Tanjore region of Tamil Nadu. If the urad dal powder/flour (Ulutham maavu) is ready, you can prepare this raita within 10 minutes. Yes, it’s that simple. All you need to do is mix the urad dal flour and yogurt, add salt as required, and prepare the tempering. That’s it.
I adapted this recipe from Meenakshi Ammal’s “Cook and See” book, the English version of “samaithu paar.” This book was part and parcel of marriage gifts, and all of us will have a copy of this book in our household. It’s like our cooking Bible. :-)
Homemade urad dal flour
Dangar pachadi will be a staple in most households, especially after Deepavali and Janmashtami. We usually make roasted urad dal flour for all savory snacks, aka bakshanams like murukku, seedai, etc. And with the leftover flour, we make this dangar pachadi.
Making this urad dal flour is not difficult. You need to roast the whole urad dal (whole urad is preferable) until it turns light brown – no need to roast till it attains that deep golden brown. Let it cool and grind it into powder. That’s it. Store it in an air-tight container and use it when required. I have stored this urad dal powder for two months.
PS: Homemade urad dal flour won’t be super fine like the store-bought one, and that’s perfectly fine.
If using store-bought urad dal flour-
Ok, for this recipe, I would recommend a homemade one. But if you have a stash of store-bought flour, then slightly roast it for 30 seconds or so and let it cool a bit before adding yogurt.
Dietary specifications & serving suggestions
It’s a nut-free vegetarian dish. Skip asafoetida or use gluten-free asafoetida for a gluten-free version. So far, I have tried only cashew yogurt as an alternative to dairy-based one. I am yet to explore other plant-based ones. You can use cashew or coconut-based yogurt for this raita and make it vegan.
I grew up eating this dangar pachadi with vathal kuzhambu. I love it. It is one of the popular combos, but I love it with rice dishes, especially sambar, variety-rice recipes.
As it’s easy to make, I always make it as required and when needed. I have never stored it for a long time.
Now without any further ado, let me share how I made this pachadi.
How to make dangar pachadi
- In a bowl, take the urad dal flour.
- Add the yogurt, salt, and asafoetida.
- Mix well. Ensure there aren’t any lumps.
- Now in a separate tadka/tempering pan, heat the oil. When the oil is hot, add mustard seeds, cumin seeds, green chilies, and curry leaves.
- As the mustard seeds start to splutter, add them to the urad dal mixture. Mix well and garnish with cilantro and serve.
Recipe Notes
- Please check the blog post for making urad dal flour at home. If using store-bought flour, dry roast it for 30 seconds and cool before adding the yogurt.
- Adjust the salt and green chilies as per your preference. I used one green chili and one red chili (not a dried one) for this recipe. Adjust the chili measure according to the variety and as per your taste preference.
- Use plant-based yogurt for the vegan version and gluten-free asafoetida for the gluten-free version.
More yogurt-based recipes
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Dangar Pachadi | Roasted Urad Dal Flour Raita
Equipment
- Mixing bowl
Ingredients
Measurement Details: 1 cup = 240ml; 1tbsp=15ml; 1 tsp=5ml;
- 1 tbsp urad dal flour roasted urad dal flour
- 1/4 cup yogurt
- 3/4 tsp salt or to taste
- 1/4 tsp asafoetida
To Temper:
- 2 tsp oil
- 1/2 tsp mustard seeds
- 1 tsp cumin seeds
- 5 to 6 curry leaves
- 2 green chili small ones, finely chopped (adjust as per taste)
- 2 tsp cilantro finely chopped, to garnish
Instructions
- In a bowl, take the urad dal flour.
- Add the yogurt, salt, and asafoetida.
- Mix well. Ensure there aren’t any lumps.
- Now in a separate tadka/tempering pan, heat the oil. When the oil is hot, add mustard seeds, cumin seeds, green chilies, and curry leaves.
- As the mustard seeds start to splutter, add them to the urad dal mixture. Mix well and garnish with cilantro and serve.
Notes
- Please check the blog post for making urad dal flour at home. If using store-bought flour, dry roast it for 30 seconds and cool before adding the yogurt.
- Adjust the salt and green chilies as per your preference. I used one green chili and one red chili (not a dried one) for this recipe. Adjust the chili measure according to the variety and as per your taste preference.
- Use plant-based yogurt for the vegan version and gluten-free asafoetida for the gluten-free version.
Nutrition
I am not a nutritionist. The nutritional information is provided as a courtesy and is an estimate only. It varies depending upon the product types or brands.
Update Notes: This recipe was originally posted in 2016, but now, it is updated with new pics, Instant Pot method, and recipe cards.
Hi.whether we can eat i.e. roast urad dal ?
Roasted urad dal is fine. That’s what we add in murukku.
Raita with dal sounds interesting.
Thanks :-)
That sounds so simple Vidhya :) Will have to try this out definitely !
Thanks FV.. Please do try and let me know how it turned out.
Sure, will do…
:-) :-)
Interesting one. Looks yummy!
Thanks :-)
Easy peasy healthy raita..
yeah ma.. :-)
Very nice raita recipe and very healthy will definitely try this one
Thanks Sharvari.. Let me know how it turned out.
It’s very interesting and new one to me….
Thanks Padma.
Wow this sounds intersting and delishhhh Sri. ..
Thanks a lot.
This time during my India trip I boughtmy Amma’s meenaski ammal book .. My fav chutney:-)
Love hers and DIL’s also.. I have some of their collection…:-)
Side for vathalkuzhambu? That’s interesting. Your pachadi looks great, Vidhya :)
Thanks
Yesterday only we prepared :)
I prepared this on friday.. vathalkuzhambu and this.. With my allergies n fever we are living on these pachadis only.. easy to prepare.
Sounds very simple Sri and looks so nice! :) Never heard or tasted this before, great share :) Also love your first shot and the serveware :)
Thanks GB.. This is a Tanjore Speciality.. BM gifted those serve ware. :-)
This is very interesting… Yeah I have heard that urad dal has many health benefits specially for untres..
Oh yeah Bharani.. They are help the uterus and also the pelvic bones. Thanks
healthy raita.. Must try recipe..
Thanks Veena
That is a very interesting raita recipe with urad dal powder. Will try it soon.
Yeah.. this is very famous in Tanjore side. Thanks Pavani.