Vellarikka Pachadi | Kerala Style Cucumber Yogurt Pachadi
Vellarikka pachadi - A simple Kerala style cucumber pachadi or curry in coconut-yogurt sauce with the subtle flavors of mustard seeds. A popular onam-sadya recipe that pairs well with rice.
In a mixer jar, add the coconut, mustard seeds, cumin seeds, and green chili. Grind into the semi-smooth paste by adding 2 to 3 tbsps of water.
In a wide bowl, take the ½ cup of yogurt. Add the ground paste to this yogurt. I rinsed the mixer jar with 1 tbsp of water and added that as well. Mix the ground paste well with the yogurt and set it aside.
Cook the cucumber and make the pachadi-
PS- You can start the cooking process and prepare the coconut paste in parallel.
In a saucepan, add the peeled and chopped cucumber. I used about 3 cups of cucumber approx, 375 grams. Add the salt, turmeric powder and 2 tbsp of water and mix well. Let the cucumber cook in medium heat.
Cucumber oozes out water, so you don’t need to add more water, and the cucumber will be soft and tender within 8 to 10 minutes. You can cover and cook as well but make sure to mix in between the cooking process.
When the cucumber is soft and tender, add the ground coconut-yogurt mix. Now reduce the heat to low. Cook until the curry becomes frothy. Then turn off the heat.
Tempering-
In a separate tempering pan, heat the coconut oil. When the oil is hot, add the mustard seeds, red chilies broken into pieces and curry leaves.
When the mustard seeds splutter, turn off the heat and add the tempering to the pachadi. Serve it right away.
Notes
You can make a similar pachadi with okra, pineapple, etc.
As I used Thai chili variety, I used only one. But adjust it according to your preference. And the same for salt as well. Adjust it as per your taste.
I like to chop my cucumber into big chunks so that it doesn't disintegrate while cooking.
Make sure you are using the non-bitter cucumber variety.