Urid dal Chutney (Minapapappu pachadi)

Pachadi refers to a traditional South Indian side-dish. Unlike pickles, which can be stored for long time, chutneys are eaten fresh. Pachadi is commonly eaten with rice and a dal. Urid dal chutney is very common at my home and I enjoy it the most with hot rice and ghee. This is my mom’s recipe.

Ingrediens:

Urid dal – ½ cup

Red chillies – 10 to 12

Tamarind – size of ½ lemon

Whole coriander seeds – 1 tsp

Cumin seeds – 1 tsp

Fenugreek seeds – 1/8 tsp

Oil – 1tsp

For Tempering:

Oil – 1tsp

Mustard seeds – ¼ tsp

Curry leaves – 2 strands

Hing – 1 pinch

Preparation:

Dry roast the dhania, cumin and fenugreek seeds till a nice aroma comes out and keep them aside. Soak the tamarind with some water.

Now in the same pan, heat the oil and add the dry chillies and urid dal and fry till golden brown and let it cool.

Now blend all the above ingredients in a mixer adding enough salt and water to a coarse paste.

If you are going to finish off the chutney in one day, you can add roughly chopped red onions to this ground chutney. It gives an extra flavour to your chutney.

For tempering, heat oil in a pan and add the mustard seeds and curry leaves and fry till the mustard seeds start to crackle. Now add hing and fry for few secs.

Add the tempering to the chutney and mix well. This lasts for about a week if refrigerated without adding onions.

Serve hot with rice, dal and ghee.