PACHADI ( Sauteed beetroot in warm and spicy yogurt gravy)

Author Notes

Sauteed beetroot in warm and spicy yogurt gravy. Traditional South Indian side-dish. Broadly translated, it refers to food which has been pounded. The definition of the word 'Pachadi' is different among different South Indian regions. While in Indian states like Kerala and Tamilnadu, pachadi is a side-dish curry similar to the north Indian Raita, in Andhra Pradesh, pachadi is analogous to Indian pickles and is preserved for several months, though some people classify that as "Urakai" and claim pachadi to be fresh (See Andhra Pachadi). In Kerala and Tamilnadu states pachadi is eaten fresh and typically made of finely chopped and boiled vegetables with coconut, green or red chillies and tempered in oil with mustard seeds, ginger and curry leaves. Curd/yogurt based pachadi can be made of any vegetable, although cucumbers, squash, mango, bitter gourd or pineapple are common. Pachadi is commonly eaten with rice and a lentil curry. —pauljoseph