Vendakka Kichadi (Pachadi) | Fried ladies finger (okra) in coconut yogurt sauce - Sadhya special

 Kichadi (Pachadi) is an integral part of a festive meal (Sadhya) in Kerala. Kerala style kichadi must not be confused with the North Indian Khichdi which is a rice based main course recipe. 

 Onam and Vishu Sadhya is incomplete without serving a kichadi . Kichadi also known as Pachadi in few regions of Kerala,is a yogurt based side dish often made from various vegetables like Okra/ladies finger ,ginger ,tomato, Cucumbers, ash gourd etc .

Kichadi pairs well with Sambar Rice and a coconut based vegetable stir fry . One can even make it as a part of day to day meal as well. Why wait for a special occasion to savor such a healthy delicacy ? 

Vendakkai Thayir Kichadi/Pachadi   is made from okra/ladies finger . Ladies finger is known as Vendakka or Vendakkai in Malayalam/ Tamil.

Chopped ladies finger is shallow fried in coconut oil and then added to the coconut chilli paste mixed in yogurt. The yogurt must not be spur, else it will ruin the taste of the kichadi /pachadi.

Some recipes call for cooking the coconut chilli paste + yogurt ,but in this recipe I am not cooking the yogurt mixture . I am going to just add the fried Okra to the yogurt mix along with the tempering. 

Some popular kichadi /pachadi served as part of Sadhya 

Inji (Ginger) Thayir  Kichadi 

Thakali (Tomato) Kichadi 

Vellarikai Inji (Cucumber Ginger )Thayir 

Vellarikai (Cucumber) kichadi

This month in our SHHH Secretly Cooking Challenge food group,we are celebrating Sadhya special hosted by me . My fellow bloggers have come up with amazing and authentic Kerala Sadhya recipes . My partner for this month ,Radha Rajagopalan has dished out the traditional Ada Pradhaman ,which is a classic dessert from Kerala. Do check out her recipe for Ada Pradhaman without fail .  

To know more about the dishes served in a typical Sadhya for Onam / Vishu, check out the list soon after the recipe of Vendakkai Kichadi. I am giving you a complete list of authentic recipes.

Preparation Time - 10mins
Cooking Time- 5 mins
Complexity - simple
Serves - 2 to 3 

Ingredients

1/4 cup fresh grated coconut 
2 green chillies
1/2 tsp jeera/cumin
8 to 10 tender ladies finger/okra/vendakkai
200ml  thick yogurt/dahi/thayir
Salt as needed
2 tsp coconut oil
1/2 tsp mustard seeds
1 dry red chilli
Few curry leaves 

Method

• Wash and dry the ladies finger. Cut into medium sized roundels. 
• Whisk the yogurt well and make it lump free and smooth. 
• Grind the green chillies, coconut,jeera with 1tbsp yogurt and some water  into a smooth paste.
• Add this paste to the yogurt and mix it well with adequate salt.
• In a frying pan,heat 1tsp of coconut oil and roast the ladies finger until it crispy  ,add a little salt to the roasted ladies finger in the end .
• Prepare a tempering of mustard seeds,red chilli and curry leaves in the remaining coconut oil .
• Add the roasted ladies finger ,tempering to the yogurt mixture and mix it well .Delicious and tasty vendakkai kichadi is ready to be served .

Sadhya recipes on the blog. Click on the individual items below to get detailed recipe

• Erissery
• Kootu Curry
• Puli inji 
• Avial 
• Kaalan
• Pulissery
• Maanga Curry (cut mango pickle)
• Cabbage thoran (coconut based curry)
• Beans carrot thoran / Beetroot thoran
• Mambazha Pachadi
• Vellarikaai Pachadi
• Inji Thayir
• Sambar 
• Rasam
• Aval payasam
• Paal payasam
• Chakka Pradhaman (Jackfruit kheer)
• Sambaram / Mor (Buttermilk)
• Nendran Chips
• pappadam , pickle,curd etc

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Vendakkai Podi Potta Sambar | Lady's finger Sambar - Vegan & Coconut free

 Moment we say Sambar ,many people think and see it only as an accompaniment for idlis  ,vadas, dosas etc . Undoubtedly it is that but there is a lot more to it. 

In a South Indian household, Sambar is a staple menu and a perfect accompaniment with steaming hot rice . Though we make various types of gravy or curry like kootu , morekuzhambu , vethakolambu etc as a part of our daily menu , Sambar will definitely feature atleast 2 to 3 times a week or at times daily in many homes .

There are so many variations in way Sambar is prepared even though the basic ingredients remain the same .  Each family has an heirloom recipe for making the Sambar powder which forms the heart and soul of the dish .

In our home we make Sambar in 2 ways viz;

1. by grinding coconut with freshly made sambar masala which is also called as "Araichu Vitta Sambar " where "Araichu Vitta" means "using freshly ground coconut masala" 
2. by just using the sambar masala without any coconut and this is called "Podi Potta Sambar" which translates to "Sambar prepared using Sambar Masala" 

Today we shall see how to prepare lip smacking Podi Potta Sambar using Bhindi / lady's finger . You can use store bought sambar masala or quickly prepare it at home.  Check my video link below to prepare Sambar powder in less than 3 mins 

Preparation Time - 15 mins
Cooking Time - 30 mins
Serves - 3 to 4
Complexity - Medium   

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Ingredients 

3 tbsp sambar powder

10 to 12 bhindi/okra/lady finger 

1 medium tomato 

Medium lemon sized tamarind soaked in hot water 

3/4th cup thoor dhall (1 cup = 200ml )

Pinch of turmeric/haldi

Salt as needed

2 tsp oil

1 tsp mustard seeds 

Pinch of asafoetida 

Fresh curry leaves 

Method 

• Wash and pressure cook the thoor dhall until soft and mushy.  Add haldi /turmeric while cooking the dhall.

• Extract the tamarind water and filter it using a strainer .

• Chop the okra into 1 inch long pieces .

• Chop the tomato into big cubes 

• In a thick bottomed vessel , add the tamarind extract , chopped bhindi and tomatoes with a little salt and cook until the raw flavor of tamarind is lost . The veggies will get cooked in this tamarind water so don't worry about it. The sliminess in the lady finger won't be there when cooked in tamarind water.

• After the raw flavor of tamarind is lost, add sambar powder, cooked dhall and some salt if needed . You may add a tsp of jaggery powder to enhance the taste .

• Adjust water if you find the sambar too thick.

• Let it come to a rolling boil and will appear frothy .

• Turn it off at this stage and prepare a tempering of mustard seeds and asafoetida in hot oil with some curry leaves and pour it over the sambar .

• Enjoy it with steamed rice and some pappadums  

Some other Sambar variants on the blog that you must try 

Drumstick Sambar 

Potato Sambar 

Greens (Palak) Sambar 

Karamani (lobia) Sambar 

Tiffin Sambar for Idli Dosa Vada  (restaurant style)

Vendakkai Thalarkaramudhu | தளர் கறியமுது ரெசிபி(ladies finger in tamarind sauce) - Vegan

KariAmudhu is a typical Tamil brahmin jargon used by the Iyengars . Amudhu means Nectar and Kari /Curry means the vegetable . So literally translated KariAmudhu or CurryAmundhu means Vegetable's Nectar .

Vendakkai means Ladies Finger .Today's recipe is neither a stir fry nor a sambar like gravy . It is a semi thick gravy having burst of flavors from the chillies ,tamarind pulp and sambar powder with an exquisite aroma of spices sauteed in Gingelly oil / Nallaennai/Til Oil .

A regular follower of my blog/YouTube channel had requested me this recipe multiple times.  As I was not aware of this recipe, I learnt from my aunt ;Kumudha Athai and here it is for all of you to try .
Instead of ladies finger you can also use finely chopped tender Brinjal too.

Preparation Time : 15 mins
Cooking Time : 30-40 mins
Serves : 3-4
Complexity: Medium

Ingredients
250 gms tender ladies finger /vendakai
2 tsp thoor dhall /thovaram paruppu
1 tsp channa dhall /kadalai paruppu
3/4 tsp methi seeds/vendhayam
1/2 tsp mustard seeds
Few curry leaves
2 -3 green chillies slit
2-3 dry red chillies
1 tsp sambar powder
Asafoetida generous pinch
Pinch of turmeric
Salt as needed
Lemon sized Tamarind
1 tablespoon gingelly oil /till oil

Method

• Wash and pat dry the ladies finger and chop into small round pieces . 
• Soak the tamarind in warm water and extract the pulp . Filter it if needed.
• Heat the till oil in a thick bottomed pan and splutter the mustard seeds, followed by methi , thoor dhall, channa dhall, red and green chillies and saute until the dhalls turn golden brown.  Add the curry leaves and asafoetida. 
• Add the chopped ladies finger and saute it well until the slimness is lost . Do it on medium flame.
• Pour the tamarind extract with turmeric, salt and sambar powder and mix it well.
• Add about 1/2 cup water and keep boiling it till the raw flavor of the tamarind is lost .
• Once the raw flavor is lost , the gravy will appear semi solid and you can feel a nice aroma wafting through the kitchen. Turn off the stove and transfer to a serving bowl. 
• Serve hot with steamed rice or pongal or even upma .

Note: incase you feel the gravy is watery, make a paste out of 1tsp rice flour and add it to the boiling gravy .

Bhindi Masala / Spicy Okra

This recipe is from my mom,who used to serve it with hot fluffy phulka rotis when I would be back from school with a hungry tummy. The aroma of Phulka rotis and this Masala Bhindi would fill the entire home and that would increase my hunger manifold . Quick and simple to make,it tastes really awesome with the various flavors from the spices infused into the Bhindi /Okra when cooked on slow flame.

Preparation Time : 15 mins
Cooking Time : 30 mins
Serves : 3-4

Bhindi Masala / Spicy Okra

Vendakkai Morekuzhambu/Majjige Huli/lady's finger in Spicy Yogurt gravy

Morekuzhambu (Tamil),Majjige Huli (kannada) a yogurt/curd based item,is an integral part of South Indian menu.Served in almost every Tamil wedding as a part of the traditional menu.Simple to make and great to taste can be prepared in a jiffy with various vegetables like Lady's finger/okra , ashgourd,chayote/chou chou. 

Today I am going post how to make using lady's finger.Nevertheless,I am going to tell you  how to go about making morekuzhambu using the other veggies.

Preparation Time : 10 mins
Cooking Time : 7-8 mins
Serves : 2-3

Ingredients

10-15 nos Lady's finger - cut into 1 inch long pieces
2 cups thick curd
1 tsp methi / fenugreek seeds
pinch of turmeric
salt to taste
For the masala
5 tbsp grated fresh coconut
1 tsp jeera/cumin seeds
3-4 green chillies
small piece ginger
1 tsp corriander seeds/dhania
3/4 tsp channa dhall /bengal gram /kadalai paruppu
For Tempering
Mustard seeds
few curry leaves
pinch of asafoetida

Method

• In a kadai,heat a little oil and roast the lady's finger with a little salt. Roast until the slimy texture of the lady's finger is lost.
• If using other veggies like white pumpkin,snake gourd(padwal),chou chou ;cut them into 1 inch cubes and boil in water with a little salt.
• Grind all the ingredients under the MASALA section into a fine paste.
• Beat the curd well,add salt ,turmeric,methi seeds and the ground masala paste to it and mix well.
• Slowly pour this curd mixture to the roasted lady's finger or boiled veggies and cook on low flame.
• Turn off the stove,once you see the mixture raising.Donot let it boil,else you will experience a curdled texture.
• Prepare the tempering and pour it all over.
• Serve hot with steamed rice and ghee.