Preparations:

Selection of Chitakayalu is the first and an important step. Select the ones which are neither too tender nor too mature. The mature ones would have hard seeds which are difficult to be processed in the home processor. They need to be removed manually, which is a tedious process. The mid-range ones would have seeds in formative  stage which can be easily chopped and consumed.

Wash Chintakayalu thoroughly 2 to 3 times till water comes clear. Spread the Chintakayalu on a dry cloth for drying. They should be dried in shade only. When fully dried cut the Chintakayalu into small pieces. Arrange a chopping blade in a food processor. Chop the chintakaya pieces in processor to a coarse paste. Take this coarse paste in a bowl and add turmeric powder. Mix well and add salt to it. Mix well till there is some wetness on your palm. Salt when mixed with sour raw tamarind oozes water. Transfer this mixture to a ceramic bowl or a glass jar and press it down neatly. Keep this jar aside for 3 days. After 3 days the tamarind becomes soft. Arrange the chopping blade to the processor bowl and make a paste of this Chintakaya Tokku. Now this Tokku is ready to make Pachhadi. Keep this tokku in a glass jar or any ceramic jars (with a tight lid) and preserve. This will last for more than a year if salt is sufficiently mixed in the tokku.

Method:

• Chintakaya Tokku – 1 Cup
• Mustard Seeds – 1tsp
• Fenugreek Seeds – 1tsp
• Asafoetida – 1/4tsp
• Oil – 12tsps
• Red Chillies – 11

Break the red chilies into small pieces and keep them aside. Heat a pan and add oil to it. When oil is hot add the fenugreek seeds followed by mustard seeds. Fry till the seeds splutter and fry well. Arrange a wire mesh strainer in a bowl and keep it near the pan. When the seeds are done with frying add red chili pieces and asafoetida. Fry till you get a nice aroma of asafoetida. Now strain this fried seasoning into the wire mesh strainer to collect the oil. Now grind these seasonings in a mixie by adding the Chintakaya Tokku little by little. The paste will be somewhat coarse. Mix the pachhadi well with fingers and add the strained oil to it. Mix the oil well into the Pachhadi and transfer to a glass or ceramic bowl. Now the Pachhadi is ready to serve. Serve this Pachhadi with hot rice and ghee.

Points to be noted:

While selecting Chintakayalu, select raw and firm ones to get the right taste and more quantity. Ensure that the hard seed is not yet formed in them. Also ensure that they are not too tender, because the pickle with the tender ones doesn't last long. Add the right amount of salt. Before adding salt, taste the Chintakayalu for their sourness. Depending on the sourness of the raw tamarind add the salt. After mixing salt, taste the tokku—it should taste slightly salty. After mixing and keeping the Tokku aside for 3 days taste again to check salt. It should again taste slightly salty. The tokku then lasts for more than a year.

Whenever you feel like having the Pachhadi, take some Tokku and follow the method given above to prepare the Pachhadi.

When one is suffering from cold and fever this Pachhadi provides the required Vitamin C to cure them. We generally feel like eating some such sour things only when we have cold. It can be eaten by mixing in hot rice with ghee, or by spreading on ghee toasted sandwich bread, or by eating as a side dish with curd rice.

In emergencies we can make new dishes with the readymade tokku. Mix some tokku with cooked dal and season with black gram, fenugreek seeds, mustard seeds, green chilies, curry leaves and asafoetida. This makes Chintakaya Pappu. It tastes good.

To clean brass and copper vessels take some tokku and rub on the vessels. Then clean it with sand and the vessels sparkle like new ones.