Potlakaya Perugu Pachhadi - పొట్లకాయ పెరుగు పచ్చడి - Snake Gourd Raita
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Ingredients:
Snake Gourds – 300gms
Thick Curd – 450gms
Grated Coconut – 50gms (1/3Cup)
Green Chilies – 4 (Spicy Variety)
Ginger – Small Piece
Cumin Seeds – 1/4tsp (To Grind Along with Green Chilies & Ginger)
Bengal Gram – 1tsp
Black Gram – 14tsp
Mustard Seeds – 1/2tsp
Cumin Seeds – 1/2tsp
Curry Leaves – Few
Salt – To Taste (1/2tsp+1/8tsp)
Asafoetida – 1/8tsp
Turmeric Powder – 1/4tsp
Chopped Coriander Leaves – 2Tbsps
Oil – 1Tbsp
Water – 15ml (To Cook Snake Gourd Pieces)
(Online Conversion utility to convert Gms to Cups & Temperatures etc)
Preparations:
To make this perugu pachhadi we need thick curd. If the curd is runny, drain water from it. Take a bowl and place a sieve in it. Spread a thin cloth in the sieve. Add curd to the cloth in the sieve and cover it. Place this bowl in refrigerator for 30 minutes to one hour, depending on the water content in the curd.
Wash the snake gourd pieces under running water. Take a snake gourd piece and slice it as thinly as possible. Similarly slice all the snake gourd pieces. Take a microwave safe bowl and add the snake gourd pieces into it. Add 15ml water to the gourd pieces and place the bowl in microwave oven. Cover the bowl and cook the gourd pieces on high power for 5 minutes. Remove bowl from oven carefully and stir the vegetable pieces. Again place the bowl in microwave oven and cover it. Cook once again for 5 minutes on high power. Now observe that all the snake gourd pieces are perfectly cooked without becoming mushy. Take a snake gourd piece and press between fingers and it easily breaks. Spread the cooked snake gourd pieces in a plate and allow them to cool completely.
Wash ginger and green chilies and cut them into pieces. Take a mixie jar and add the chopped ginger and green chili pieces and add 1/4tsp of cumin seeds. Grind the ingredients coarsely and take it into a plate.
Wash curry leaves and pat dry with a dry cloth to remove moisture.
When the snake gourd pieces are cool to touch, take a fistful pieces and press between fingers to remove excess water. Remove water from all the cooked snake gourd pieces and take them into a plate. Do not throw away that drained water---just drink it as it is sweet to taste and has all the nutrients.
Method:
Remove the curd bowl from refrigerator. Observe that water from curd is collected in the bowl below the sieve. Use this water (whey) to curdle milk and make paneer. Take the thick curd in the cloth to make perugu pachhadi.
Take a mixing bowl and add the thick curd. Take a spoon and mix the curd to smoothen it breaking all lumps. To the smoothened curd add the grated coconut, cooked snake gourd pieces and salt. Mix all well and the perugu pachhadi is ready for seasoning.
Heat a pan and add oil. When oil is hot add Bengal gram and black gram and fry stirring on low flame till the seeds start to change color. Then add mustard seeds and cumin seeds and fry stirring till seeds splutter. Then add asafetida, curry leaves and coarsely ground green chili mixture. Fry the seasoning well. Green chilies when well fried in oil lose their spiciness and turn tasty. Now switch off the flame and add turmeric powder and mix well. When turmeric powder is mixed with the hot oil in seasoning, it brings out nice color. This seasoning when added to curd mixture gives a nice lemon yellow color because of the turmeric powder. Add the seasoning to curd and mix well and observe the curd getting nice yellow color. Add some chopped coriander leaves to the perugu pachhadi and mix again. Transfer the prepared perugu pachhadi into a serving bowl and garnish with chopped coriander leaves. Refrigerate the perugu pachhadi till use as curd turns sour at room temperature. Serve the chilled potlakaya perugu pachhadi with hot rice.
Points To Remember:
Use fresh curd which is not sour and is not watery. If the curd is having more water content drain as mentioned above and get thick curd.
Use tender snake gourds for better taste. Slice the snake gourd pieces as thinly as possible using a knife. If using a food processor, use a thick slicer blade to slice the snake gourd pieces as thin slicer blade gives very very thin pieces.
One must be wondering why we have removed water from the cooked snake gourd pieces and why at all we have added water to cook snake gourd pieces. To cook snake gourd pieces in microwave oven, we require a minimum amount of water. After cooking the snake gourds we need to drain all the water as the excess water makes the perugu pachhadi runny and the taste also dilutes. So press the cooked snake gourd pieces and remove all excess water before adding to the curd. The water which is separated from cooked snake gourd pieces would be sweet and tasty and hence just drink it as it also has all the nutrients in it.
Never add hot cooked vegetables to the curd as it would curdle.
Use fresh grated coconut. Use a traditional coconut grater than grinding in mixie for better texture. Coconut gives a soft (KAMMANI RUCHI) flavor and also gives body to the perugu pachhadi.
Adjust green chilies and ginger to taste. As the snake gourds are bland in taste the seasoning only brings the flavor.
After adding green chili mixture to the seasoning, fry well so that the green chilies lose their raw flavor (Which makes them spicy). Fried green chilies gives a nice flavor (Not the raw flavor) and would not be spicy but tasty.
Turmeric powder when mixed with hot oil brings out color so add it to the hot seasoning. When this seasoning in which turmeric powder is mixed is added to curd mixture and mixed, it blends well with the curd and evenly spreads the yellow color. So add turmeric powder to seasoning rather than directly adding it to the curd mixture.
Mix hot rice and dal and serve this perugu pachhadi as an accompaniment and the taste would be finger licking.
Enjoy !!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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