This Friday was Ramnavami – Read more about this festival here. This festival is celebrated with all grandeur in all the Hindu temples. After the pooja, prasadam is distributed to the devotees. One of the very popular prasadam – pepper-jaggery paanakam is already on this blog. Here is another very popular item – Pachadi made up of raw mangoes. Any type of raw mangoes could be used for this.
Traditionally charcoal was used for a nice aroma to this dish. But these days, people have stopped using it. I am posting the version with charcoal, if you don’t find it, just ignore it and follow the remaining steps.
Ingredients:
1 cup finely chopped raw mango
Salt
1 cup grated coconut
3 green chillies /red chillies
2 tea spn jaggery
A pinch asafoetida
1/4 tea spn coconut oil
1 piece charcoal(optional)
Method:
Mix the chopped mangoes with salt and keep it aside for 10 minutes. Squeeze the chopped mangoes and remove the water to lessen the sourness. (This step is not required if mangoes are not sour).
Grind coconut, green chillies, a pinch of asafoetida, salt.
Mix the prepared chutney with mango and add jaggery.
Heat charcoal till it becomes red. Take it on a spoon or hold it with a tong. Add a drop of coconut oil on this red charcoal.
The fumes come out. Drop the charcoal in to the chopped mango-chutney mixture. Close the vessel, to avoid the fumes escaping.
Remove and discard the charcoal when the fumes stop.
This can also be used with rice as a sidedish.
PS: Though this version is our traditional preparation done at temples or at home, many people add soaked moong dal or chana dal.
Varadpachi, never new charcoal flavor was given to this dish. Used to love eating ambe pachdi with sunthi /godha pachkadayi and paanak at Ram Mandir/Wadala Mutt, Mumbai for prasad.
Varadmai,
Very authentic dish. Smoking the dish with charcoal is very special! With loaf of patrode at the side I would certainy have a hearty meal
It is interesting to see how charcoal was used to impart the smoky flavor to the dish. Before this I have seen charcoal being used to give flavor to briyani with ghee adding that heavenly aroma.
Shilpa: We use it for kokum kadi also Anjali. Yumm yumm.
I love mangoes and coconut. What happened that it is not common to smoke it anymore?
Shilpa: Donno. Probably because it is bit of extra work :). In olden days, food was cooked on the flame created by burning wood, so remaining charcoal was used for such smoking. These days, this has been replaced by gas stoves and it is hard to get charcoal. But the smoking gives it a great aroma.
Wow, very authentic way of preparing mango pachadi. Using charcoal in a pachadi is new to me! Wonderful! 🙂
Wow, I’ve never heard of this technique before. Great pictorial too.
Mango pachadi looks great a nice side… Little ingredients but sounds lip smacking…
The patrodo on the side looks yummy too!
Varada pacchi..smoking pachadi is new to me! Lovely flavor ..can imagine! Tks for sharing! My query..wont there be some amount of ash or grime frm coal in pachadi ?
Shilpa: Usually the charcoal is washed before heating it to remove any dirt. The charcoal is not mixed, just left in the pachdi till it the fumes end and then discarded. It is similar to grilling meat on charcoal, there will be some grit where the meat touched charcoal :).
put the charcoal in a katori
Varada Aunty,
More than this pachadi, the two pieces on the sides( must be pathrode) look lovely.
I love ambuli pachodi but charcoal tec… is really new to me!
My grandma used put charcoal to curd rice….
Very intresting. Never knew that charcoal can be used to add flavour. Thanks for sharing.
your chutney is different than what i make,we generally make coarse paste out of mango and coconut for coconut and mango pachadi.
Nice to see our style recipes at www sites:)…….thank u.you are really doin very gud social service here like ur pappa does in kodkani ur native u said na if i am nt rong:)!!! We newly married ladies are greatful 2 u as we can google the recipe if we dont remember watever our ayee had told us:)………All the best go tukka:)
U can even prepare takka happala kadi……..
Serves-2/3 people
PN:good for digestion
Happol(papad)-2/3,
Jeera-1tsp
ghee-1tbsp
Ginger garlic paste-1tsp
Coriander leaves–few chopped
ginger€(finely chopeed small pieces)-1tsp
green chillies-2 finely chopped
turmeric,salt and chilli powder-as per taste
water-1cup,curd-2cups
oil -for fryin papad
Method:
Fry papad in oil first and keep it aside.take ghee in a kadai and add jeera,after it pops,add turmeric,salt(a bit as papad contains salt) and chilli powder and stir well till it gets a aroma.
add curd,water and ginger and chillies.
mix well and add papad at the end and remove from flame.
Serve garnishing with coriander leaves.
This is indeed a great recipe..I know it will be tasty. In the hilly regions of Jammu ,And in Himachal too, the charcoal flavouring is done..though the oil used is mustard oil. And it is generally done to the chutneys or savoury dishes.
nice recipe. im going to try this with bananas, since I dont have mangoes readily available now.