Zucchini Pachadi

I am back from my Christmas break, friends; and was greeted by a bag of fresh vegetables and fruits from a dear friend’s home garden.  I was still jet lagged and tired so I kept the veggies in the fridge without a second thought.  I could feel though the plastic a large smooth vegetable and I assumed it was the Indian yellow cucumber.  I think when you come back from a trip back home, you connect everything to back home.

Anyway, I woke up the next day, thinking I would make some cucumber pachadi to go with rice and dal – and surprise!!!! there was a large zucchini in the bag.  I have never seen such a large zucchini in my life.  But then, you don’t know my friend Ermioni Bilimis.  She is an avid gardener, cook and preserver of fresh fruit and vegetables.  So the size was not a surprise.  I cut the zucchini to have a taste to see if I could make it into a pachadi.  It was tender, sweet and firm.  So zucchini pachadi it was going to be – and what a hit it was!  Thank you for the inspiration, Ermioni!

Ingredients:

1 large zucchini (about 500 grams) – washed and chopped fairly finely.

2 green chillies

½ a cup of dessicated coconut

½ teaspoon cumin seeds

½ teaspoon mustard seeds to grind

½ inch piece of ginger

1 clove garlic

2-3 tablespoons olive oil

½ cup beaten plain yogurt (smooth, not lumpy)

1 sprig curry leaves

½ teaspoon mustard seeds for tempering

Salt to taste

Method:

Grind together to a fine paste the chillies, coconut, ginger, garlic, cumin and mustard seeds.  Mix well with the chopped zucchini. Add 1/4 of a cup of water and cook till the zucchini goes soft.  Add salt to taste.  Turn the stove off and mix the yogurt with the zucchini.  Test for salt and add a bit more if needed.

In a small saucepan, heat oil.  Add ½ teaspoon mustard seeds and the curry leaf.  When the seeds splutter, turn off the flame and pour it over the zucchini and yogurt mix.

Serve with rice and dal.  This dish is like a warm salad if you like and is very nice to have in Summer.  It is also an important side dish in a Kerala thali meal.