Potlakaya perugu pachadi is a tangy and refreshing south Indian style raita, made of snake gourd, freshly ground mustard seeds, creamy coconut mixed into the tangy yogurt makes this dish unique with its distinct flavor. Potlakaya pachadi is a commonly made in many Telugu households and is one of the ancient recipes. This is also prepared in some of the other South Indian states as well.
Snake gourd is peeled and cut into pieces, boiled in water with turmeric and salt and later that is mixed with yogurt. A tempering is poured over and served with plain rice. I used to relish this Pachadi as a snack or starter whenever this is made back home. This is one of the dishes which are must for every Hindu festivals in back home in my Home state TELANGANA. So quick and easy to put together makes a healthy, delicious side dish which you’ll relish until it finishes.
What is SNAKE GOURD and what are its benefits ??
Potlakaya is snake gourd and is a long vegetable member of the pumpkin family. It is a fruit which is eaten like a vegetable.Because of its long form, it is called snake gourd.
This potlakaya is extremely popular in Indian dishes, and it’s no surprise that snake gourd has found its way into ayurvedic medicine, often used as a cooling ingredient. It is believed to have many medicinal values, because of its a natural antibiotic and anti-inflammatory properties.
There are not many options to prepare this dish. In ANDHRA CUISINE, they make a delicious POTLAKAYA FRY with freshly grated coconut which imparts a nice mellow-y taste.
To make this potlakaya perugu pachadi, we first cook the veggie until soft and then cool it completely, added to whisked curd/yogurt and later tempered with mustard seeds, dry red chillies and curry leaves.
Can I substitute SNAKE GOURD with any other vegetables??
Yes absolutely you can substitute the snake gourd with Bottle gourd or Cucumbers, the process remains the same for bottle gourd whereas for cucumber we can use the peeled and diced cucumbers directly.
Is Potlakaya perugu pachadi VEGAN??
Unfortunately this dish is not completely vegan, but you can substitute the curd/yogurt with VEGAN YOGURT and you’re all set, it’s that easy. As rest of the ingredients are completely vegan and plant based. See as I said, it’s so easy, delicious, quick to make which is absolutely healthy and nutritious. So let’s get in to the recipe.
SOME QUICK TIPS
- Peel or scrape off the whitish skin of the potlakaya/snake gourd to reduce the smell and get rid of any dirt existing.
- Chop them in circles or according to your preference and don’t forget to discard the pith and seeds.
- Try to use a tender snake gourd as it is less fibrous and less pungent.
- It is preferred to boil the snake gourd and then drain and use it. This helps to reduce the strong smell of the snake gourd.
- Using slightly sour curd/yogurt helps in reducing the strong smell of Snake gourd.
What are all the ingredients needed for this Potlakaya perugu pachadi??
- Snake gourd – 1 medium sized
- Curd/Yogurt – 1 cup, you substitute it with vegan yogurt
- Freshly grated coconut – ¼ cup
- Mustard seeds – 1 tbsp + 1 tsp
- Cumin seeds – 1 tsp + 1 tsp
- Green chili – 1 no
- Salt – 2 tbsp while boiling the snake gourd + to taste
- Water – 1 cup
- Curry leaves – 1 sprig
- Oil – 2 tbsp
- Cilantro – 2 tbsp, finely chopped
- Dry red chillies – 4-5 no
Checkout more authentic Telangana dishes here.
POTLAKAYA PERUGU PACHADI
Equipment
- Mini skillet
- Saucepan
- Blender
Ingredients
For Pachadi
- 1 Snake gourd tender and medium sized
- 1 cup Curd/Yogurt
- ¼ cup Freshly grated coconut
- 1 tbsp Mustard seeds
- 1 tsp Cumin seeds
- 1 Green chili
- 1 tsp Turmeric powder
- Salt to taste
- 1 cup Water
For tempering
- 2 tbsp Oil
- 1 tsp Mustard seeds
- 1 tsp Cumin seeds
- 1 sprig Curry leaves
- 4 Whole dry red chillies
- 2 tbsp Cilantro finely chopped
- ½ tsp Turmeric powder
Instructions
Prepping
- Peel or scrape the skin of Snake gourd and cut it according to your preference, discard the pith and seeds and keep the chopped snake gourd aside.
- Heat a saucepan and add 1 cup of water, tsp of turmeric powder, salt and let it come to a rolling boil and then add in chopped snake gourd.
- Boil them for 8-10 min until they translucent, later discard the water and drain the snake gourd pieces and keep aside.
- In a blender jar add in mustard seeds, freshly grated coconut, cumin seeds, chopped green chili and blend them to a semi coarse paste.
- In a mixing bowl add in curd/yogurt, blended coconut spice mix, salt, boiled and drained snake gourd and give everything a good mix.
- Taste and adjust the salt.
Make a tempering
- Heat a mini skillet or tempering pan, add oil and once its hot add in mustard seeds, cumin seeds, torn red chillies, curry leaves, turmeric powder and let them fry for a minute and later add the sizzling tadka/tempering to the whisked yogurt mix.
- Finally add in chopped cilantro, refrigerate and serve chilled with rice or rotis.
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