Pacchi Dosakai pachadi with Chintakai thokku aka Raw melon cucumber with tender tamarind pachadi (side-dish)

pachi dosakai-chintakai pachadi

This is a very traditional, authentic pachadi which mainly belongs to Southern Andhra. The main ingredients are dosakai and raw chintakai thokku (tender tamarind crushed on rock with turneric powder and salt). Not many people know this recipe, even I was not aware of this as I belong to Northern Andhra (Vizag). My mother-in-law is here and taught me this unique, tasty and interesting pachadi. She brought chintakai thokku from India and we mainly use it for chintakai pachadi and pacchi dosakai pachadi too. I am sure you will also try this pachadi for its out of the world taste!

There are many more of my MIL's recipes to be blogged, you will soon see them in my upcoming posts.

Source: My Mother-in-Law
Cuisine: South Indian, Andhra
Preparation time:10 mins
Cooking time: 7 mins
Serves: 4-5 people
Ingredients:
1 medium size dosakai (melon cucumber) weighs about 350gms
10 green chillies, cut lenghtwise (you can reduce as per your spice level)
1 tsp dhaniya (coriander seeds)
1 tsp jeera (cumin seeds)
Handful of toasted peanuts, peeled
3 tbsps of chintakai thokku
1 tbsp of cilantro, chopped
Salt as per taste
1tsp of oil
for tempering/tadka:
1 tsp of mustard seeds
few curry leaves
a pinch of asafeotida
1 tsp of oil

ingredients for the pachadi

Method:

1. Peel the dosakai (melon cucumber), deseed and chop into very small and thin pieces or cubes.
   
2. 
3. Heat the oil and add green chillies, saute it till cooked and be sure not to burn them.
4. To this add dhaniya (coriander seeds) and jeera (cumin seeds) and fry for a min, cool and keep aside
5. First grind roasted peanuts and add the chillies, chintakai thokku, cilantro, salt and just grind coarsely so that all ingredients are mixed well.
6. Mix this with dosakai pieces and keep aside.
7. For tempering heat a tsp of oil, add mustard seeds let them splutter, add curry leaves and fry for a few seconds on low heat.
8. Lastly add a pinch of hing/ asaefotida and pour the tempering on the pachadi, mix well and serve with hot rice.
   

Pachi dosakai-chintakai pachadi served with hot rice

For tender tamarind thokku/chintakai thokku:

Chintakai thokku/ crushed tender tamarind

One can make chintakai thokku at home by mixing the raw chintakai (tamarind) with turmeric powder and salt, mix well and keep it aside for 2-3 days for tenderizing the chintakai. Later on crush it with a Stone Mortar and Pestle and keep refridgerate in an air tight container the thokku, like this it can stay till 1 year or so. We also get the tender tamarind in Indian grocery stores, I have seen them occasionally at Edison Subzi Mandi, NJ.