This Chettinad side dish is a family favorite. With every bite comes a little spice, a little tang and a lot of okra! This vendakkai pachadi will be a delicious accompaniment for rice.
Cut okra and saute until stickiness goes away 
Add chopped onions and curry leaves to hot oil 
Add sauted okra, sambar powder and salt 
Add tamarind extract 
Add cooked toor dhal and mix 
Vendakkai Pachadi
This Chettinad side dish is a family favorite. With every bite comes a little spice, a little tang and a lot of okra!
Servings: 6
Ingredients
- 2 cups okra (cut into small pieces)
- ½ cup toor dhal
- ½ cup onion (chopped)
- 1 medium sized tomato (chopped)
- 6 curry leaves
- 2 tsp sambar powder (adjust to taste)
- 1 small marble sized tamarind (soaked in ¼ cup water)
- ¼ tsp turmeric powder
- 3 tbsp oil
- 2 cups water
For tempering:
- 2 tsp oil
- 1 tsp mustard seeds
- ½ tsp urad dhal
- ⅛ tsp asafoetida (also known as hing or perungayam)
Instructions
- Wash toor dhal and add to a pressure cooker.
- Then add 1 cup water, turmeric powder and 1 tsp oil to the pressure cooker.
- Cook for 1 whistle and release pressure naturally. Set aside.
- In a frying pan, add 2 tbsp oil. Once hot, add okra and saute until the stickiness goes away. Transfer to a bowl and set aside.
- In the same frying pan, add the remaining oil. Once hot, add chopped onion and curry leaves and saute for 1 minute.
- Then, add chopped tomatoes and saute for 2 minutes.
- Add the okra, sambar powder, salt to taste and tamarind extract. Mix well and add water as needed.
- Cook for 5 minutes.
- Then, add the cooked toor dhal and mix. Cook for 2 minutes and set aside.
- In a different pan, add ingredients under "For tempering" to hot oil. Once mustard seeds crackle, remove from heat and pour over pachadi.
- Serve hot as a side dish with rice or roti.
