Carrot Pachadi Recipe

Carrot pachadi is a delicious and refreshing side dish made with carrot, yogurt and spices. It is quite popular in Kerala and it is also known as carrot raita or tempered carrot salad. Carrot pachadi is served on the Onam Sadhya meal spread or you can serve with everyday meals like rice, biryani and pulav.

If you are in a hurry or if you need any quick side dish for pulav or rice. Then this is the answer. I even loved to have this as it is in a bowl with a spoon. It is a kind of cooling and refreshing at the same time. I made it for lunch today along with Ennai Kathirikai (One of my favourite dish).

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About Carrot Pachadi

Pachadi is a popular South Indian recipe made with a wide variety of vegetables and fruits. I love making pachadi and thoran for Onam, because they are easy to make and taste delicious.

Pachadi are made with vegetables or fruits and it is mixed with curd, coconut, chilli and tempered with curry leaves, mustard seeds in coconut oil. Pachadi’s are usually sweet, sour and spicy and traditionally served as a part of Onam Sadhya.

Carrot pachadi is a simple and tastiest version of pachadi made using grated carrots. It requires minimal ingredients and tastes absolutely delicious. It is a sweet, sour and mildly spiced pachadi served in Onam Sadhya meal or it can also be served along with biryani, pulav and with any variety of rice like tomato rice, mint rice.

To prepare this carrot pachadi, grate some carrots using a grater or food processor. Heat oil in a kadai, add grated carrots and shallots and cook. Add coconut mixture and saute.

Then mix it with curd and followed by tempering mustard seeds, shallots, dry red chilli, curry leaves in coconut oil. This tempering is poured over the carrot curd base. Carrot pachadi recipe is so versatile that you can try with other vegetables like zucchini, beetroot, chow chow, pumpkin and cucumber of your choice.

Similar Pachadi Recipes

Ingredients

Carrot : This is the star ingredient of this pachadi recipe. Wash and peel the skin off carrots. While grating use a small or medium hole for fine grating, so that carrots will cook evenly and faster.
Shallots : Shallots or Chinna ulli is traditionally used in Kerala. It is finely chopped and added along with carrot.
Thick yogurt : This is the base of the pachadi / raita. Curds are a good source of probiotics and good for gut health. So it cools the body and helps in digestion after having a heavy meal.
Coconut mix – coconut is ground with cumin and green chillies. This is added to the carrot for taste.
Turmeric powder : Turmeric powder is lightly added for its color.
Salt : Salt balances and enhances the overall flavour of pachadi.
Tempering : For tempering coconut oil, mustard seeds, urad dal, dry red chilli,curry leaves are used. If you want to make it less spicy, then deseed the dry red chilli before tempering.
Coconut Oil – Traditionally coconut oil is used in Kerala for its aroma and taste. You can also substitute with any other regular cooking oil.

Step by Step Pictures

1)Wash, peel and grate carrots using slightly medium grates. Set aside.

2)Take coconut, cumin seeds and green chillies in a blender.

3)Grind them to a coarse mixture without adding any water. Set this aside.

4)Heat 1 teaspoon coconut oil in a pan. Add in shallots and grated carrots.

5)Saute this for 2 minutes.

6)Now add in the ground coconut mixture along with salt.

7)Stir this into the carrot for 30 seconds.

8)Take it off the heat and remove the carrot coconut mixture into a bowl to cool.

9)Now heat oil for tempering. Once oil is hot, add in mustard seeds, urad dal and let them splatter. Add in dry red chillies and curry leaves and fry them in the oil.

10)Once the carrot mixture has slightly cooled, add in yogurt and mix well. Taste and adjust the salt at this point.

11)Now pour this tempering over the pachadi and mix well.

12)Carrot pachadi is ready to serve.

13)Enjoy with rice.

Expert Tips

Grating carrots : Use a food processor or a grater to grate the carrots. Use the small side of the grater for fine grating. The finely grated carrots tend to cook easily and beautifully get mixed with the curd.

Hung curd : Use hung curd or homemade well set thick curd for the best creamy texture. Avoid watery or sour curd as it will make the pachadi too runny and tangy.

Don’t overcook : Don’t over saute or overcook the carrots as it may turn mushy. It should be cooked till soft with little crunchiness.

Storage : You can refrigerate the carrot pachadi for 1 to 3 days. Transfer the pachadi to an airtight container and store it in the fridge. No need to reheat the pachadi. It tastes best when served chilled.

Serving : Serve this cooling and refreshing carrot curd pachadi with biryani, pulav, tomato rice or with roti. Garnish with coriander leaves and give a gentle mix before serving.

FAQ

Q. Can I use greek yogurt instead of curd ?

You can substitute curd with any plain or non flavoured greek yogurt. Green yogurt is also rich in protein. But using greek yogurt totally depends upon your texture, taste and tangy preference.

Q. Can I use store bought curd ?

Yes you can use store bought curd. But make sure it is thick and not too sour. For the best creamy taste and texture, always use homemade thick curd for preparing pachadi.

Q. How long does carrot pachadi last ?

Pachadi always tastes best when served fresh. You can store it in the refrigerator for 1 to 3 days. It may turn too sour when stored for a long time.

Q.Can I substitute or add other vegetables ?

Yes you can add beetroot, cucumber or tomato to make pachadi along with carrot.

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