Vellirikka Pachadi (Cucumber with coconut in curd)

  

Ingredients

Cucumber - 1 small

Coconut- 1/2, Grated

Curd – 100 ml

Curry leaves - 6-8 nos

Green chillies - 2-3 nos

Mustard - 1 teaspoon

Salt to taste

It is one of the very low calorie vegetables; no saturated fats or cholesterol. It is an excellent hydrating vegetable. Also, cucumber peel is a good source of dietary fiber that helps reduce constipation and eliminates toxic compounds from the gut.

It is a very good source of potassium, an important intracellular electrolyte and helps in checking weight gain and high blood pressure.

Process to cook Pachadi:

Chop the cucumber into small pieces (Approximately 1 to 1.5 cm of each side) and put in a pan. Add ¼ glass of water into it. Be very careful while adding water since cucumber contains lots of water due to which a little bit of more water will make the curry very watery, thereby losing its taste. Chop green chilles vertically and add in the pan. 

Add salt and cook in a low flame.

Separately grind the grated coconut and mustard into a paste and keep this aside. 

Once the cucumber is cooked put the coconut  paste into it and stir it well in low flame. Switch off the flame one this mix is heated. Pl. donot boil. 

Add the curd into it by stirring it continuosly.

Its important to keep stirring the mix while adding the curd to avoid the butter milk getting separated/curled up due to over heating.

At last put curry leaves  and garnish with one teaspoon of coconut.

This is side dish to be eaten with rice. Serves 6-7 people.

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