Bell Pepper Cabbage Pacchadi

2 bell peppers and left over ¼ cabbage were waiting there for me to decide what to turn them into. After a little contemplation I decided on pacchadi. Being a great fan of Andhra pacchadis, it is something I easily resort to. While bell peppers gave this pacchadi a wonderful flavor, cabbage added the right texture and together ended into a very satisfying side dish.

Ingredients
2 large bell peppers cut into small pieces
¼ cabbage chopped
7 – 8 green chilies chopped (adjust to taste)
2 garlic pods chopped
1 tsp cumin
1 tbsp black gram
1 tbsp coriander
Few curry leaves
Goose berry size tamarind
2 tsp oil
Salt to taste

In a pan heat 1 tsp oil, add green chilies and garlic, sauté for a minute, add cumin, black gram, coriander and curry leaves.

Sauté till the dals are roasted. Remove form flame and set aside.

In another pan, heat a tsp of oil and sauté the bell peppers and cabbage. Cook on medium heat, stirring frequently till the veggies are tender but not mushy.

Let it cool.

Soak tamarind in 2 tbsp of warm water.

Blend the roasted seasoning into coarse powder. Add tamarind and blend it into a paste.

Blend the roasted veggies into a coarse paste.

Add them together with the required amount of salt.

Eat it with hot rice and ghee (optional) or use it as a spread on bread.

Cabbage Pacchadi

Hot rice with pacchadi and ghee has always been my favorite. Pacchadi is a very common dish in telugu homes. Mom often made pacchadi either with coconut, eggplant, gongura, mango or ridge gourd. Due to my love for the dish, I try it with lot more vegetables like cabbage, broccoli, spinach, carrot, bell pepper etc with little variations. I love them all.




Ingredients:
1 small cabbage chopped
2 tomatoes finely chopped
8 green chillies (adjust to taste)
2 flakes of garlic
2 tsp oil
Walnut size ball of tamarind
Salt to taste

For seasoning:
1 tsp mustard
1 tsp cumin
2 tbsp coriander seeds
Curry leaves
2 tsp oil

Heat oil, add seasoning, followed by garlic and green chillies. Set it aside and let it cool.

Heat oil in a wok, add cabbage and cook on medium to high heat for couple of minutes.

Add tomatoes and continue to cook until the cabbage is tender and looses the raw smell. Let it cool.

In the mean time soak tamarind in ¼ cup of warm water.

Grind seasoning into fine powder, add tamarind, grind into a fine paste.

Grind cabbage coarsely.

Mix everything together along with salt.

If you like lemon flavor you can reduce tamarind and add lemon.

Eating this with hot rice and ghee is an absolute delight!