UGADI PACHADI

INGREDIENTS:

Tamarind – 100 grams makes one cup of thick paste

Water – 1 1/4 cup

Jaggery – 2 1/2 cups

Finely chopped sugarcane – 2 tbsp

Finely chopped coconut – 2 tbsp

Finely chopped banana – 1/2 cup

Finely chopped mango – 1 tbsp

Neem leaves – 1/2 tbsp

Salt, red chilli powder, black pepper powder – 1 pinch each

Each home has their own way of preparing ugadi pachadi.

METHOD:

• Soak the tamarind in 1 1/2 cups of water for 1-2 hours and extract the pulp.
• Grate the jaggery or you can powder it in a mixer.
• Separate the neem flowers from the springs. Then gently rub the neem flowers between your two palms to separate the petals and put them in a plate. Use only petals for this process.
• Keep finely chopped coconut, finely chopped bananas, finely chopped sugarcane and finely chopped peeled mangoes to a side.
• Take a wide bowl. Add tamarind extract and 2 1/2 cups of grated jaggery. Mix well using your hand till the jaggery melts.
• Then add the finely chopped ingredients mentioned in step four and mix well.
• Lastly add neem petals, salt, red chilli powder, black pepper powder. Mix well.
• Offer ugadi pachadi as naivedyam (offerings to god during the festival of ugadi).

SUGGESTIONS:

Ugadi pachadi should be like a sauce. Do not taste it if you intend to offer it to god. The recipe for ugadi pachadi may vary according to family beliefs and customs. All the ingredients in this pachadi recipe can be adjusted to suite your taste. Ugadhi pachadi goes well with curd rice.