Andhra Dondakaya pachadi

The Dondakaya pachadi or Ivy gourd chutney is one of the classic Andhra style chutney which is very popular and also simple to make.  It is made in all parts of Andhra Pradesh.  The Dondakaya is found in all places through out the year.  We can make a number of recipes using Dondakaya but in this article we will see how to make a Dondakaya pachadi.


Ingredients required:

• Dondakayalu -  1/4 Kg, nip the ends and cut into rounds
• Red chillies -  2 nos,  tear and de-seed
• Green chillies -  3 nos, slit into two
• Bengal Gram -  1 1/2 tsp
• Garlic - 6 cloves crushed
• Urad dal -  1 tbsp
• Cumin seeds - 1  tbsp
• Oil - 1 table spoon
• Tamarind -  1/2 tbsp
• Some salt to taste
• Jaggery ( optional )

For tempering:

• Mustard seeds -  1/2 tsp
• Red chilli -  1 no tear and de-seed
• Curry leaves -  few nos
• Asafoetida - pinch
• Oil - 1 tsp

Method of preparation of Dondakaya pachadi:

• First you need to heat the oil in a vessel and add cumin seeds, urad dal, chana dal, red chillies and saute for some 3 minutes.  Now add green chillies, garlic and dondakaya pieces and saute for 10 minutes. The dondakaya should become little hrown.  Then you can turn off the heat and allow it to cool
• Grind all of the above ingredients to a coarse paste, adding tamarind, salt and jaggery ( if required ).  Add 1 to tsp of water if required  Remove to a serving bowl
• Add one tsp of oil and add mustard seeds
• Let the seeds splutter, then add red chilli, curry leaves and saute for a few seconds . Pour over the chutney and serve with hot steamed rice and a dollop of ghee.

• Some people may not like garlic,  they need not add garlic but add some asafoetida. 

If you want to know about more Indian recipes,  you can visit my other blog on Indian Recipes.