Mulaka Ellu Pachadi | Green Chilly Sesame Pachadi

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Green chillies in a tamarind gravy with green chilly-sesame seeds- coconut masala, jaggery and curry leaves

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Mulaka ellu pachadi is a sweet, spicy and tangy side dish. Hot green chillies are simmered in a tamarind gravy and green chilly-sesame-coconut masala. The heat from the chillies is balanced with jaggery. The hot chillies combined with the sweetness from jaggery, tangy tamarind and the nuttiness from sesame seeds brings out a burst of flavors in the pachadi.

I don't know the origin of this dish, but this is something I ask amma to make frequently. The chillies I get here are not so hot. So when I saw these hot Indian chillies in the market, I grabbed them exclusively to make this pachadi. You can have this pachadi along with rice and poriyal/thoran, or you can serve this as a side dish to molagootal, dal or any mildly spiced South Indian gravy.

MULAKU ELLU PACHADI RECIPE

Ingredients:

Green chillies - 4 to 5, big sized

Tamarind - small lemon size
Jaggery - 1/2 tsp
Mustard seeds - 1 tsp
Curry leaves - 1 sprig + few to garnish
Turmeric powder - a pinch
Gingelly oil - 2 tbsp
Salt - to taste

To grind:

Green chillies - 5 to 6, small sized

Black sesame seeds / Ellu - 2 tsp

Grated coconut - 1/4 cup

Method:

1. Dry roast the sesame seeds till it starts popping, say 2 minutes. Then grind it with coconut and green chillies to a smooth paste.

2. Soak tamarind in 1/2 cup hot water and extract the pulp. Set aside. Cut the green chillies into 1/2 inch length pieces.

3. Heat gingelly oil and add mustard seeds. When it pops, add curry leaves and green chillies. Fry for 2- minutes.

4. Add tamarind water, jaggery, turmeric powder, salt and mix well. Bring to a boil and cook till raw smell of tamarind goes.

5. Now add the ground paste and little water to make a medium gravy consistency. Boil this 3-4 minutes. Garnish with curry leaves.

Notes:

1. My green chillies were medium hot, so I added only 1/2 tsp jaggery. If your chillies are more hot, add 1 tsp of jaggery.

2. Adjust the amount of chillies for grinding and frying according to the heat level of chillies.

3. You can also use white sesame seeds instead of black. The color of the pachadi will be lighter in that case.

4. Once sesame seeds start popping, remove from heat. Otherwise it will turn bitter.