Vandikaran pachadi / Pachi pulusu (Raw rasam)

Simple dishes always taste great!!! Vandikaran pachadi or pachi pulusu is no exception for this rule. I knew pachi pulusu only after my marriage. I didn't also know until very recently such a dish exist in tamil . The credit of introducing vandikaran pachadi goes to Mani anna. He said that people  prepare this dish (perhaps as a quickie!!!) when they travel by bullock cart from one place to another during olden days (golden days!!!). Hence the name vandikaran (bullock cart owner!!!) pachadi (?). This dish also shows  how our ancestors were able to make quick, tastier dish with minimum ingredients available locally.

There are many varieties of rasam but this rasam is very unique and any other rasam which needs extensive preparation can't even come near it in taste. Bachelors can easily prepare this dish within a matter of few minutes. When you have a simple lunch or dinner with this dish your stomach will definitely be happy

Ingredients :

Red chillies

Mustard seeds

Garlic- 1 pod (optional)

Onion- 1 no (cut into bite sized pieces)

Tamarind- small lemon sized ball

Oil- 1-2 tspns

Method :

Soak the tamarind in water and extract it's juice. Add enough water and adjust the sourness according to your taste. Now heat a pan, add 1 tspn of oil. When the oil gets heated add the mustard seeds. Let it splutter. Then add the red chillies. Saute untill the red chillies get fried a bit (perhaps a minute or so). Then add this tempered material into the diluted tamarind juice. Now add enough salt,cut onions and crushed garlic piece inside the tamarind juice and with your hands crush everything together untill the red chillies are broken into small pieces. Taste the rasam once again and adjust salt according to your taste. The smell of raw onions, fried red chillies and mustard in tamarind water, hmmm.... simply heavenly!!! and it tastes heavenly too!!!!!  On the next day of preparation this dish tastes even better. When you eat rice along with this rasam you get a crispy onion with every bite of rice and I just enjoy it. Try it for a quick, tasty meal. Serve with hot rice and with any fried dish from chicken to papadam.

Taste enhancing tips for this recipe : The main imporatant thing you have to check is the sourness of tamarind and the salt. It should match your taste buds and let it be a little hot (add enough red chillies). Definitely you will be conquered by it's taste. Happy cooking!!!