Onam special kovakka pachadi

Kovakka or ivy gourd pachadi is the perfect dish to refresh your palette after every course in a traditional sadya (feast). Try this special recipe of kovakka pachadi for Onasadya this year.

Ingredients
1 cup fresh ivy gourd (cut into pieces)
¼ tsp turmeric powder
Salt as required
¼ cup shallots (chopped)
2 tsp green chillies
1 tsp ginger (finely chopped)
4 tsp coconut oil
½ tsp mustard seeds
A pinch of fenugreek
3 dried chillies
1 sprig curry leaves
1 cup yoghurt
1 tsp crushed mustard seeds

Preparation
Cook the ivy gourd with turmeric powder, salt, shallots, green chillies and ginger in ¼ cup water
Keep it aside to be used later. Do not overcook the ivy gourd
Heat coconut oil in a pan and splutter mustard seeds
Roast fenugreek seeds, dried chillies and curry leaves
Add the cooked ivy gourd mixture into this tempering
Add the crushed mustard seeds in yoghurt
Mix well
After the ivy gourd mix has cooled down, add the yoghurt with mustard into it
Do not add the yoghurt when the pachadi is too hot as the yoghurt may curdle
Add a pinch of sugar if required to balance the flavours.