Vallarika Pachadi

Overview
Vallarika is a vegetable found plenty in Kerala. It tastes like a cucumber but is bigger in size. Vallarika Pachadi is a typical Kerala dish served for all vegetarian banquets.  Ground coconut and yogurt makes the gravy for this dish.  Coconut ground with mustard seeds gives a distinctive spicy flavor and elegant aroma to the gravy. One of my friends gave me this fresh Vallarika grown in their garden so had to try this dish.

Vallarika Pachadi

Ingredients
Vallarika pieces - thin small pieces - 2 cups
Green chilli 4 - 6 split at center
Curry leaves 2 sprigs
Mustard seeds 3/4 teaspoon
Thick non fat plain yogurt 1 cup
Fresh grated coconut - 3/4 cup

To garnish on top
Oil - 3 tablespoon
Mustard seeds 1 teaspoon
Whole red chilly cut into pieces - 4
Curry leaves 2 sprigs

Steps
1. Peel the skin of the Vallarika, remove seeds and cut to thin small pieces. Cook with one cup water, split green chilly, curry leaves and salt till they are cooked well.
2. Grind the coconut with mustard seeds and half cup water to a fine paste.
3. Mix the ground coconut to the cooked Vallarika mixture. Bring to a boil and turn off heat. Let this cool to room temperature.
4. Add the well whipped yogurt to this. Mix well and add salt if needed.
5. In another pan heat the oil. When the oil gets hot add the mustard seeds. When the seeds splutter add the Red chilly pieces and curry leaves. Turn off heat and pour this over the prepared pachadi.

Serve with plain rice.