Zucchini and Cucumber Thayir Pachadi / Tempered Courgette and Cucumber Dip in South Indian Style

Zucchini and Cucumber Pachadi / Tempered Courgette and Cucumber Dip in South Indian Style - A delicious, quick side dish to any meal or even serve as a wonderful dip. Gluten Free, diabetic friendly and perfect for weight loss.

Zucchini and Cucumber Thayir Pachadi / Tempered Courgette and Cucumber Dip in South Indian Style

Any Zucchini lovers here? Well we surely are big fans of this juicy vegetable. After adding them to the Vegan Tomato Sauce Pasta with mixed vegetables that I recently blogged about, was wondering how this vegetable could be given a South Indian Twist and voila – Zucchini and Cucumber Thayir Pachadi was born!

Meals unaccompanied by dahi or curd at home, especially a South Indian’s home is a definite no no. So instead of the usual 1 katori dahi with our lunch or the 1 glass buttermilk washed down after a spicy meal, I thought why not make use of the zucchini left in the fridge and turn it into a delicious pachadi.

The Zucchini and Cucumber Thayir Pachadi was enjoyed with a wholesome lunch of oats and whole wheat rotis, Beetroot Thoran and some Aloo Mutter, all made in low oil. The pachadi / raita or curd dip is gluten free in nature.

Those who are vegan and lactose intolerant can make this raita with a suitable vegan yogurt variety available. The rest of the ingredients, namely the fresh grated coconut and the coconut oil are both vegan in nature.

Zucchini or Courgettes are excellent for people trying to lose weight. The best part is, they are low in carbs and high in fibre which really helps you stay full. It has high water content and hence cooks faster too, if you observe. Grilled Zucchini takes 10 minutes and makes a perfect meal option to go with a dip of your choice.

Needless to say, this is an excellent choice for diabetics as well due to high fibre and low glycemic index. Zucchini is rich in Vitamin C, deficiency of which leads to respiratory issues, common colds, coughs, flu etc which is quite common during monsoons. With numerous health benefits of zucchini, it should be included in our diet, especially with the combination of curd or yogurt to prevent digestive disorders during monsoon.

Zucchini or courgettes belong to the squash family but resemble a lot like cucumber. The skin of the zucchini can be consumed, rather should be consumed which is what I have done exactly if you observe the pictures closely. I don’t discard the water that remains after the grating of both cucumbers or zucchini in this case as they are full of nutrition. Add the curd or yogurt wisely and ensure you add salt and mix just before serving to prevent it from turning extremely soggy and watery.

Some Serving suggestions for kids. 

Zucchini on its own can be very bland, hence the addition of cucumbers to make it interesting, especially for kids who will not know the difference at all. Just finely grate the vegetables and not cut them into chunks (my advice) for that lovely smooth texture that can wrap the rotis and mix with the rice really well. Also, kids and toddlers won’t notice it much either, if the vegetable is grated instead of being chopped.

Check out the easy recipe of the Gluten Free Raita or the tempered curd dip and make a batch soon. It takes 15 minutes to make this delicious raita which pairs well with parathas for breakfast, sabzi and roti combination during lunch and Khichdi for dinner. Trust me, I have tried it all and loved it!

Recipe for Zucchini and Cucumber Thayir Pachadi / Tempered Courgette and Cucumber Dip in South Indian Style

Prep & cook time 10 minutes

Serves 2

Ingredients

1. 1 Cup of Grated Zucchini
2. ½ cup Grated Cucumber
3. ½ cup Thick yogurt
4. 2 tblsp grated coconut
5. Salt as per taste

For the tempering

1. ½ tsp coconut oil
2. Whole red chillies as per taste
3. ¼ tsp Mustard seeds
4. Few Curry leaves

Method

1. In a bowl, add the grated zucchini and cucumber, mix well and don’t discard the juice to avail the full health benefits.
2. Add the grated coconut, curd and salt, mix well and prepare for the tempering.
3. Heat a small kadhai or non stick tempering pan, add the oil followed by red chillies, mustard seeds and curry leaves.
4. Once the mustard seeds crackle, add the tempering to the raita mixture and mix everything well.
5. Serve with a vegetable or dal along with your choice of Indian flatbreads.

Recipe Notes

• • This raita is gluten free and can be easily turned vegan by using a vegan yogurt. Fresh Coconut and oil are both vegan in nature.

• • Try and store few tblsps of the zucchini and cucumber juice and apply on your skin as a quick refreshing face mask. Keep it for 15 mins and wash off with plain water. Soft and supple skin while you make your dinner – sounds great, doesn’t it?

• • You can, by all means add onions or any other vegetables and turn this into a mixed veg raita too. It tastes amazing.

• If you are serving the raita for a party, ensure you add the salt and the curd, followed by the tempering just before the guest arrives. Zucchini tends to leave a lot of water and might affect the creaminess of the yogurt if made earlier.

Vidya Narayan

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Vidya Narayan