Indian · Andhra · sauce/condiment

Tomato Pachadi (Roasted Tomato and Lentil Relish)

Tomato Pachadi (Roasted Tomato and Lentil Relish) reads nutty 4.9, allium 4.5 and sourness 4.0 on Palate's 0–10 flavor X-ray — a Indian · Andhra sauce/condiment, about 39 min. Measured from the recipe itself: ingredients and technique.

The flavor X-ray — six axes, 0–10

• Umami & Savory — 4.1 / 10
• Sweet & Fruity — 3.9 / 10
• Sour & Bright — 4.8 / 10
• Bitter & Earthy — 3.0 / 10
• Rich & Fat — 5.9 / 10
• Aromatic & Spice — 5.1 / 10

The measured notes (of 18)

Nutty 4.9 · Allium 4.5 · Sourness 4.0 · Salinity 3.7 · Richness 3.3 · Heat 3.2 · Sweetness 3.1 · Umami 2.8 · Earthy 2.7 · Fruity 2.6 · Warm Spice 2.5 · Citrus 2.4 · Bitterness 1.7 · Herbaceous 1.5 · Funk & Ferment 1.0 · Floral 0.7

What's in it (13)

• tomatoes — 500 g
• sesame oil — 41 g
• chana dal — 15 g
• urad dal — 15 g
• dried guntur red chillies — 40 g
• fenugreek seeds — 3 g
• cumin seeds — 5 g
• asafoetida — 3 g
• tamarind paste
• salt — 7 g
• brown mustard seeds — 5 g
• curry leaves — 2 g
• garlic — 18 g

Time & effort: about 39 min (18 min active) · effort: medium

Nutrition (per 100 g, engine-estimated): 100.6 kcal, 2.2 g protein, 7.2 g fat, 7.2 g carbs

Dietary: Vegan — engine-derived; double-check anything allergy-critical.

How it's cooked (6 steps)

1. Heat 2 tablespoons of the gingelly oil in a heavy pan and fry the chana dal and urad dal over medium heat for 2 minutes until straw-coloured, then add the dried chillies, fenugreek and cumin and fry 1 minute more, until the chillies puff and go glossy. Lift the whole lot out onto a plate to stop the cooking.
2. In the same pan cook the halved tomatoes, cut side down, for 8 to 10 minutes, until the skins blister and the flesh slumps and starts to catch and caramelise in places.
3. Let everything cool to room temperature. Grinding hot ingredients makes a pachadi watery and dull.
4. Grind the fried spices first to a coarse powder, then add the tomatoes, tamarind, asafoetida and salt and pulse to a thick, textured relish. A pachadi is not a smooth chutney; it should still have grain.
5. Heat the last tablespoon of oil in a small pan, pop the mustard seeds for 40 seconds, then add the crushed garlic and curry leaves and fry 30 seconds until the garlic is pale gold.
6. Pour the tempering over the pachadi. In an Andhra meal this is served as a course in its own right, eaten with rice and a spoon of ghee at the start of the meal, not as a condiment on the side.

Dishes with a similar flavor shape

• Rasam (Pepper and Tamarind Broth) — Indian · Tamil Nadu
• Mirchi ka Salan (Chillies in Peanut and Sesame Gravy) — Indian · Hyderabad
• Sweet Potato and Peanut Stew — West African
• Mchuzi wa Samaki (Swahili Fish Curry) — Swahili Coast
• Sambar (Toor Dal and Vegetables with Tamarind) — Indian · Tamil Nadu

Keep reading: what nutty, allium, sourness mean in the flavor lexicon · the world's cuisines, by flavor.

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Every number above is Palate's engine-measured estimate, computed from this recipe's ingredients and techniques — not human-tasted ratings or reviews.