Today I am going to share a refreshing yogurt relish/dip made with coconut and cilantro. It is the coconut cilantro raita or the thengai kothamalli thayir pachadi as we say in Tamil. A perfect side for rice dishes and you can make this raita in less than 20 minutes flat!
Pachadi is a side dish, and it is quite popular in South India. Each state has its unique pachadi recipes, and today I am going to share the savory version prepared with coconut and cilantro. Yes, pachadi can be sweet, too, like the mango pachadi that I have shared before.
Thayir means yogurt or curd in Tamil and pachadi means fresh relish or dip in this context. You can find a variety of thayir pachadi in Tamil cuisine and a festive meal in our household is incomplete without a pachadi. You can prepare this with or without vegetables. A plain version of coconut raita is quite famous as well.
This coconut-cilantro raita is an enhanced version of plain coconut raita. In the plain one, we grind coconut and green chilies and add it to the yogurt. But for this version, I am adding some cilantro too. That’s it.
Usually, when we add curry leaves or cilantro to a dish, we pick it set it aside while eating, or atleast we do in our family. I need to eat those greens consciously. But if I grind it along with the masala, none of us complain. So I started grinding my curry leaves, cilantro, with coconut these days. And I don’t use curry leaves while tempering, and I don’t garnish it with fresh cilantro as well.
Variations-
There is no set recipe for this raita. If you like more coconut, go for it, or if you prefer, more yogurt then add more. But don’t forget to adjust the salt and green chili accordingly.
Along with cilantro, you can add a small piece of ginger or a sprig of curry leaves or even both. I have tried both as well. If you like the raw taste of mint, add one or two mint leaves as well. You can also crush dried mint leaves and drizzle on top before serving.
You can keep this as a base and add veggies as to it. Check my cucumber raita or tomato-yogurt raita. Along with coconut and green chilies, you can add cilantro or curry leaves and make it more flavorful.
Other Raita Recipes-
Before getting into the recipe, I will share some yogurt-based raita from my archives.
Now back to this coconut-cilantro recipe-
Ingredients Required For the Raita-
- ½ cup grated coconut, if using frozen, thaw it to room temperature
- 2 to 3 tbsp cilantro, roughly chopped
- 2 green chili
- 1 tsp salt
- ½ cup + 3 tbsp water
- ¼ cup yogurt, I used Greek Yogurt
- To Temper-
- 2 tsp oil
- 1 tsp mustard seeds
- 1 tsp urad dal
- ¼ tsp asafoetida
How To Make Coconut-Cilantro Raita | Thengai Kothamallai Thayir Pachadi:
- In a mixer jar, grind the coconut, cilantro, and green chili together by adding 2 to 3 tbsp of water.
- Transfer this ground paste to a serving bowl and add the yogurt and salt.
- Mix all now add the remaining half cup of water.
- Mix again, and that’s it; the pachadi is ready. Adjust water and salt at this stage.
Tempering:
- In a separate tempering pan or kadai, heat the oil.
- When the oil is hot, add the mustard seeds, urad dal, and asafoetida. Allow the mustard seeds to splutter.
- Turn off the heat and add this tempering to the raita and mix well. Serve it as a side for any rice dishes.
Recipe Notes-
- The measure, as mentioned above, works well for us. But you can increase the amount of coconut or yogurt according to your liking.
- I have tried this recipe by adding curry leaves along with cilantro also. It works well. You can add 10 to 15 curry leaves and grind it along.
- If you like the raw mint taste, then grind one or two leaves along but not more than that.
- As always, adjust the salt and spice according to your preference.
- To keep it gluten-free, either skip asafoetida or use gluten-free asafoetida.
- I did not add chana dal or curry leaves while tempering. You can include both.
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📖 Recipe
Coconut Cilantro Raita
Ingredients
- ½ cup grated coconut if using frozen, thaw it to room temperature
- 2 to 3 tbsp cilantro roughly chopped
- 2 green chili
- 1 tsp salt
- ½ cup water + 3 tbsp water
- ¼ cup yogurt I used Greek Yogurt
To Temper-
- 2 tsp oil
- 1 tsp mustard seeds
- 1 tsp urad dal
- ¼ tsp asafoetida
Instructions
- In a mixer jar, grind the coconut, cilantro, and green chili together by adding 2 to 3 tbsp of water.
- Transfer this ground paste to a serving bowl and add the yogurt and salt.
- Mix all now add the remaining half cup of water.
- Mix again, and that's it; the pachadi is ready. Adjust water and salt at this stage.
Tempering:
- In a separate tempering pan or kadai, heat the oil.
- When the oil is hot, add the mustard seeds, urad dal, and asafoetida. Allow the mustard seeds to splutter.
- Turn off the heat and add this tempering to the raita and mix well. Serve it as a side for any rice dishes.
Notes
- The measure, as mentioned above, works well for us. But you can increase the amount of coconut or yogurt according to your liking.
- I have tried this recipe by adding curry leaves along with cilantro also. It works well. You can add 10 to 15 curry leaves and grind it along.
- If you like the raw mint taste, then grind one or two leaves along but not more than that.
- As always, adjust the salt and spice according to your preference.
- To keep it gluten-free, either skip asafoetida or use gluten-free asafoetida.
- I did not add chana dal or curry leaves while tempering. You can include both.
Nutrition
I am not a nutritionist. The nutritional information is provided as a courtesy and is an estimate only. It varies depending upon the product types or brands.
Update Notes: Earlier posted this recipe in 2016. I have updated the recipe with new pictures.
Vidhya, this is so new to me and I would love to try it. Can you pls tell me few rice items which would be nice with to have with this raita?
I like this with sambar rice or bisibelebaath. But you can also serve it with tamarind rice, tomato rice or with mint rice also.
Sounds fantastic Srividhya…must try!
Thanks a lot Valli