Orange Peel Pachadi

Everywhere I go these days, I see oranges. This year we have throughly enjoyed relishing some of the best oranges. The cuties have been awesome and I wanted to make use of its peel to make a pachadi that my grandmother used to make. It is a very simple condiment that you can serve with curd rice, dosai etc. It has an intense flavor and you can taste the bitterness from the peel, sourness from the tamarind, sweet from the jaggery and salt. I love the flavors and taste of this pachadi and today I had a chance to make it for my family.

Gadgets:

Cutting Board
Knife
Frying Pan
Measuring Cup and Spoon
Spatula

Ingredients:

Cuties Orange Peel - From 3 oranges (about 3 fists full)
Oil- 2 tbsp
Mustard Seeds - 1 tsp
Asafoetida - a little bit
Methi Seeds - 1/2 tsp
Green Chillies - 1
Dry Red Chillies - 3
Curry Leaves - a few
Salt
Tamarind Water - 2 cups ( using 2 cups water with small lemon size tamarind)
Jaggery - 1 tsp

Preparation:

1. Cut orange peel into even small pieces.

2. Heat the frying pan with oil. Add asafetida allow it to fry well. Add mustard seeds and once it pops, add methi seeds, curry leaves, green and dry chillies. Cook until the chillies are cooked a little.

3. Add the orange peel. Mix well with the spices. Add some salt and cook it until for  3 minutes. Then add the tamarind water. Allow it to boil and the tamarind water to thicken.

4. Add jaggery, allow it to dissolve and then remove from heat. Make sure that there is sufficient liquid or sauce around the cooked orange peel. They tend to reduce once they cool as the orange absorbs the liquid.