Ginger (inchi) pachadi/raita

Ginger is considered as a miraculous herb in India. Both in India and China it is treated as a medicinal plant that can cure a lot of illness and is also consumed everyday due to it's many health benefits. It is believed to help with digestion, reduce inflammation, increase immune strength of the body and relieve stress. It is especially given to those who suffer from flu and cold. We are all three of us still recovering from the after effects of flu and still have persistent sore muscles and tiredness. So I wanted to give us all a bit of ginger in the hopes of garnering it's health benefits. The catch is to get Anjalie to consume ginger which is a bit too spicy for any toddler. I usually give her spiced tea, but, her tea is usually very milky and less spicy. So I wanted to try another method of giving her ginger tonight. In South India pachadi/raita is usually made with yogurt or sweetened with jaggery/sugar to be used as a side dish or to clear once palate between meal courses. Anjalie loves anything made with yoghurt and this seemed like a perfect way to get her to eat ginger. As expected she alone ate more than half of what I had made and it was a great success at dinner with much appreciation from both Naz & Anjalie. The recipe is quite mild and spice level can be adjusted by increasing or decreasing the amount of yoghurt used.


You will need:
2 inch ginger peeled and grated
1/2 cup plain yoghurt (preferably Greek-style)
salt to taste
fresh chillies (for adults) - optional
For tempering (optional):
1/2 tsp oil
1/4 tsp mustard seeds
1/4 tsp urad dhal

Wash, peel and grate ginger into a fine paste. Squeeze out the juice and use that alone if you/your child do not like bits.

Add yoghurt and mix well.

If tempering, heat the oil in a pan to medium, add mustard seeds and allow to splutter. Add urad dhal, fry until golden brown, add to the raita and mix well.

Goes well with rice and roti and can even be used instead of mayonnaise.