Happy Ugadi!
Ugadi pachadi or bevubella is a simple recipe that is quintessential to the Ugadi festival. The key note for this recipe is the higher thought to imbibe all emotions that come as a part of your life with equality. Here is that unique recipe.
What makes Ugadi pachadi?
The pachadi is a vegan, gluten-free, raw recipe that is very easy to put together. The six essential ingredients are collected. These ingredients are common to a south Indian kitchen with a couple of them seasonal. The emphasis is however on the quality if life that you wish while having this pachadi.
Tamarind -soak and extract the juice to make the liquid part of the recipe.
Jaggery – crush the jaggery and stir ut in water till it dissolves. Once mixed strain them to remove any impurities and add them to the Tamarind juice prepared. Stir in a pinch of salt to this mix.
To this add chopped green chillies, neem flowers, grated or chopped raw green mango pieces.
Your bevubella / ugadi pachadi is ready. Check the recipe card below to see the exact proportions.
Why is bevubella made?
Life throws you a combination of emotions. Never does this mix stop, nor do you know what is coming up in the permutations and combinations. Bevubella is a unique offering that showcases the mix of these emotions are still a good combination. Each ingredient added to this mix symbolises an emotion that you will feel.
Jaggery-happiness
Raw Mango -surprise
Neem flowers-sadness
Green chilli- anger
Tamarind -disgust
Salt – fear
Pachadi made for ugadhi.
When to have bevubella?
With the tropical heat mounting, the summer festival mornings calls for an oil bath followed by a quick spoon ful of this pachadi. Following this any other dish is served. A delightful way to acknowledge life as it is.
Swaps and tips to make this ugadi pachadi?
Mango paste – Very often grated or ground mango paste is added to keep the consistency of this recipe smooth. It is totally up to you how you add this. I like to bite into the pieces of raw mango.
tamarind paste you can swap the Tamarind soaking and extraction step for half a tsp of Tamarind paste dissolved in water. It saves a lot of time.
Bitterness– when you are in regions where the fresh neem flowers are never seen, adopt swaps. I have had the pachadi with a few different variations. There were sprouted fenugreek seeds added, crushed dried neem leaves or flowers stirred in. I have used dried neem flowers in this recipe as I don’t get fresh ones too.
Serving quantity – it is only a teaspoon ful of Ugadi pachadi that is usually served. If you like the combination, make more. I gave only made a small quantity here for offering and consumption there after.
Variations
There are a few different styles of Ugadi pachadi I have experienced too. So here I am sharing the versions I have tasted with my friends.
Pounded version: In North Karnataka, the bevubella is more a solid paste that you swallow a marble-sized portion in the morning. This is made with almonds, cashew, dry dates, rock sugar pounded together first and then pounded with the other ingredients. This small ball us first offered to God and then to the family.
Cooked version I have also had a version where it is basically a cooked mango pachadi with neem flowers.
There are plenty of other variations from family to family. Share with us how you make this at home.
Bevubella / Ugadi pachadi
Equipment
- mixing bowls and spoons.
- Cutting board
- Knife
Ingredients
- 1.5 cups drinking water
- 3 tbsp jaggery
- 1 tbsp tamarind paste
- 3 tbsp mango chopped
- 1 tsp neem flowers
- 1 small green chilli
- 1 pinch salt
Instructions
- Mix the tamarind juice, salt and jaggery into the drinking water.
- Once the jaggery is dissolved, strain the juice and set it aside.
- Slit the green chilli and add to the mix with the neem flowers.
- Chopped mangoes and add to the mix.
- Now let the mix rest for 15 minutes, Refrigerate if using a bit later.
- Serve small quantities of the mix.
Stay connected
Life is a complex mix of experiences and emotions. I love these recipes which are not all about eating but about the thought behind how food and life intermingle.
If you are looking for a couple more Ugadi recipes, try mavinkayi chitranna, payasa and kosambari.
Share your experiences or variations of Ugadi pachadi with us. Afterall, food is always better shared.
Happy Ugadi!
Sucha. delicious ugadhi pachadi! I have not had this pachadi in ages now. This year I had the neem flowers and should have made it. Love the swaps you have mentioned. Will make next year thanks for the substitutes.
Seema this is an interesting traditional recipe and tradition too. Adding ingredients that depict all our emotions. Beautiful presentation. And must admit have never tried Ugadhi Pachadi.
Seema this looks so beautiful n yum……..its best to use neem flowers during this period of the year….. love the alternatives you mentioned
I have heard about this version of ugadi pachadi but never tried. We make a dry version in which we mix grated jaggery, raw mango pieces, neem petals along with a few nuts.
I simply love the blend of food and the philosophy behind it in our culture . The apt use of seasonal produce keeping in mind the climatic condition and the body metabolism. Ugadi pachadi is very healthy. The same set of flavors is present in maanga pachadi which is made for Tamil New year .
Ugadi celebration is incomplete without this delicious ugadi Pachadi. Beautifully presented Seema. This post made me nostalgic.
growing up, we only knew about bevu bella. This ugadi pachadi andhra style I learnt only after I started blogging. such an inviitng pic, Seema !
Since I was introduced to this idea through friends this Ugadi pachadi version is what I am familiar with. certainly, there are many regional and household variations of this recipe.
I will make your version of Ugadhi pachadi this year. I have also come across many versions but yours seems close to what amma used to make .