After potatoes, onion is one of the most frequently used vegetables, and the dish is considered incomplete without it. In South India, there is a special recipe with onion that cooks quickly and has an exceptional taste. If you are tired of the simple combination of dal and rice, try serving everyone onion pachadi with it.
Onion pachadi, which is essentially an onion sauce, cooks very quickly. It is especially prepared in Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Tamil Nadu, and Kerala. This sauce can be eaten not only with dal and rice but also with idli, dosa, and paratha. Below is a simple instruction on how to prepare this dish at home.
To prepare onion pachadi, several steps must be followed. First, one tablespoon of oil is heated in a pot, and then split lentils (chana dal) and urad dal are fried over low or medium heat until golden brown and fragrant.
Next, finely chopped ginger and garlic are added, followed by sliced onions, and they are sautéed for 2–3 minutes until the onions become soft and slightly golden. Then, dried red chili and ginger are added to the mixture and roasted for one minute. After this, the heat is turned off, and the mixture is allowed to cool completely.
The cooled mass is transferred to a blender jar, a little palm sugar and salt to taste are added. If necessary, a little water is added and blended into a puree or slightly coarse consistency.
For the final touch, a tadka is prepared: a little oil is heated in a small pan, mustard seeds are added, and as soon as they sizzle, urad dal, asafoetida, and curry leaves are fried. The ready tadka is poured over the sauce and mixed thoroughly.



