This twist on a traditional Tamil pachadi is a perfect balance for a rich festive meal, and is luxuriously creamy, sweet, fragrant from curry leaves and mustard seeds, and a little tart. It looks very beautiful on the plate, and the charred grapes burst in your mouth. Spoon some on to a flatbread or little toast for a party snack. Grape molasses from Greek or Turkish shops add an amazing depth of flavour, but if you can’t find it, pomegranate molasses or grape verjus are a great substitute.
Serves 4-6
yoghurt 1kg
asafoetida a pinch
salt 10g
vegetable, rapeseed or coconut oil 3 tbsp
black sweet grapes 100g (seedless if possible)
grape molasses 10ml (or pomegranate molasses)
curry leaves 10
mustard seeds 15g
cumin seeds 10g
spring onions 20g charred, sliced into 2cm pieces
Place the yoghurt, asafoetida and salt in a big bowl and mix thoroughly using a big spoon. Drape a piece of muslin or a clean J-cloth over a colander (you need a big enough piece to overhang the sides a little). Pour the yoghurt mix into the muslin and fold and tie over the sides to make a kind of bag, with no holes. Place the colander in a tray or shallow bowl to catch the liquid. Put a heavy weight over the muslin (a heavy pan or some tins of something), and put the whole lot in the fridge to drain for at least 12 hours (or overnight). Strain and discard the whey.
Pour 1 or 2 tablespoons of oil into a medium-sized pan over a medium-high heat till the oil is hot, and add the grapes. Allow them to cook for about 1-2 minutes, stirring occasionally so they get a little blackened. Take off the heat and toss them with the grape molasses and a pinch of salt. Allow to cool
When you’re ready to serve, make the temper by pouring 1 tablespoon of oil into a medium-sized pan, and when the oil starts to shimmer add curry leaves, mustard seeds, cumin seeds and sliced spring onions. Stir and let them sizzle until the curry leaves are bright green, about 1-2 minutes.
To assemble, smear your strained yoghurt over a plate, about 1-2cm thick. Spoon over the grape and molasses mix. Cover with the temper.
Serve with hot flatbreads or hot small slices of toast.
Cynthia Shanmugalingam is a chef and founder of Rambutan, London SE1
