Tangy yogurt is seasoned with a tempering of whole spices, ginger and curry leaves, for a delicious side dish. It is eaten with rice but also goes well with chapati.

Recipe Snapshot

  • Prep time: 5 minutes
  • Cook time: 5 minutes
  • Total time: 10 minutes
  • Yield: 2
  • Category: Main Course
  • Cuisine: Andhra, South Indian

Ingredients

  • 1 medium onion (sliced thinly)
  • 1 cup curd (/yogurt (whisked))
  • 1 teaspoon ginger (grated or minced)
  • 1 to 2 green chilies (slit)
  • 1 sprig curry leaves
  • 1 pinch hing (/asafoetida)
  • ¼ teaspoon mustard seeds
  • ¼ teaspoon cumin seeds
  • 1 pinch fenugreek seeds (or ¼ teaspoon roasted fenugreek seeds powder)
  • 2 tablespoons coriander leaves (chopped)
  • 1 tablespoon oil (as needed)
  • ⅛ to ¼ teaspoon turmeric
  • ⅓ teaspoon salt
  • ½ teaspoon chana dal ((optional))
  • ½ teaspoon urad dal ((optional))

Method

  1. Temper: Heat oil in a pan. Add mustard, cumin, fenugreek seeds, chana dal and urad dal. Fry until the dal turns golden. Saute ginger until it turns aromatic for 30 seconds. Add curry leaves and green chilies. Saute until the leaves turn golden.
  2. Next add onions and fry till they begin to turn pink. They should be partially cooked yet crunchy. Turn off the stove. Next add turmeric, hing and salt. Cool this completely.
  3. Make majjiga charu: Meanwhile add curd to a bowl and whisk it well. Then add the cooled tempering to this along with coriander leaves. Taste and add more salt if needed.
  4. Serve majjiga chaaru with rice.

Kiyaan Singh’s Kitchen Note

Keep this recipe as a working base: cook once as written, then adjust spice, texture, and serving style for your own table.