Generally, we prefer to welcome every new beginning with sweets, but we follow a unique tradition of preparing an elaborate meal of different flavours (arusuvai virudhu) on the occasion of Chithirai Vishu (New Year) celebrated on the 14th or 15th of April every year. It is actually an Ayurvedic tradition to stimulate all the parts of our palate by taking a nourishing meal of six flavours like sweet, sour, bitter, astringent, salt & pungent. This also encourages us to embrace each season, or every change in our life gracefully. So we never miss to include the bitter ingredient, neem flower that blooms plentifully in this season, into our New Year feast (Vishu sadhya). We prepare the traditional veppampoo pachadi, a confluence of all the six tastes, using neem flowers and many other ingredients.

We also prepare astringent raw jackfruit poriyal, tangy mixed vegetable aviyal, spicy rasam, sweet payasam, etc. of various flavors & textures to welcome our Tamil New Year. You can also check out our specialty recipes prepared for Chithirai Vishu here.

Veppampoo pachadi recipe:
We prepare veppampoo pachadi using conflicting ingredients like bitter neem flowers & tangy mango, sweet jaggery & hot red chilli powder. So it has a unique indistinctive taste that would stimulate almost all the parts of our palate. My grandmother always prepare this pachadi using unripe mangoes along with brinjals as brinjals help to decrease vata dosha aggravated by unripe mango. Now let’s look into the recipe for veppampoo pachadi:
Time taken: 20 min.
Yields: 300 ml

Ingredients:
- Unripe mangoes – 2 Nos. (small)
- Brinjal (eggplant/ kathrikkai) – 1 No.
- Red chilli powder – 1 tsp
- Salt – ΒΌ tsp
- Powdered jaggery – Β½ cup (100 g)
- Ghee – Β½ tsp
- Dried neem flowers (veppam poo) – 1 tbsp
For tempering:
- Ghee – 1 tsp
- Mustard seeds – ΒΌ tsp
- Curry leaves – 1 sprig

Cooking Instructions:
- Peel mangoes, chop them into thin slices as shown below.
- Chop brinjal into thin slices.

- In a cooking bowl add mangoes, brinjal, red chilli powder and water (50 ml).
- Microwave them for 7 min. (Alternatively you can cook them on stove top until mushy)
- Meanwhile fry neem flowers in ghee (Β½ tsp) in medium flame.
- Powder them using mortar & pestle and leave aside.

- Prepare the tempering as shown below and keep aside.

- When mango & brinjal are cooked soft, add salt & powdered jaggery.
- Mix them well and microwave again for 3 min.
- Now add tempering, powdered neem flowers and water (100 ml or more according to your required consistency) and cook for another 3 min.
- Now sweet, sour & bitter veppampoo pachadi is ready to serve.

Most of the recipes and food which you blog about , reminds me of my mother ! β€β€β¨
Oh, nice to hear that, Thanks so much for stopping by. π
looks so attractive despite neem flowers being used….would love to try this
Thanks a lot. π
Hi Megala, I have tagged you in the 3 day 3 quote challenge. Itβs optional to participate https://inspiresn.com/2018/04/26/tag2-three-days-and-three-quotes/
Thank you !
looks so pretty!
Thank you !
Lovely spread Megala for the Vishu. This recipe is so new to me, never heard of it. Sounds very delicious. Thank you for sharing this wonderful recipe !!
Pleasure is all mine, thanks for reading my posts !
Your pictures are so appetizing Megala! Wonderful recipe with details.
Thank you.
Amazing blog. Following kindly follow back please
Thanks, sure ! π
Nice recipe. I am migrating to another personal blog. Please click the following link:
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Oh, thanks !
Welcome
I have never tried this or made this, Megala, but have heard about it. Also unaware that brinjal (eggplant) is also used. This is something in lines to the ‘puliinji’ that we Malayalies make for our Vishu ‘Sadhya’
My grandmother never missed to include brinjal, but children do not like to see brinjal seeds in this pachadi. By the way, I just love that delectable puliinji as well.
Thanks a lot !
It is my favorite as well, Megala. Yes, brinjal is a problem here too, although I manage to sneek it in sometimes.
So perfectly and methodically explained. Your photos are invaluable.
Thanks a lot for your kind words !
Very interesting recipe. I’ve only heard of it but never made it till now.
Thanks, hope you would try in this summer ! π
Your veppampoo pachadi looks heavenly! We make it with just jaggery, raw mango, a hint of salt, a couple of dried chillies sometimes and dried neem flowers. I’m sorely tempted to try out your version right away! π
Nice to hear this, thanks ! π
Looks lovely! Gorgeous food! π
Thank you.
Interesting combinations, It’s completely new to me.I like the pictorial presentation, very well done.Thank you for sharing this. Happy New Year to you and your family!
Thank you so much !
Hi! I love your blog and nominated you for a Mystery Blogging Award that highlights “blogs that inspire and motivate.” You can find the info here: https://botanicalalchemyandapothecary.com/mystery-blogger-award. Keep up the great work!
Ahh, extremely happy to hear this, thanks a lot!
Even we celebrate new year on 14th April at native. π Traditional recipe!
Oh, thats nice, thanks !
Belated but Happy Vishu . Love that line Embrace all the seasons of change ! …such a distinct dish indeed! And what a way of teaching through tastes in that green leaf spread ?Thank you for your beautiful post of our traditional gem of a recipe .
I’m so glad that you liked this post, thanks a bunch ! π
???
I’m loving the combo of eggplant and mango! I didn’t know about the April New Year! Happy New Year!
Thank you so much !
I loved that recipe. I really want to do it, but I found it a bit complicated. But I’ll try to do it anyway, because it seems to be very delicious.
Nice to hear this, thanks a lot ! π
Wow! Such a unique dish…mango & brinjal. Sounds and looks really delicious Megala
Yes, indeed ! Thanks !!
A very interesting pachadi! Thanks for sharing, Megala!
My pleasure !
Lovely looking dish! Happy New Year Megala!
Thank you so much !
This Pachadi is totally new to me, never heard about eggplant, mango and neem flower combo…really brilliant share? and well presented Megalaβ Happy New Year to u and your familyβ€
Thanks a lot !
What an awesome and grand spread, wish you and your family lots of happiness and prosperity this Vishu, Happy New Year.
Can I ask you which city do you live in?
Thanks a lot ! I am in Chennai. π
Happy Tamil new year Megala!!Delicious recipes.
Thank you so much !
Happy New year Megala! This pachadi looks awesome- love that color!
Thank you.
This recipe is new to me. For New Year we start the day with a little bit of fresh neem flowers mixed with jaggery as a reminder that life is a blend of the bitter with the sweet. Needless to say, it is very bitter and the kids always disappeared when they had to take it!
Its admirable that your posts reflect our traditional way of life. Keep up the good work.
Happy New Year!
Our traditional recipes are real treasures, and I have been trying to collect as many authentic recipes as possible. Veppampoo pachadi is one such delicacy which has undergone many changes over the years.
I’m glad you enjoyed this post as much as I did while presenting this recipe. Thanks so much for appreciating my work here.
Happy New Year !
Sounds very nice and tasty.
Thank you.
Wow megala this recipe is very new to me.Alwayz u amaze by posting new recipes.loved the intro and lovely share.Happy newyear to u.
Thank you, happy new year to you & your family !
Happy New year!!! Yummilicious Sapadu !!!
Thank you, happy New year ! π
I always discover something new on your blog! Neem flowers are another mysterious ingredient to me. I hope I can find and try them one day.
Thank you. π
Very nice
Thanks.
Happy New Year to you and your family! It looks scrumptious!
Thank you so much.
Puthandu Vaalthukkal Megala
Mikka Nandri ! Iniya puthandu nalvazhthukkal to you too !! π
Happy New Year Megala!!
Thanks a lot !
Neem flower pachadi looks incredibly delicious! Happy New Year to you and your family
Thanks a lot !
I enjoyed reading the introduction and I really like how you take your photos in that step-by-step format. I hope you have a great New Year! π
Thanks a lot, dear Laura ! π
Happy New Year to you and your family members ?
This Pachadi is new to me and the meal you presented it’s so inviting me and I look forward for palakkai poriyal, avial and pickle if you could share so ?βΊοΈ
Thank you so much. I have already posted the recipes for amla pickle: https://megalaskitchen.com/2017/04/15/amla-pickle/ & avial: https://megalaskitchen.com/2016/12/10/mixed-vegetables-coconut-curry/. I will soon post the recipe for palakkai poriyal !
Ok, I will checkout ??
Happy New Year, Megala! It looks incredible π
Thank you.
Superb, timely share with very good presentation. Thanks for reminding our traditional food
Thanks !
Yum Yum Yum Megala…Beautiful π Happy New Year to you all π
Thanks so much, Sophie !
Your most welcome π
Wow! Wonderfully explained. Looks yum! π
Thank you !
So beautifully explained and lovely to see such a nice traditional meal on the banana leaf for the New year.Happy Vishu to you and your family!
Thank you ! Happy New year !! π