Dosakaya Pachadi

I am on a spree. There's a lot of Indian cooking happening in my kitchen these days. There's also a lot of new vegetables landing on our plates. Gurgaon has changed more in the last 2 years than it had in the 5 years I had been away. It is probably the ever changing population that's driving this change. When I first moved here, there was one main South Stores and one really small Balaji Stores. That's where you went to get your supply of Sona Masuri rice or Til Oil or sambar onions. I didn't find vegetables like drumsticks or raw bananas until or unless I visited INA or the market in the Bengali part of Delhi, Chittaranjan Park. Now, I seem to be able to find things like Pasalai Keerai, Snake Gourd, Drumsticks and Broad Beans in my local market. And they sit right next to the mushroom, broccoli and coloured capsicum. Welcome to my glocality!

During one of my visits, I found Dosakaya or the Yellow Cucumber. I have no idea what this is called in any other language as such. I think it is Magge in konkani and the first dish that comes to mind is the famous Ambat. I made a Telugu pachadi instead. As with all thuvayals/pachadis, we enjoyed this with some steaming hot rice.

1 medium Yellow Cucumber, peeled and diced

1 tbsp Tamarind Paste

2-3 tsp Oil

Salt to taste

1 1/2 tsp Urad Dal

1 tsp Mustard Seeds

2-3 Red Chillies

1-2 Green Chillies

7-8 Curry Leaves

3-4 tbsp Coriander Leaves

1/4 tsp Asafoetida

For the tempering:

1 tsp Oil

1/4 tsp Mustard Seeds

1/4 tsp Asafoetida

Heat the oil in a kadhai and add the urad dal. When it turns golden, add the mustard and turn off the flame. Add the asafoetida, red chillies, green chillies, curry leaves, and coriander leaves. Grind this with the tamarind paste, salt and a handful of the yelow cucumber.

In a vessel, take the remaining chopped vegetable and add the ground paste. In a frying ladle, heat the oil for the tempering. Add the mustard and asafoetida. When the mustard splutters, pour this over the vegetable-paste mixture. Your pachadi is ready.

I'm sending this to dear Sug for the second edition of Vegan Ventures.

I'm trying out vegetables for the first time. What are you all up to? Siri, Srivalli, Ranji, PJ, Curry Leaf, Medha, Priya, Bhawna, Raaji, Ruchii, Anu, Kamala, Roopa, Divya Kudua, Rekha, Divya M, Lakshmi, Lakshmi Venkatesh , Sripriya, Viji, Kamalika, DK, and Pavani.