Dosakaya Pachadi (Cucumber Chutney)

Dosakaya pachadi literally translates to cucumber chutney. It’s a dish from Andhra Pradesh 💕 Though it is called “pachadi”, it is more a salad than a chutney!
I love the layers of taste and textures in it despite being an extremely easy dish to make - the fresh crunch of the cucumber, the nuttiness of the fried dal, pungency of the mustard paste and sourness from lemon 🍋🥒🌶🌱 I have learnt this dish from my mother ❤️ Traditionally, the souring agent in this is tamarind juice, however I prefer to use lemon juice instead as it’s a lot easier 🤷🏻‍♀️

Recipe

Ingredients:

• Dosakaya (green cucumber ) - 1 (big; diced small)
• Green chillies - 2 (chopped)
• Coriander leaves - fistful (chopped)
• Juice of ½ lemon
• Mustard paste - 2 teaspoons **
• Sesame oil - 2 teaspoons
• Mustard seeds - ½ tsp
• White(urad) Dal - 1 tsp
• Salt - to taste
• Turmeric - ½ tsp

** Mustard paste: 1 part of mustard seeds : 1 part red chilli flakes + a pinch of asafoetida powder soaked in water - just enough to cover them- for 10 minutes and ground to a smooth paste

Method:

1. In a bowl, add diced cucumber and sprinkle salt on it. Keep it aside for 10 minutes.
2. After 10 minutes, drain off the water and gently squeeze the cucumber pieces to removes excess liquid.
3. Meanwhile heat oil in a skillet, add white dal and mustard seeds. Once the mustard seeds splutter and the dal has turned light brown, take off heat and add it to the cucumber.
4. Add the rest of the ingredients, mix well, rest for 5 minutes and serve.