Dosakaya pachadi - Brighten up your meal with this tasty accompaniment

Summer is the time to enjoy cucumbers, squashes and melons. These are not only tasty, they make perfect vegetables to eat in summer due to their high water content. While the green cucumber is the most commonly used variety - you can eat it raw in salads and gojjus or cook it in sambars and palyas, the yellow cucumber (called banna sautekayi in Kannada) is known for its flavor and has many uses. This is grown widely in Southern and coastal Karnataka and is preserved through out the year unlike the green cucumber which doesn't stay long.

I was introduced to the pleasures of this golden beauty by amma via her yummy pachadis, dal and pickles. I will post all of these one by one but today we will enjoy this tasty dosakaya pachadi which is a favorite at home. This is not a smooth ground chutney but has dosakayi pieces in it and is usually an accompaniment for hot white rice. A delightful combination of flavors, this pachadi lights up a plain rice and dal meal wonderfully.

What do you need to make Dosakaya pachadi? 
1 medium sized yellow cucumber
1 Tsp jaggery or brown sugar
1 Tsp salt

For Masala:
1 Tbsp kadle bele/chana dal/senaga pappu
3-4 dry red chilies (adjust according to your spice tolerance)
3/4 Tsp coriander seeds
1/2 Tsp methi/fenugreek seeds
1-2 black pepper corns (optional)
1/4 Tsp mustard seeds
1 inch piece of tamarind or 1/2 tsp of tamarind concentrate
1 Tsp cooking oil

Vaggarane/Seasoning:
1 Tsp cooking oil
1/2 Tsp mustard
2-4 curry leaves

How do you make Dosakaya Pachadi?

• Wash, peel and deseed the cucumber. 
• Chop the cucumber into small pieces.
• Heat a Tsp of oil in a pan and fry all the ingredients listed under masala until they are well roasted, 4-5 minutes on medium heat. Switch off and let cool.
• Take all the fried ingredients and 2 Tblsp of chopped cucumbers into your blender/mixer and grind it to a smooth paste along with jaggery and salt. Do not use any water - see notes below. 
• Mix this paste to the remaining chopped cucumbers.

• Heat oil in a pan, add mustard and let it splutter. Add the curry leaves and switch off. 
• Pour the seasoning on the pachadi and mix well. 

• Enjoy the sweet, spicy, sour and crunchy pachadi as an accompaniment with your meal. 

Notes: 

• Avoid water while grinding, the masala is traditionally pound in a mortar and pestle. Adding 2 Tblsp of cucumbers leaves water and helps grind the masala. 
• Let the pachadi sit for atleast 30 minutes after you mix in the masala so the cucumber pieces soak up the flavors.