Mangalore Cucumber ( Vellarikkai ) Curry

          After all the sweets, savories and heavy food for Diwali, today's dish is going to be a simple one, a curry to go with rice. I have been seeing this Mangalore cucumber, so many times, especially after moving to Bangalore, but I never bought it as I was not sure about what I was going to do with it. Then I saw this curry here and I wanted to try it, this is a Mangalorean dish, it has a perfect blend of spices and a good amount of coconut in it. I followed the recipe exactly, except for a few changes, I reduced the amount of coconut and spices to our taste and it tasted very good with plain rice..

Need To Have

• Mangalore Cucumber/Vellarikkai - small one
• Tamarind - small marble size
• Jaggery - 1/2 teaspoon
• Urad Dal/Husked Black Gram - 1/2 tablespoon
• Mustard Seeds - 1/4 teaspoon
• Garlic - 3 cloves, crushed
• Curry Leaves - 10
• Salt to taste

To Grind

• Coriander Seeds/Danya - 1 tablespoon
• Fenugreek Seeds - 1/4 teaspoon
• Cumin Seeds - 1/4 teaspoon
• Dried Red Chillies - 3
• Mustard Seeds - 1/2 teaspoon
• Onion - 1/2 of a small one
• Garlic - 3 cloves
• Grated Coconut - 1/2 cup
• Turmeric Powder - 1/4 teaspoon

Method

          Wash well and dice the cucumber with the skin into big pieces ( came to about 2 cups ). Soak the tamarind in 1/2 cup warm water for 10 to 15 minutes, squeeze out the pulp and keep. Roast the coriander seeds, cumin seeds, mustard seeds, fenugreek seeds and the red chillies ( given under 'to grind' ) in a little oil and keep.

          To the above roasted ingredients, add the garlic, onion,coconut and turmeric powder, grind to a smooth paste and keep.

          Cook the diced cucumber along with the jaggery and tamarind extract till the cucumbers are half done, for about 5 to 7 minutes. Then add the paste, salt and a little water and cook for another 5 to 7 minutes and remove.

          Heat some oil in a small pan, add the urad dal, mustard seeds, when it starts spluttering, start adding the garlic, saute till golden, add the curry leaves, mix and add to the cooked vegetable. Serve it with hot plain rice along with some pappads or chips.

Note
The cucumber pieces should be soft, but still hold their shape.
The final curry is neither very thick or thin.
I think we can do the same curry with regular cucumbers too, will try and update.