Mangalore Cucumber Seeds Saaru ( Rasam )

          When I posted Mangalore Cucumber Palya/Stir-Fry, I had told that I had saved the seeds for doing another dish called Saaru. Saaru is basically similar to the Tamil Rasam with a very thin soup like consistency. In Karnataka, they make Saaru out of cooked dal/lentil water, greens like spinach and like this one using the seeds of the Cucumber. Mangalore cucumber is the yellow or orange colored cucumbers, usually shaped as shown in the picture. When eaten raw, they don't taste like the regular cucumber but they taste very good in curries. I had adapted the recipe from here and they had used Udupi Rasam Powder to spice up the Saaru, since I didn't have it with me, I checked the ingredients for it and used them in this recipe. Also I added a cup of cooked lobia/karamani/black eyed peas to the saaru at the end, this way I thought I can add some protein. Since I added just one cup, it didn't change the taste or consistency of the Saaru. It went well with white rice and the Mangalore Cucumber Palya that I made that day. Next time, you see this orange/yellow Cucumber in the market, do buy and try out the Palya and this Saaru..

Black-Eye-Beans Dal

          Protein is a must in our daily diet, either in the form of the South Indian sambar or kootu or in the form of dals. This is a simple dal, not many ingredients and not much time in the kitchen. Blackeyed beans is one of those dals that doesn't even require pre-soaking, so always comes in handy on those days,, when you have to come up with something on short notice..