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..

Mangalore Cucumber Palya/Curry

          Mangalore Cucumber, the yellow color one ( shown in the picture ), we don't use it that much in Tamil cuisine, or at least as far as I know. After moving to Bangalore, I saw this a lot in the market and I wanted to try it out. The first dish that I made with it was this Curry and now this Palya is my second dish and I have adapted the recipe from here. This curry goes well with rice and dal or even as a side to rotis, if you don't find this variety of cucumber, I think you can do it with regular one too..