Have you tried cooking with Indian Yellow cucumber/Dosakai? “Dosakai” as they’re widely known are from the same family as melons & squashes. They are native to India & are also available in farms throughout California. This melon is a jewel I found recently & when I did my research on it I realised it has tons of health benefits as it aids digestion, eliminates toxins from the body & helps improve our hair & skin health. It’s obviously a low calorie vegetable as it has a water content of almost 95%. I’ve been incorporating this yellow cucumber in my meals & they do bring in a refreshing change! They’re ideally used to make salads, chutneys, pickles & lentil based dishes like sambar & dal. I’ll be uploading a few of my recipes in the next couple of days. Do try this out & comment below or tag us on instagram @sugar_spice_biriyani_rice with your versions of the lovely Dosakaya!! .
Ingredients:
- Dosakaya/Indian yellow cucumber – 2 large, peeled & diced
- Moong dal – ½ cup
- Toor dal – ¼ cup
- Onion – 1 small, finely chopped
- Tomato – 1 large
- Turmeric powder – ½ teaspoon
- Red chilli powder – 2 teaspoons
- Coriander powder – 1 tablespoon
- Cumin powder – 1 teaspoon
- Asafoetida/hing – a pinch
For tempering:
- Vegetable oil – 1 tablespoon
- Castor oil – 1 teaspoon
- Mustard seeds – 1 teaspoon
- Urad dal – 2 teaspoons
- Cumin seeds – 2 teaspoons
- Dried Red chillies – 2
- Whole green chillies – 2
- Curry leaves – 1 sprig
- Garlic – 2 cloves, finely minced
Other ingredients:
- Dried fenugreek leaves/kasuri methi – 1 tablespoon, crushed
- Cilantro – chopped, for garnish
- Ghee – 2 teaspoons
Instructions:
- Heat 2 cups of water until hot (not boiling). Turn off the stove and soak the moong dal and toor dal for 30 minutes and rinse well. I do this every time as it aids digestion and also enhances the flavor.
- In a pressure cooker, heat 1 tablespoon vegetable oil and lightly saute half of the chopped onions and tomatoes (we’ll use the rest for the tadka) until mushy. Add ½ teaspoon turmeric, asafoetida and mix well.
- Peel the dosakai, cut them in half and dice them. You can add in the seeds too. I like to scoop out just half of it and use the rest of the seeds.
- Add the diced dosakai to the cooker with 2 cups of water. Mix in the soaked and washed dal and seal the cooker. Pressure cook for 5 to 6 whistles, turn off the stove and let the pressure release naturally.
- Meanwhile, In a separate heavy bottomed pan heat 1 tablespoon vegetable oil and 1 teaspoon castor oil.Castor oil also aids digestion and helps reduce gas and bloating caused by lentils/dal. Add all the ingredients listed under tempering, a pinch of hing and let it splutter. Mix in the rest of the chopped onions and tomatoes. Saute until mushy and add turmeric, chilli powder, ground coriander and cumin.
- Add salt and cook until the oil is released. Once the dal is cooked, mash the dosakai and the dal slightly. Pour the dal onto the sauteed onions & tomatoes and mix well until well combined. Adjust seasoning and let it cook on medium flame for 3 minutes. Turn off the stove and finally add crushed kasuri methi, chopped cilantro and drizzle a bit of ghee for that extra flavor! Serve with some hot steamed rice or have it with rotis!
