Dosakaya Talimpu -- Sauteed Lemon Cucumber with Onions

I remember how hard it was to find this cutie in the Indian grocery near by. I looked for this veggie at every farmers market, groceries and i could say almost every nook and corner but went in vain. Finally i found a very good local farmer grocery with some common Indian vegetables but couldn't get lemon cuke there, one day i went up to the grocery owner and asked if he would be able to get this vegetable for me, he was so nice and to my surprise from the very next week this veggie has become a regular item in the list.. Finally my quest was over..



This is my favorite vegetable. Mom makes an array of dishes like Dosakaya talimpu, dosakaya pachadi, dosakaya ooragaaya, dosakaya pappu, dosakaya pulusu, dosakaya sambar and dosakya perugu pachadi( yes a lot right!!) I love this talimpu and pulusu a lot!! Here's is one of my favorite recipe from Grandmas kitchen.

You need:

1 dosakaya / lemon cuke

1 onion
10 curry leaves
1-2 tsp red chilli powder
1 garlic pod
2 tbsp oil
1 tsp cumin seeds
1 tsp mustard seeds
1 tbsp chana dal / Senaga pappu / bengal gram
salt to taste



Preparation:
In a coffee grinder or blender grind red chilli powder, salt ,garlic and 5 curry leaves to fine powder. You can store this vellulli karam ( Garlicky and curry leaves chilli powder ) in refrigerator for up to a month or longer and tastes so good with idli or dosa.
Peel the skin off the cucumber( dosakaya / budamakaya ) and chop into pieces as shown in the picture. Chop onions and keep aside.In a saute pan / kadai add popu / tadka with oil, mustard seeds, cumin seeds and chana dal. once they start to crackle add curry leaves followed by cucumber pieces\, turmeric and salt. Mix everything together and cook with the lid in low flame( heat ) stirring occasionally.To check for doneness, dosakaya mukkalu / lemon cuke pieces turn into transparent and should still have that crispness. At this time add the prepared garlic chilli powder and mix everything together. Adjust salt to taste and finish it off with cilantro.This Dosakaya talimpu i.e, Sauteed Lemon Cuke With onions tastes great with steaming hot rice or chapathis/tortillas. The tanginess from the curry compliments the plain rice or roti very well. You can even substitute chilli powder with green chillies and coconut for a subtle mild taste.

Note: Pick the lemon cucumber that is very firm and has no soft spots, and should be free from any wrinklesCheck if it is bitter by tasting a little, sometimes only the seeds could be bitter, if so you could discard the seeds and use the rest.