Dosakai Chutney – Melon Cucumber Chutney

Except for Tirupati and Telugu speaking neighbours, my association with Andhra Pradesh is limited. Andhra avakkai and Gongura chutney were introduced to me by those kind neighbours I had back in India. But G, who had done part of his schooling in Andhra is a die-hard fan of those spicy, mouth-watering (nose-watering too) dishes. It is for him that I started learning new recipes from Mahanandi, Sailu’s food etc,.

As an effort to improve my culinary knowledge of this cuisine, I got Cooking At Home With Pedatha from Mahanandi and was happy with the recipes I tried from it. This chutney, from that book, is not only tasty but requires minimal cooking. The cool burst of melon and the tanginess from the tamarind pairs well with Jowar roti.

I have done some very minor tweaks to the recipe to suit my family’s taste.

Ingredients

Dosakai (Melon cucumber) - 1
Urad dal – 2 tbsp
Red chillies – 2
Green chillies – 2
Curry leaves
Asafoetida
Tamarind – 2 tbsp
Mustard seeds – ¼ tsp
Oil
Salt

Method

Peel and chop the melon into small cubes.

In a kadai or skillet, take 2 tsp of oil and add urad dal. When dal turns golden brown add red and green chillies, curry leaves and asafoetida. Allow this to cool and grind it with tamarind pulp, salt and 2 tbsp of chopped melon to a coarse paste. Mix this paste with chopped melon and leave it aside. Given time, the salt draws moisture from the melon.

Finally, temper mustard seeds in a tsp of oil and add to the chutney.

IMG0224
Rotis with dosakai chutney and tomato dal.

This is my entry for RCI- Andhra Cuisine by Latha of Masala Magic.

14 comments:

Roopa said...

This is quite a different dish, looks very tasty...

bee said...

it's those rotis i'm craving. :-D we're too lazy to roll rotis, so we rarely get to eat them.

Padmaja said...

Where shall i start?
i am here for the first time and absolutely loved u'r template with nice header and then i looked at the picture and its just amazing!!

FH said...

LOL @ *nose watering*!! It is hot cuisine!!
Never tried this Dosakaya Suganya,looks great though:))

Mandira said...

Great entry and I love the presentation... the picture is lovely.

Kribha said...

Dear Sugi,
That's a really different dish. Loved your presentation. Good entry for RCI. will try this for sure. Thanks for sharing.

Aruna said...

Suganya, I have never tried melon cucumber, needless to say ur pic did the job of tempting me enough to give it a try!!!

www.themistressofspices.wordpress.com

Cynthia said...

A beautiful picture that captures everything you wrote in your post.

ushaprashanth said...

will this chutney go well with dosais?

Suganya said...

Cynthia,
You are so kind. Thank you so much for your encouraging words. I really appreciate it :)

Usha,
I haven't tried it with dosas, but i don't see why it shudn't go well. Try out and let me know..

Viji said...

Lovely dish Suganya, Viji

Sharmi said...

great entry for RCI. have some dosakaya left out. will make this recipe. looks simple and yummy.

Anonymous said...

beautiful pictures. i am alien to andhra cuisine too. your picture makes it so tempting.

Sridhar said...

Your template is the best I have seen so far. Nice work!

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