Sowthekai Kairasa (Cucumber in spicy coconut gravy)

This is a traditional kannada dish made of raw cucumber. Some call it hasi gojju. It is called kairasa in our family. Here is the recipe:

Prep. Time: 20 mins

Serves: 2

INGREDIENTS:

Cucumber: 1 medium sized

Tamarind paste: 1/2 tsp

Salt to taste

To grind:

Jaggery (powdered): 2 tblspn

Coconut (grated): 4 tblspn

Channa dal: 2 tblspn

Methi seeds: 1/2 tsp

Red chillies: 4-5 nos

To temper:

Mustard seeds: 1 tsp

Cumin seeds: 1/2 tsp

Curry leaves: a sprig

Oil: 1 tblspn

Asafoetida: a pinch

Turmeric powder: a pinch

METHOD:

Peel the skin of the cucumber and chop it into minute pieces. 

The fastest way for me is to hold it vertical and chop several times parallely and then parallely by turning 90 degrees :))

Roast the ingredients for grinding (except jaggery) and grind into a semi

 coarse powder. 

In a bowl take the chopped cucumber, tamarind paste, salt, the ground powder and mix well.

(Since cucumber has a lot of water content already, you will not need additional water. But you can add more water as per the consistency you desire.)

To this, add the tempered ingredients and serve. 

It goes well with rice or as an accompaniment.

I am sending this entry to AFAM: cucumber hosted by Neha of easyandtastyrecipes and started by Maheshwari of Beyond the usual.