I have found, majority people cannot differentiate between ‘kakdi’ and ‘kheera’. 😛 I am not surprised, though.
Kakdis are called Snake cucumber or Snake melon in English. It appears in the market for a very, very short period unlike, kheera.
Kheera is the regular Cucumber, available throughout the year.
My mom, used to make a lip -smacking cucumber stir -fry, to go with chapati or simple ‘dal -chawal’ (cooked lentils and rice). But i always found the snake cucumber more crunchier than the regular one. So i decided to replace the regular cucumber with snake cucumber in this recipe.
Here’s presenting, Kakdi ki sabzi / Snake cucumber curry from the Vegetarian Fusion Platter.
picture courtesy : Google
INGREDIENTS
3 nos – medium sized snake cucumber
1/2 cup – tomato puree
1 tsp – ginger paste
1/4 tsp – tumeric powder
3/4 tsp – red chili powder
1 tsp – coriander powder
1/4 tsp – garam masala (optional)
1 1/2 tbsp – oil
pinch of mustard seeds
pinch of asafoetida/ hing
salt to taste
METHOD
Wash and chop the cucumber in cubes, lengthwise, breadth wise as per your choice.
Heat oil in a pan and temper with asafoetida and mustard seeds. Once the mustard splutter, add the ginger paste and fry for a few seconds. Add the tomato puree and fry till oil is released.
Add the chopped cucumber. Season with salt. Lower the heat, cover and cook till slightly tender.
Add the dry spices. Toss gently and simmer till the water is reduced such that it coats the cucumber well.
Cucumbers should remain crunchy.
Take it off fire.
Serve hot with rice or chapatis.
Happy cooking !! 🙂
Cheers !! 😀
acbistro 