Cucumber Sweet and Sour Chutney (Keera Dosakaya Pachadi)

Sweet and sour cucumber chutney made with keera dosakaya. This Andhra style pachadi is easy to make and absolutely delicious. It is sour due to the addition of tamarind and sweet due to the cane sugar.

Sesame seeds and sambar powder add a nice balance to this Indian green cucumber pachadi. A perfect addition for everyone South Indian meal.

About the recipe

Pachadi or chutney is an important part of most Indian meals. Spicy spices similar carrot chutney or this tomato nilava pachadi are a permanent fixture in my home.

Here I have a sweet and sour cucumber chutney. This pachadi recipe uses green cucumber or keera dosakaya, which is widely available in all grocery stores here in the US.

I usually use keera or English cucumber in salads and raita, but rarely in my cooking. So for us this is a wonderful variation. Recipe comes from “Cooking with Pedatha“cookbook.

Cucumber is lightly cooked with tamarind, jaggery and sesame seed powder. This gives the dish a sweet, sour and deliciously savory taste. Serve with rice or Roti And valley for a tasty meal.

Ingredients

For more information on the exact amounts of each ingredient and the list of ingredients needed, check out the printable recipe card below.

These are the ingredients you need to make this chutney:

• Green cucumber aka keera doskaya or English cucumber. You can also use Persian cucumbers – pick
• Tamarind pulp -easy to make by soaking the tamarind in warm water. Then squeeze out the pulp and discard the fibers.
• Cane sugar – you can grate or (conveniently) use a block of cane sugar cane sugar powder.
• Toasted Sesame Powder – Lightly toast Sesame seeds until light golden brown. Then grind into a coarse powder.
• Sambar powder – or home made or store bought. I sometimes use sambar powder from the MTR brand

Other ingredients you need are:

• Urad Valley
• Mustard seeds
• Dry red peppers
• Asafetida/ hung
• Green peppers, curry leaves and coriander

Instructions

For detailed instructions on how to make the recipe with exact timing, check out the printable recipe card below.

This is how you make the cucumber chutney recipe:

If you use regular American cucumber, peel it as it has a thicker skin than English cucumber. Cut into thin pieces of 1″ or ½” cubes.

Heat oil in a large pan over medium heat. Add urad dal, mustard seeds and dry red chillies and cook until the dal turns golden brown and the seeds start to splutter.

Add asafetida and curry leaves and cook for a minute. Then add the chopped cucumbers and cook for 2-3 minutes.

Add the turmeric, tamarind pulp, sambar powder, jaggery and sesame seed powder. Cover and cook for about 5 minutes or until crisp-tender. Add salt just before turning off the flame. Taste and adjust seasonings accordingly.

Garnish with coriander leaves. Serve with rice and a curry for a complete meal.

Expert tips

• You can use any type of green cucumber to make this chutney.
• Depending on the thickness of the peel, you may want to peel it to use in the recipe. If using American cucumber, peel the waxy, thick skin. But if you use English or Persian cucumber, you don’t have to.
• To make tamarind pulp: Soak a lemon-sized ball of tamarind in some warm water for 10 minutes. This softens the tamarind. Then squeeze the tamarind with your fingers to extract the pulp into the water. Discard any fibers and use the pulp.
• To make toasted sesame seed powder, toast the sesame seeds in a dry pan. Cook over medium heat until the seeds turn golden brown. Remove from heat and let cool. Then grind in a spice blender or small grinder until coarse. Do not over mix, the sesame seeds will turn into paste.
• Feel free to use home made or store-bought sambar powder.
• Store the leftover dosakaya chutney in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.

Variations

Here are a few variations for this cucumber pachadi:

• Use sweet pumpkin instead of cucumber to make gummadikaya pulusu pachadi
• To make Vankaya pulusu pachadi: Roast a large eggplant/eggplant until tender, on the stove or in a 400°F oven. Peel the skin and mash the flesh with a fork. Follow the recipe as written and add cooked eggplant at the end.
• If you have baby eggplants, cut them into quarters and use them in the recipe. Make sure you let the eggplant cook until done.

You might also like it

Here are a few more Andhra recipes you might like to try:

I like to hear from you!! If you tried this and liked it, don’t forget to let me know. Please leave a star rating and let me know in the comments below. Also tag me in your creations on Instagram @cooks_hideout. I like to share photos when people make my recipes. You can use the hashtag #cookshideout at.

Recipe card