Dosakaya Talimpu -- Sauteed Lemon Cucumber with Onions

Dosakaya / budamakaya in telugu and lemon cucumber or lemon cuke in English is from the family of cucumber similar in taste except for being very firm and sour in taste. You can even eat it raw like cucumber ( but we usually peel off the skin ). They look like either small round or oval shaped yellow skin with green scales or viceversa and usually very firm to touch.





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 wrinkles
  • Check 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.

My Sauteed lemon cuke / cucumber is on its way to:

20 comments:

  1. you have a very nice blog.. lovely recipes1ame here thru legume affair round up.

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  2. wow simply superb and very beautiful pic.s you have a nice place

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  3. Thanks Rekha, i love dosakaya so much and especially this curry, mom makes the best curry though!

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  4. this is an interesting coincidence. i just found a pic of dosakaya in my drafts that looks exactly like your first pic. i love this veggie too.

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  5. Anonymous4:34 PM

    This veggie is new to me. Looks interesting. Thanks for sharing the info.

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  6. Like this recipe a lot.Pics looks very yuumy..

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  7. Thanks Rekha, checked your blog too. lovely recipes

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  8. Yes Bee, love budamakaya, especially its texture.. Ongole dosakayas are the best so far.

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  9. Mona yes this is my favorite veggies, and really had hard time finding it here in the US

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  10. We also make a dish somewhat like this but with coconut.
    Thanks for participating in FIC Orange.

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  11. Looks yummy. Our traditional dish with this is a raita - sour and sweet at the same time. Lovely recipe!!

    Apu

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  12. Thanks Madhu.. I love this dosakaya.. and can have it any which way

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  13. Thanks Aparna, never tried dosakaya with coconut.. would like to try it next time

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  14. Nice Annarasa, never made raitha with dosakaya.. love to know abt that raita.

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  15. Anonymous2:17 PM

    I've never tried a lemon cucumber before, but this sounds like a fresh side dish!

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  16. It looks very interesting reading your blog.

    Lingerie Alley

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  17. Anonymous7:13 PM

    Thank you for posting this recipe.Where we live the Indian grocer stocks very few varieties of veggies & this is one of them; had no idea what this was till now.

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  18. Anonymous2:13 PM

    Hi,

    I have seen Dosakkaya Pachadi, Sambhar, Dal etc, but never thalimpu.
    Good idea to try out. I love that vegetable.

    Thanks.

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  19. i am planing to set a dinner party to my home and i found one anchor text on your blog..so i would like to check it out...
    -Oak curio cabinet

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