SOUTHEKAYI SASMI (MANGALORE CUCUMBER CURRY)

 SOUTHEKAYI SASMI (MANGALORE CUCUMBER CURRY)

One of the famous places in my Home State of  Karnataka is the city of Udupi, which is famous for both the Sri Krishna Temple and its vegetarian cuisine. 

Elsewhere in this blog, you will find recipes for dishes from the Udupi/Mangalore area -such as:- 

• Haagalakai Gojju
• Akki Halbai
• Pineapple Menaskai

Today's recipe is made with Mangalore Cucumber- which is also known as Field Marrow, Malabar Cucumber and Madras Cucumber. We call this Magge in my mother tongue, Konkani. It is called Mangaluru Southekayi in Kannada ( while the ordinary cucumber is called Southekayi.) 

Southekayi Sasmi is a coconut based side dish with a distinctive flavour of ground mustard. It is usually  served with hot steamed rice.  I have adapted this recipe from Southekayi Sasmi by Udupi Recipes.

We had this for lunch recently and loved it! 

Ingredients:-

• Medium -sized Mangalore Cucumber,  1/2
• Turmeric Powder , 1/4 tsp
• Fresh Coconut Gratings, 3/4 cup
• Mustard Seeds, 1/2 tsp
• Roasted Dry Red Chillies, 3
• Tamarind, small piece
• Salt, to taste

For Seasoning:-

• Mustard Seeds, 1/2 tsp
• Curry Leaves, a sprig
• Dry Red Chillies, broken into halves, 2
• Oil, 2 tsp

Method:

Wash the Mangalore Cucumber and cut it into half. Peel the cucumber and remove the core and seeds. 

Chop into small pieces and keep it in a vessel 

Cook the Mangalore Cucumber in 1 cup of water, adding a little turmeric powder, till it turns soft but not mushy

Grind together the fresh coconut gratings, roasted red chillies, tamarind  and mustard seeds, adding 1/2 cup of water to a smooth paste.

Add this freshly ground paste to the cooked Mangalore Cucumber, add salt to taste and mix well and bring to a boil. Switch off the gas . 

Heat oil in a small pan and on medium heat add the mustard seeds, when they splutter add the curry leaves and broken red chillies and sauté

Pour this seasoning to the Southekayi Sasmi and transfer it to a serving bowl

Serve the Southekayi Sasmi with hot steamed rice

MAGGE & MASHINGASAANG AMBAT

 MAGGE & MASHINGASAANG AMBAT

In my house, I make dishes using Mangalore Cucumber from time to time. We call this Magge in my mother tongue, Konkani. It is called  "Mangalooru Southekai" in Kannada, and Vellarikkai in Tamil. While strictly speaking it is called, "Field Marrow" this is variously known in India as Mangalore Cucumber, Madras Cucumber, and even Malabar Cucumber!

Here's an interesting article about the Mangalore Cucumber and its many health benefits. 

Elsewhere in this blog, you will find recipes for other dishes made with Magge, such as :-

• Mangalore Cucumber Huli 
• Magge Polo  Mangalore Cucumber Dosa
• Vellarikka Pachadi 

Today's recipe is for a Ambat from our Konkani GSB cuisine made with Magge and Drumsticks ( which are called Mashingasaang in my mother tongue, Konkani).

As you know, Ambats are mildly spiced accompaniments to the main meal of steamed rice.  We can make Ambats with different vegetables. Today's is made with Magge and Mashingasaang - a delicious combination.

This ambat has a distinctive seasoning of fried onions. 

Ingredients:-

• Magge ( Mangalore Cucumber ), medium-sized, 1/2 or about 400 grams 
• Mashingasaang ( Drumsticks), 1
• Toor Dal, 1/2 cup
• Turmeric powder, (Haldi) 1/4 tsp
• Fresh Coconut Gratings, 1 cup
• Roasted Red Byadgi Chillies, 4-5 
• Tamarind, small marble sized 
• Raw Rice, 1 tsp  
• Onion, 1
• Salt, to taste
• Coconut Oil, 1 tbsp

 Method :- 

Wash the toor dal and pressure cook in adequate water for 3-4 whistles or till done

Once the cooker cools, remove the dal and mash it well and keep aside

Wash, peel and cut the magge into bite- sized pieces  and cook in adequate water with a little salt and turmeric powder 

Wash, peel and cut the drumstick into 1 and 1/2 " pieces. Cook them in adequate water with a little salt

Chop the onion 

In a mixer grinder, grind together the coconut gratings, roasted red chillies, tamarind and raw rice to a smooth paste adding just the required amount of water

Take the cooked and mashed dal in a vessel and to this add freshly prepared ground paste and salt to taste

Remember that a little salt has already been added to the magge and drumsticks when they were being cooked 

Mix well and add the cooked magge and drumstick pieces 

Adjust the consistency by adding water as required 

Bring to a boil, then lower the flame and let it simmer for a couple of minutes

In a small pan, heat oil and fry the chopped onions until they turn a golden brown 

Pour this seasoning of onions on to the ambat

# Tip: I always add a teaspoon of raw rice while grinding the coconut gratings etc to make the masala (ground paste) for the ambat. This improves the texture of the ground paste.

MAGGE & MASHINGASAANG KODDEL

MAGGE & MASHINGASAANG KODDEL

A "Koddel" is a spicy coconut-based curry which we make in our GSB community. This can be made with pulses or with vegetables like raw banana, Mangalore Cucumber etc. Today I share my recipe for a koddel made using Mangalore Cucumber (which we call, "Magge" in Konkani) and Drumsticks, which we call, "Mashingasaang" in Konkani.).

Magge is called, "Mangalooru Southekai" in Kannada. While it is strictly speaking called, "Field Marrow" it is variously know in India as Mangalore Cucumber, Madras Cucumber, and even Malabar Cucumber. Elsewhere in this blog you will find the recipe for Magge Polo where we make dosas using Mangalore Cucumber.

The addition of raw rice while grinding coconut gratings etc is optional but I always do this as it impoves the texture of the ground masala. Magge Koddel is served as a curry with rice in the main meal

Ingredients:

• Mangalore Cucumber (Magge), cut into bite-sized pieces, 2 cups
• Drumstick (Mashinasaang), 1
• Coconut Gratings, 1 cup
• Roasted Byadgi Red Chillies, 7
• Tamarind, size of a small marble
• Raw Rice, washed, 1/2 tsp
• Garlic Pods, lightly crushed, 10
• Salt, to taste
• Oil, for seasoning, 2 tsp 

Method:

Wash, peel and cut the magge into bite sized pieces after removing the core and seeds

Cut the drumsticks into 1 inch to 1 & 1/2 inch pieces and remove the skin

Cook the magge and drumsticks separately in required amount of water after adding a little salt, taking care not to overcook them. Keep aside.

In a mixer, grind together coconut gratings, roasted red chillies, tamarind, and raw rice to a fine paste adding just the required amount of water

Add the paste (masala) you have ground to the cooked magge and drumstick
Check for salt and add more only if required as per taste
Add a little water to get a curry-like consistency and bring to a boil then allow it to simmer for a few minutes

In a small pan, add oil and when it gets hot add the lightly crushed garlic
Saute till it gives off a good aroma and turns a golden brown
Lastly, pour this garlic seasoning on to the curry
Serve hot with rice