Streetside Spicy Cucumber
Today, I am going to sneak in an awesome street food inside your home!
I have always been a great fan of cucumbers. I not only love to eat the tender baby cucumbers, but also like the mature green ones used to make curries, and the ripe yellow cucumber fruits that can be enjoyed with just a dose of sprinkled sugar (how many of you have heard about cucumber fruit?).
Let us quickly cover some fun facts about cucumber before we talk about recipes.
Cucumber Fun Facts
- 95% of cucumber is water! Cucumber contains no notable nutrients with the exception of Vitamin K. But why does the whole world love them so much?
- Cucumber belongs to the gourd family.
- Did you know cucumber originated from India and spread to other countries?
- China accounts for 3/4th of the total cucumber cultivation in the world.
- Dosakayi (a popular vegetable used to make the famous Andhra Pappu (Dal) is actually a type of cucumber!
- There are two basic types of cucumbers (slicing and pickling):
- Slicing:Cucumbers that are grown to be eaten fresh. The varieties grown in North America are long with thick skin whereas the slicing cucumbers from other parts of the world are smaller with delicate skin. English cucumbers are long, seedless and have a mild sweet flavor and are very popular and also a bit expensive. Some smaller slicing cucumbers can be pickled as well.
- Pickling: Although any cucumber can be pickled, commercial pickles are made from cucumbers specially bred for uniformity of length-to-diameter ratio and lack of voids in the flesh. Those cucumbers intended for pickling are called picklers and they grow to about 3 to 4 in long and 1 in wide. Compared to slicers, picklers tend to be shorter, thicker, less regularly shaped, and have bumpy skin with tiny white or black-dotted spines. Color can vary from creamy yellow to pale or dark green. Who does not love munching on the crunchy cucumber pickle oozing with brine, sugar, vinegar and spices?
- Cooking: Some cucumbers are also grown for cooking purposes, dosakayi comes under that category.
Have you ever wondered why sometimes eating cucumbers causes burping? A substance in cucumbers known as cucurbitacin causes indigestion in some people. Some cucumbers types are easy to digest and are called “burpless” cucumbers. Burpless cucumbers are sweeter and have a thinner skin than other varieties of cucumber. They can grow as long as 2 feet, are nearly seedless, and have a delicate skin. English cucumbers are burpless.
Now let us talk about recipes.
I cannot help but laugh whenever I see dosakayi as it brings back some funny/ sweet memories about my first encounter with that vegetable. I am sure you will also laugh with me if you hear that story, that story for another day.
In Tamil Nadu, it is very common to see big signboards outside hotels around lunch time that tell about the items that are part of the lunch thali. My mouth would drool whenever I see these two items on those boards – “Vellarikai Kootu” or “Vellarikai More Kozhambu” (translations – Vellarikai is Tamil word for cucumber, and “More Kozhambu” means “Yogurt Curry”). My dad always buys big mature cucumbers when they are in season and we make sambar, kootu and yogurt kozhambu with that. The end of the cucumber season is marked by street vendors selling ripe bright yellow and very fragrant cucumbers with a mild sweet tender flesh. You need to sprinkle some sugar and eat them just like that, yum!!!
Another famous street side food is the spicy cucumber – cucumber with chili powder and salt! It is a nice sight to see the street vendors (with their moving or stationed carts) selling this and other delicacies like spicy mango, boiled peanuts etc. The street vendors have shakers filled with chili powder and salt and they just cut the cucumbers and sprinkle the mix and give them to you to enjoy!
Streetside Spicy Cucumber
Healthy crunchy streetside spicy cucumber with chili powder and salt.
Ingredients
- 4 Baby cucumbers slicing type
- Chili powder to taste
- Salt to taste
- Lime juice optional
Instructions
-
Pick fresh slicing cucumbers. The most popular way to enjoy this is by slicing the cucumber vertically into 4 quarters but still connected at the bottom.
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Sprinkle chili powder and salt and enjoy!
Recipe Notes
- Chili powder + salt mix can be used to enjoy variety of other veggies and fruits like mango, radish, papaya etc.
- You can also squeeze some lime into this.
Hello, my name is Senthil. I am a passionate food blogger from Houston, Texas. This is my online kitchen, and I will be cooking delicious recipes for you, provide kitchen tips that I have learned over the years, and share personal stories and fond memories around food. Keep checking out for new stuff!
Wow ! Nice read