Recipe of the Month

Cucumber Curry

This recipe is from "The new tastes of India" by Das Sreedharan, a chef who has pioneered the acceptance of true Keralan Indian vegetarian cooking in London via his small chain of Rasa restaurants. This is a zillion miles away from the balti-curry house concept, as you can see... All the ingredients are available in Asian stores and some wholefood shops.

"This is a simplified version of a traditional white pumpkin dish my mum used to make in summertime, although pumpkin dishes are very popular throughout the year in Kerala. Many varieties are available in my village. Their tastes - as well as their colours and shapes - are all very different. Although suggesting that you make this particular dish with cucumbers, try it one day with the authentic white pumpkins, which take a bit longer to cook."

Serves 4

1 tablespoon tamarind pulp
half teaspoon fenugreek seeds
4 dried red chillies
50g/2oz freshly grated or desiccated coconut
1 teaspoon tumeric powder
4 tablespoons vegetable oil
half teaspoon mustard seeds
7 curry leaves
400g/14oz cucumber, finely chopped

Steep the tamarind in 4 tablespoons of hot water, breaking up the pulp as much as possible with a small spoon. Leave to soak for 20 to 30 minutes, then sieve the mixture to give 4 tablespoons of tamarind liquid.

Meanwhile, in a frying pan, dry-toast the fenugreek and chillies for 1 minute over a low heat. Place the toasted fenugreek and chillies, coconut, turmeric and tamarind juice in a blender or grinder and grind to a fine paste.

Heat the oil in the frying pan. Add the mustard seeds and, as they begin to pop, add the curry leaves and the ground coconut mixture. Cook, stirring, until the mixture is relatively hot, then add the cucumber and cook for 5 minutes over a low heat, mixing well. Serve hot.

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