Madras, Mangalore and a yummy cucumber

What's shaped like a rugby ball, is orange-yellow with green stripes and tastes yummy as hell? Go to any vegetable market frequented by south Indians and you'll find this cross between a watermelon and yellow pumpkin—the Madras cucumber.

This perennial relative of the humble cucumber, pumpkin, myriad melony fruits (its closest in texture to the musk melon) and the ash-gourd from the cucurbita (Latin for gourd growing on a vine) family bears similarity to its family members in both texture and feel of the watery flesh.

Did this vegetable acquire its name because it was first grown around Madras (today's Chennai)? The answer to that can vary depending on which side of the Cauvery or Godavari you are. Many agree though that the Cucumis maderaspatensis (this cucumber's botanical moniker) alludes more to the Madras province and not the city. Under the British reign, the province included all of Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh and most of Karnataka and Kerala too.

According to Hortus Kewensis, or, A Catalogue of the Plants Cultivated in the Royal Botanic Garden at Kew, by William Aiton (1789), Scottish botanist and father of Indian botany William Roxburgh is credited with introducing the Madras cucumber to India's east coast.

Many like Swami Virendra Bhatt, in charge of the community kitchen at the Dharmasthala shrine in Karnataka's Malenaad region brush this off as "ethnophobic propaganda". According to this chef-priest, "References to this soutekai (cucumber in Kannada) in our literature predate the arrival of the British to India."

When cut open, the off-white flesh is turgid and crunchy, a characteristic that it holds on to even after cooking. While most parts of south India discard the slightly bitter seeds, these are hugely in demand by both the beauty and nutrition industries.

At about 3.6 per cent protein, 4 percent fat, and 2.5 percent carbohydrate, they are what the doctor ordered for those who can't have meat, says Mangalore based nutritionist Sharavati Rao. "They are extremely rich in antioxidants and vitamins A, C, and E. They can help prevent macular degeneration in the eyes. The antioxidants in these seeds can keep blood cholesterol under check and decrease the risk of cancer. In fact, the vitamin C fights cold and flu by boosting immunity. Apart from being a great source of minerals like magnesium, phosphorous and potassium that regulate blood pressure."

Rao points out that it can be found in lentil preparations like sambar in Kerala and Tamil Nadu; in Andhra Pradesh, it's combined with dal, tamarind extract and fiery Andhra chillies to make the dosakayapappu. "Despite its name, this personal favourite is a staple in Mangalorean cuisine."

Coastal Karnataka not only combines it with dal to make the deliciously yummy koddilu, but also several non-dal tangy gravies that are much in demand. Depending on where you are—whether Karwar or Kasargod or anywhere in between—the style of cooking these varies every few kilometres. It is sometimes sliced thin and dry stir fried with coconut, raw mango paste and chillies to make a tasty and nutritious side dish to go with rice. It's also perfect to combat the summer heat.

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Recipe: Soutekai koddilu

Ingredients:
One medium sized (500 gm) Madras cucumber
4-5 red chilies
1/2 cup grated coconut
1/4 tsp red chilli powder
1/2 tsp jaggery
3-4 garlic cloves
2 tsp oil
1/2 tsp mustard seeds
1/4 tsp fenugreek seeds
4-5 fresh curry leaves
A small marble-sized ball of tamarind
A pinch of turmeric
Salt as per taste

Method:
Wash the cucumber under running water and chop into bite-sized cubes with skin, slicing off and discarding the inner seeds. Put the chopped pieces into a pressure cooker container. Add enough water to cover them and add chilli powder, turmeric powder and jaggery. Pressure cook it for two whistles, release steam and quickly open. Don't let it overcook.
Grind chillies, grated coconut and tamarind in a mixer adding water gradually to get a smooth paste. The consistency shouldn't be too runny thin or too thick.
Empty this ground masala to a thick bottomed pan large enough to hold the cooked cucumber too. Let it boil for nearly 8-10 minutes adding more water depending on the consistency you want. Once the desired consistency is achieved add salt to taste.
On another flame, heat oil for tadka. Add mustard seeds, once they splutter, add fenugreek and let it sputter too. Add crushed garlic and curry leaves (bunched, twisted and broken to extract maximum flavour), quickly pour into the boiling koddilu and cover. Serve with steaming hot rice.


Recipe: Madras cucumber curry with yogurt & coconut milk

Ingredients:
One kg Madras cucumber
4 cups coconut milk
2 tbsp roasted cumin seeds
1/4 tbsp roasted fenugreek seeds
a pinch of asafoetida
3 Sankeshwari red chillies -
One tbsp of jaggery
Salt to taste
3 green chillies, stalk cut off and cut lengthwise.
One lemon grass stalk chopped into four pieces and slightly crushed
1/4 cup yogurt whipped into creamy consistency
1 & 1/2 tsp lightly roasted mustard seeds
5-6 curry leaves
3-4 dry red chillies with stalks removed, roasted and lightly crushed.

Method:
Grind roasted cumin and fenugreek seeds with asafoetida and red chillies to make paste adding water.
Slice, de-seed and cut cucumber into bite-sized pieces.
Boil cucumber in water with a 1 tsp of salt, jaggery and slit green chillies. When the pieces are half tender, remove them from boiling water and set aside.
To this water in the vessel, add the ground paste and bring to boil. Add the coconut milk and lemon grass. Now add the cucumber pieces and let it boil for another minute. Add roasted mustard, red chillies and curry leaves. Now put off the gas and slowly add whisked curd, stirring continuously.
Wolf down with hot steamed rice... and get ready for a long siesta.