Cachumber

Raw vegetables eaten with meal as a side dish is known as cachumber (salad).  It varies depending on season and availability of vegetables.

Everyday Cachumber

Prep time: 

Total time: 

Serves: 4

Ingredients
  • 2 Roma or plum tomatoes, thinly sliced
  • 1 red onion, thinly sliced
  • 2 serrano or jalapeno chilies, cut lengthwise into 4 pieces (optional)
  • ½ English cucumber, thinly sliced
  • 1 carrot, thinly sliced
  • 3 to 4 radishes, thinly sliced
  • 1 teaspoon chaat masala
  • Juice of ½ a lime
Directions
  1. Arrange slices of vegetables on a serving platter. Just before serving, sprinkle chaat masala and squeeze lime juice on vegetables evenly.

 

 

Kakdi Cachumber

Prep time: 

Cook time: 

Total time: 

Serves: 4

Stir fired cucumber
Ingredients
  • 1 English cucumber, shredded
  • 1 jalapeno or serrano chili, cut lengthwise in 4 pieces
  • 7 to 8 curry leaves
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 teaspoon mustard seeds
  • 1 teaspoon sesame seeds
  • ⅛ teaspoon asafetida
  • ¼ teaspoon turmeric
  • 1 tablespoon dalia (roasted and hulled split chickpeas) or roughly chopped peanuts
  • ½ teaspoon salt or to taste
  • Pinch of sugar
  • 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
  • 2 tablespoons chopped cilantro
Directions
  1. Put shredded cucumber in a colander on top of bowl to catch drippings. Sprinkle ¼ teaspoon salt on cucumber and let it stand for 30 minutes. Squeeze out water from cucumber and transfer to a plate.
  2. Heat oil in a medium sauté pan on medium high heat until shimmering, 2 to 3 minutes. Add mustard seeds and let them sizzle. Add sesame seeds, asafetida and turmeric. Add chili, curry leaves and sauté for 30 to 40 seconds. Add dalia or peanuts and sauté for a minute.
  3. Add cucumber and sauté it for one minute. Season with salt, sugar and stir. Let cucumber cook for two more minutes. Off heat add lemon juice, cilantro and stir. Serve immediately as a side dish.

Tameta Dungli nu Cachumber

Prep time: 

Total time: 

Serves: 4

Tomato-Onion Salad
Ingredients
  • 2 Roma or plum tomatoes, ¼ inch diced
  • 1 red onion, ¼ inch diced
  • ¼ teaspoon salt or to taste
  • ⅛ teaspoon ground cumin
  • 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
  • Pinch of sugar
  • 1 tablespoon chopped cilantro
Directions
  1. Combine all ingredients in a serving bowl and serve immediately as a side dish.

 

 

Kachu Paku Cobis

Prep time: 

Cook time: 

Total time: 

Serves: 4

Kachu (raw) Paku (cooked) Cobis (cabbage) - Stir fired cabbage
Ingredients
  • Quarter of cabbage, thinly sliced
  • 1 jalapeno or serrano chili, halved
  • 10 to 12 curry leaves
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 teaspoon mustard seeds
  • ⅛ teaspoon asafetida
  • ¼ teaspoon turmeric
  • ½ teaspoon dhana-jeeru (spice blend of ground coriander and cumin)
  • ½ teaspoon salt or to taste
  • 2 tablespoons chopped cilantro
Directions
  1. Heat oil in a medium sauté pan on medium high heat until shimmering, 2 to 3 minutes. Add mustard seeds and let them sizzle. Add asafetida and turmeric. Add chili, curry leaves and sauté for 30 to 40 seconds.
  2. Add cabbage and sauté it for 1 to 2 minutes. Season with salt and stir. Let cabbage cook for two more minutes. Add dhana-jeeru and let cabbage cook for a minute. Off heat add cilantro and stir. Serve immediately as a side dish.

 
Kacchi Keri Nu Cachumber

Prep time: 

Total time: 

At beginning of spring season (vasant rutu), raw mangoes (kacchi keri) are available. When raw mangoes are available for few months, it is used in various ways, in making pickles, drinks and salad.
Ingredients
  • 1 small raw mango, seed removed, ¼ inch diced
  • 1 red onion, ¼ inch diced
  • ½ teaspoon salt or to taste
  • ⅛ teaspoon ground cumin
  • 1 teaspoon sugar or jaggery or to taste
Directions
  1. Combine ingredients in a serving bowl and serve immediately as side dish.
Notes
With young raw mango, you should be able to cut through seed. With a late season raw mango, you can cut around mango to remove seed.

 
Kacha Papaya nu Chhin

Prep time: 

Cook time: 

Total time: 

Serves: 4

Where I grew up our house was surrounded by a garden. We had a couple of papaya trees and my mother used to make kacha (unripe) papaya nu chhin (shredded) frequently from papaya grown in our garden. This cachumber is also served with methi ni bhaji na gota (fenugreek green fritters), fafda (chickpea flour crisps), etc. When you buy gota or fafda from a street vendor or farsan (savory food) shop, you will also get this cachumber, especially in Gujarat.
Ingredients
  • Quarter of papaya, peeled, seeded and shredded
  • 1 jalapeno or serrano chili, halved
  • 10 to 12 curry leaves
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 teaspoon mustard seeds
  • ⅛ teaspoon asafetida
  • ¼ teaspoon turmeric
  • ½ teaspoon dhana-jeeru (spice blend of ground coriander and cumin)
  • ½ teaspoon salt or to taste
  • 2 tablespoons chopped cilantro
  • 1 tablespoon lime juice
Directions
  1. Heat oil in a medium sauté pan on medium high heat until shimmering, 2 to 3 minutes. Add mustard seeds and let them sizzle. Add asafetida and turmeric. Add chili, curry leaves and sauté for 30 to 40 seconds.
  2. Add shredded papaya and sauté it for 1 to 2 minutes. Season with salt and stir. Let papaya cook for two more minutes. Add dhana-jeeru and let papaya cook for a minute. Off heat add cilantro, lime juice and stir. Serve immediately as a side dish or with methi na gota (fritters).

Continue Reading

Chaas

Plain Chaas

Prep time: 

Total time: 

Serves: 4

Lassi
Ingredients
  • 1 cup yogurt
  • 1 cup water
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon sugar (optional)
Directions
  1. Combine everything in a blender or with a hand blender mix everything until smooth. This type of Chaas is either served cold with Khichdi or as a drink after meal by adding ¼ teaspoon cumin powder.

 

 

Vaghareli Chaas

Prep time: 

Cook time: 

Total time: 

Serves: 4

Ingredients
  • 1 recipe plain chaas
  • 2 teaspoons Ghee or oil
  • 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
  • Pinch of asafetida
  • ⅛ teaspoon chili powder
  • 5 to 6 curry leaves
Directions
  1. In a small pot, heat Ghee or oil on a medium high heat, until shimmering. Add cumin seeds and let it sizzle. Add remaining spices and let it heat for 10 seconds. Pour the flavored Ghee or oil over plain Chaas. This type of Chaas is mostly served cold with Khichdi.

Continue Reading

Chutney

Cilantro Chutney

Prep time: 

Total time: 

Fresh coriander or Cilantro chutney
Ingredients
  • 1 bunch of cilantro
  • 1 to 2 jalapeno or serrano chilies or to taste
  • ½ inch piece of ginger
  • 1 teaspoon salt or to taste
  • 3 to 4 teaspoons sugar or to taste
  • Juice of half a lemon
  • Water as needed
Directions
  1. Remove thick stems from cilantro and wash it immersing in water. Transfer into colander and wash it under running water. Let most of water drain from cilantro. Put cilantro into blender or food processor bowl. Add salt, sugar and lemon juice. Cut chilies into 2 to 3 pieces and add it. Peel ginger and cut into couple of pieces and add it. Make into smooth paste. If things do not move add little water. Makes about ¾ cup of chutney. Keep it refrigerated.
  2. You can also add roasted peanut and/or shredded coconut.

 

 

Garlic chutney

Prep time: 

Total time: 

Ingredients
  • 8 to 10 large cloves of garlic
  • 1 teaspoon salt or to taste
  • ½ teaspoon of roasted cumin seeds
  • 3 to 4 teaspoon red chili powder
Directions
  1. Put everything into food processor and make it into fine paste.
  2. You can also add roasted peanuts, shredded coconut and roasted sesame seeds. This chutney will have coarse texture.
  3. Makes about ½ cup.

 
Tamarind and Date Chutney

Prep time: 

Cook time: 

Total time: 

Sweet and Sour Chutney
Ingredients
  • 10 to 12 whole pitted dates
  • 3 small pieces (golf ball size) jaggery (Indian raw sugar) or ½ cup packed light brown sugar
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • Water as needed
  • 1 tablespoon tamarind pulp
Directions
  1. Put dates, salt and jaggery or sugar in a small microwave safe bowl. Cover with enough water so that dates are immersed in the water. Cover with plastic wrap. Cut a 1 inch slit in the middle to escape steam. Cook for 7 to 8 minutes in the microwave. Remove the plastic wrap and let the mixture cool for 5 minutes. Transfer the cooked dates into blender and add tamarind pulp. If there is little water left in the bowl, add more water to cover dates and blend it into smooth consistency (slightly thinner than ketchup). Taste the chutney and adjust seasoning. Pass the chutney through a fine sieve and serve cold with samosa, fritters, etc. This makes about 1 cup chutney.
  2. You can also add ¼ teaspoon each of chili powder, cumin powder and coriander powder to make it more flavorful.

 
Red Pepper Chutney

Prep time: 

Total time: 

Recently we visited my husband's cousin in Atlanta. His cousin's wife Dipti made this chutney with a meal, which was really delicious. This is her recipe.
Ingredients
  • 1 14oz. jar of mild or hot Piquante peppers or roasted red peppers, drained
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • Juice of ½ a lemon
  • 1 teaspoon ground cumin
  • 1 teaspoon paprika or chili powder (optional)
  • ¼ cup crumbled jaggery (Indian raw sugar) or dark brown sugar
  • 1 teaspoon salt or to taste
Directions
  1. Combine all ingredients in a blender jar or food processor bowl. Process everything until smooth paste. Transfer to a serving bowl. This makes about 1½ cup chutney. This can be served with appetizers or a dip. It can last in a refrigerator up to a month.

 
Tomato Chutney

Prep time: 

Cook time: 

Total time: 

Serves: 4

Ingredients
  • 3 Roma or plum tomatoes, ¼ inch diced
  • ½ jalapeno or serrano chili, thinly sliced
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
  • ⅛ teaspoon asafetida
  • ½ teaspoon turmeric
  • ½ teaspoon salt or to taste
  • 1 teaspoon sugar or to taste
  • 2 tablespoons cilantro, chopped
Directions
  1. Heat oil in a small soup pot until shimmering, 2 to 3 minutes. Add cumin seeds and let them sizzle. Add asafetida and turmeric. Add chili and sauté it for 30 to 40 seconds. Add tomatoes and season with salt and sugar. Let tomatoes cook for 1 to 2 minutes. Off heat add cilantro and stir to combine. Can be served as a salsa. Best served with stuffed paratha.

 
Cranberry Chutney

Prep time: 

Total time: 

Several years ago I had this chutney when I visited west coast. Ever since then I make this chutney during fall. It goes well with potato pancakes, samosas, fritters and many more.
Ingredients
  • 6 oz. fresh cranberries (1/2 of 12 oz. bag)
  • 1 8 oz. can of mandarin oranges, drained
  • ½ bunch of cilantro
  • 1 jalapeno or serrano chili, roughly chopped
  • 2 inch piece of ginger, peeled and roughly chopped
  • 1 teaspoon salt or to taste
  • ⅓ cup sugar or to taste
Directions
  1. Combine all ingredients in a bowl of blender or food processor. Process it until almost smooth, keeping some texture.
  2. Makes 1 cup.

 
Kathi Chutney

Prep time: 

Cook time: 

Total time: 

Kathi chutney is served with methi ni bhaji na gota (fenugreek green fritters), fafda (chickpea flour crisps), etc. When you buy gota or fafda from a street vendor or farsan (savory food) shop, you will also get this chutney, especially in Gujarat.
Ingredients
  • ¼ cup chickpea flour
  • 1 tablespoon yogurt
  • ½ cup water
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • ½ teaspoon mustard seeds
  • Pinch of asafetida
  • ¼ teaspoon turmeric
  • 5 to 6 curry leaves
  • 1 jalapeno or serrano chili, cut lengthwise
  • 1 tablespoon cilantro, finely chopped
Directions
  1. Combine chickpea flour, yogurt and water in a bowl until smooth paste. Heat oil in a small pot until simmering. Add mustard seeds and let them sizzle. Add rest of the ingredients and sauté it for 30 seconds. Add chickpea flour mixture and immediately stir to avoid lumps. Keep stirring until chutney thickens, for 3 to 4 minutes. Consistency of chutney should be like ketchup. Remove from heat and transfer to serving bowl. Serve it warm, if chutney thickens too much loosen with warm water. Garnish with cilantro. Makes about ½ cup.

Continue Reading

Raitu

Raitu

Prep time: 

Total time: 

Serves: 4

Ingredients
  • ¾ cup yogurt
  • 1 regular or ½ English cucumber or carrot or half of each, shredded and drained
  • Salt and sugar to taste
  • 1 tablespoon chopped cilantro
  • 1 finely chopped green chili or to taste
Directions
  1. Whisk yogurt in a mixing bowl until smooth. Add all remaining ingredients and stir everything. Let it sit in refrigerator for 30 to 40 minutes before serving.

 

 

Continue Reading