A delightful vegetarian dish combines a cooling cucumber and yogurt curry with a fiery gooseberry pickle, perfect for warm-weather meals. This pairing, served with plain rice, offers a harmonious blend of flavors where the creamy curry tempers the spicy heat of the aromatic pickle.
To create the Hot Gooseberry Pickle, start by washing 250g of gooseberries and letting them dry. In a saucepan, mix 250ml of apple cider vinegar, 250ml of water, 1 tablespoon of caster sugar, and 1 teaspoon of salt. Heat until the sugar and salt dissolve, then add the gooseberries and turn off the heat, letting them sit for 10 minutes. Dry-roast 1 teaspoon of fenugreek seeds until fragrant, then grind them with 1 tablespoon of mustard seeds and 4 crushed garlic cloves into a coarse paste. Drain the gooseberries and mix with the spice paste, 3 tablespoons of vegetable oil, and 4 tablespoons of Kashmiri chili powder. Season with salt, refrigerate for at least two hours, and serve.
The Cucumber Yogurt Curry requires two cucumbers. Peel and reserve the skins, then gently crush the whole cucumbers before slicing them into 1cm thick pieces. In a blender, combine a portion of the cucumber, seeds, reserved skins, 80g of desiccated or freshly grated coconut (soaked and drained), 2 roughly chopped green chilies, 4 roughly chopped garlic cloves, 30g of fresh coriander, ½ teaspoon of black peppercorns, and 2 teaspoons of sesame seeds. Blend until smooth. Whisk 100g of natural yogurt until creamy, adding water if necessary for a pourable consistency. Mix in the cucumber-coconut paste and remaining cucumber slices, season with salt, and chill in a serving bowl.
For the tempering, heat 4 teaspoons of vegetable or coconut oil in a small frying pan. Add 10 fresh curry leaves and cook until they sizzle. Optionally, add 1 teaspoon of fenugreek seeds, followed by 2 teaspoons of mustard seeds, 2 teaspoons of cumin seeds, and 3 dried red chilies. Cook briefly and pour the spiced oil over the chilled cucumber yogurt curry. Serve immediately with plain boiled rice and the chilled gooseberry pickle for a refreshing and spicy meal.