Taushe' Hullela/ Cucumber Salad with Mustard Masala.

"Taushe' Hullela/ Cucumber Salad with Mustard Masala" ... here is a simple delicious traditional side dish from GSB Konkani Saraswat Cuisine ... sort of a chutney type side dish served during meals along with dalitoy- sheetHa and other dishes ... Yummilicious .... 

** Taushe' Hullela is a simple side dish that is prepared in almost every konkani home. A unique taste of mustard imparts the gravy of this dish making it that much more delicious. The name sasam is I guess given to this dish for the very same reason. This dish is also prepared during festive days, one of them being Ganesha Chaturthi. 

** Taushe' is also known as Khakdi/ Cucumber/ Sautekai in some of the languages across the country while there are many more names it is referred by elsewhere. However, cucumber is a salad veggie known to all as it is loved that way the best. Konkani's prepare bhakri. sweet-n- spicy idly with it and they all are very tasty.

** I am sharing the simple method of preparing taushe' hullela here, do try it out and enjoy with your family. However there are two things you need to keep in mind, one check out that the cucumber is not bitter in taste, second do not store this curry for more than an hour at room temperature as it tends to get soured/ spoilt. 

** Taushe' Hullela is not heated and as I mentioned before it is a chutney sort of dish, so the shelf life at room temperature is just maximum 2 hours and if the weather is too hot an hour or so. In case you prepare it before then immediately put it an airtight container and store in fridge, remains fresh and good for 8-10 hours. 

** Once again, I would like to share my opinion on this. I prepare it just before serving and we relish it freshly prepared as it tastes best that way. I avoid keeping it in fridge as somehow the taste is little bit lost when it turns cold. I would suggest the same to anybody who wants to try out this dish, I am sure when you savor you will agree.

** Here is my simple traditional recipe for "Taushe' Hullela/ Cucumber Salad with Mustard Masala" ... which I learned from my Amma ... 

** Peel off the outer skin 3-4 medium sized cucumber (taushe'/ khakdi/ southekai) and cut the cucumber into two lengthwise. Then once again slice it thinly in lengthwise and then width wise to get pieces of 1/4 inch in size. 

** Masala to be Ground : Grind to a fine paste ½ cup freshly grated coconut (soyi/ nariyal), 1 dry red chilly (sukhi mirsanga/ sookhi mirchi), 2-3 green chillies (tarni mirsanga/ hari mirchi), marble sized tamarind (chinchama/ imly), a small piece of ginger (alle'/ adrak). When the paste is fine and done add ½ tsp mustard seeds (rai/ sasam) and grind for just another minute of two only to crush it coarsely. 

** Remove and add the ground masala to the chopped cucumber pieces along with salt (namak/ meeta) to taste and mix well. Check consistency and add water accordingly to bring it to a thick texture. This is a semi dry curry. 

** For tempering/ Seasoning/ Tadka/ Pannaka : Heat 1 tsp coconut oil (nariyal tel/ narlel tela) in a small pan. Add 1/2 tsp mustard seeds (rai/ sasam) and when they splutter add 7-8 fresh curry leaves (kadipatta/ karbevu) and fry for a few seconds. Remove and pour it over the taushe' hullela and mix well. 

** "Taushe' Hullela/ Cucumber Salad with Mustard Masala" is done and ready to be served. This dish is best served immediately for best taste. One of the most famous dish served during festive meals with dalitoy- rice, any curry along with a few other dishes. Do try it out and enjoy with family on weekends when you have plenty of time to try it out and serve fresh immediately, I am sure it will be loved by all. 

** Important Note : This dish is not heated/ cooked. It is best served immediately on preparing for best taste as it will get fermented if kept at room temperature for long time. However, you can keep the same for a few hours in fridge and bring to room temperature when serving which is the next best option only.