Khamang Kakadi Recipe / Cucumber Salad

  Salads and Raitas (yogurt based accompaniment) form an integral part of Indian food. Let it be any regional thali, there will be at least a simple salad or some curd or raita for sure in it which compliments the spicy main course very well. Maharashtrian Cuisine is no exception to it. In Marathi , both salad and raita are referred by a common name Koshimbir. So a koshimbir may have or may not have curd in it.

Today i am sharing a very delicious and famous Maharashtrian salad - Khamang Kakadi recipe with you. This (salad) koshimbir is made with Cucumber (Kakadi in Marathi) and one can sense a strong tempering in it which means Khamang and hence the name of the dish. This koshimbir recipe calls for use of fresh scrapped Coconut , roasted crushed Peanuts , finely chopped green chilies and fresh Coriander leaves apart from the main ingredient Cucumber. This mixture is then tempered with curry leaves , mustard seeds and cumin seeds and finally seasoned with lemon juice , sugar and salt.

A very refreshing and cooling summer salad , Khamang Kakadi can be made very easily and in a jiffy. It can be had as a salad , or as a side dish to the main course or just by itself as a refreshing and light mid time snacks. If we do not add the mustard seeds, hing and curry leaves, this salad can serve as a fasting food ( food for vrat) . This salad is usually paired with Sabudana khichadi.

Ingredients:

• 4-5 medium sized Cucumber ( Kheera)
• 3 tbsp fresh scrapped Coconut ( Nariyal)
• 3 tbsp of roasted and coarsely powdered Peanuts(dardara pisa mungfali dana )
• 2 tbsp of finely chopped Coriander leaves(Dhaniya)
• 1 green Chilly finely chopped ( hari Mirch)

For tempering :

• 1-2 tbsp of Ghee (clarified Butter)
• 1/4 tsp Mustard Seeds (Rai)
• 1/4 tsp Cumin Seeds (Jeera)
• Pinch of Asafoetida ( Hing)
• 1-2 sprig of Curry Leaves (Kadi patta)

For Seasoning :

• 1 tbsp Sugar or as required (Chini)
• 1 tbsp fresh Lemon juice( Nimbu ka ras)
• Salt to taste ( Namak Swad anusar)

Method:

1. Rinse and peel the Cucumber. Taste both edges of all the cucumber before chopping. Discard if any Cucumber is bitter. Finely chop all the Cucumber and place in a bowl. Add little salt and keep it aside for 10 minutes.

  2. Lightly squeeze the Cucumber to release the extra water. This step will avoid the salad from being soggy after addition of peanut powder and Coconut. Discard the water.

  3. Roast the peanuts on a heated skillet or pan. Let it cool down, remove the peel by rubbing and grind to a coarse powder in a mortar and pestle or just pulse in grinder. Take care not to make a fine powder. In a mixing bowl place the chopped Cucumber , fresh scrapped Coconut , coarsely ground peanuts , finely chopped green chillies and finely chopped fresh coriander leaves. Mix properly .

 4. Heat up 1 -2 tbsp of ghee in pan on a medium heat. Add Mustard seeds, Cumin seeds, Hing and Curry leaves. Once the mustard seeds crackle and cumin seeds sizzle, put off the flame. Pour this tempering over the Cucumber mixture.

  5. Season the salad with lemon juice , sugar and salt just before serving. Give it a quick toss and serve the delicious and refreshing Summer salad and enjoy with your loved ones !

  I hope you would love to give this recipe a try. Do not forget to give your valuable feed back.

For more such recipes, do check my posts on

• Sweet Corn Salad
• Cucumber and Cheese stuffed Cherry Tomatoes
• Spicy Potato Salad
• Avocado dip- Guacamole
• Hummus
• Bottle Gourd Raita
• Strawberry raita