Dosavakaya

Summers in Andhra are synonymous with the pickle season. Avakaya is the popular Andhra raw mango pickle. Tangy and spicy Avakaya is the brand ambassador of Andhra cuisine. Every grand mom and mom in Andhra is busy especially in the month of May when the sun is at its peak, scouting for fresh raw mangoes and pickling them.

Dosavakaya is Avakaya with yellow cucumbers or dosakayalu as they are called in Telugu. Though not as popular as its mango counterpart, Dosavakaya is a regular at most homes and a must at all celebrations, be it a wedding or a puja at home. Cucumbers are popular coolants and Dosavakaya is a great recipe for those who feel Avakaya creates heat in the body. In addition, the recipe is simple enough and fresh yellow cucumbers are available all round the year. Here are the ingredients for the ever fresh and spicy Dosavakaya:

Ingredients:

Yellow cucumber (dosakaya) ½ kilo
Mustard powder (aavapindi) 50 gm
Red chilli powder (karam) 100gm
Salt (uppu) 100gm
Sesame seeds oil/Refined cooking oil (til oil/nuvvula noone) 250 gm
Turmeric (pasupu) 1 tsp
Pinch of Asafoetida (inguva)

Notes:

Pickles always require a moisture free environment and probably that is the reason summer is regarded as the best season for pickling. From bowls, ladles and jars to the ingredients everything needs to be dry and moisture free, even your hands.

Only glass or ceramic utensils are used for pickling. Stainless steel, nonstick or plastic is not preferred and not advisable too.

If mustard powder is unavailable, grind raw mustard seeds to a fine powder.

For avakayas sesame seed (til/nuvvulu) oil is used. This enhances the avakaya flavor. However if unavailable, use refined cooking oil.

Method:

Wash and wipe dry the yellow cucumber. Dry for a few minutes and ensure they are moist-free.

Cut the yellow cucumber into equal sized cubes without peeling the yellow cucumber.

In a dry glass/ceramic bowl, add 50 gm of mustard powder. To this, add red chilli powder and salt in equal proportion (i.e. For 1 cup red chilli powder, 1 cup salt.) In this case, both are 100gms.

Add a pinch of asafoetida, a tsp of turmeric and 2 full ladles (100 gm) of oil to the above dry powders, mix even and well.

Add the yellow cucumber cubes, 2½ ladles of oil (150 gm) and mix well to spice all the cubes.

Shift into an airtight, moisture free ceramic/glass jar.

Dosavakaya, though not instant literally pickles quite quickly and can be served after 3-4 hours of pickling. This is the reason for its regular inclusion in most festival and celebration menus.

Dosavakaya stays good for around 15 days to sometimes a month when stored in a moisture free place, in a good airtight ceramic/glass jar.

Dosavakaya is an Andhra pickle and complements dosas, vadas, upma, pooris and even Indian bread. A typical Telugu mixes spicy dosavakaya into a serving of heaped rice and gulps in handfuls.