MANGALORE SOUTEKAYI (CUCUMBER) MELARA (Majjige Huli)

MELARA

This is a typical South Canara dish and also my favorite dish. You would’ve seen many versions of Majjige huli. I find this version the simplest, easiest and also tastier one. I do not know why the name “Melara”. This is a buttermilk based dish. My son Shaurya loves it......

Ingredients:

Mangalore Soutekayi (available in all Mangalore stores and local vegetable shops) – half of it with skin peeled and cut into ½ inch cubes, Buttermilk – 100 to 150ml (if it is very sour then add less than 100ml), Fresh Coconut – Half of the coconut grated, Green chilli – 1, Salt as per taste, Coconut oil – 2 spoons, Mustard seeds – ½ spoon, Dry red chillies (Byadagi menasu) – 1, Curry leaves – 6 to 8 leaves.

Preparation Method:

1. Cook the cut Soutekayi with 1 spoon of crystal salt and water just about to cover the veggy, when the water starts boiling simmer the flame and close the vessel with lid.

2. Grind the coconut along with buttermilk and green chillies into a fine paste.

3. After the vegetable is cooked add the ground paste to it, add little salt as per taste (The consistency should be little thick, if the consistency is watery then little rice flour can be added to make it thick.) and allow it to boil.

4. Heat the oil in a pan and splutter the mustard seeds, add curry leaves and small pieces of red chillies and fry for few seconds, add this seasoning to the boiling mixture and close the lid and put off the stove.

5. Tasty Melara is ready to be served with rice, semiya (ottu shavige) and kadubu.

Serves: 6 persons

Vegetables like Tondekayi (Pointed Gourd), Alasandekayi (Snap beans), Mulangi (Raddish), Semebadanekayi (Chow Chow) and Pumpkin can also be used. But for melara make it a point to never mix vegetables like we do for sambar.