Kheera Cucumber and Tomato Curry

Name: Kheera Cucumber and Tomato Curry
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 10 min
Total time: 20 min
Ingredients: 170 grams Kheera cucumber (cut into pieces); 190 grams fresh ripe tomatoes (chopped); 2 tbsp sunflower oil; 1/2 tbsp black mustard seeds; 1/2 tsp whole cumin seeds; 1/2 large fresh red chilli (finely chopped); 1/2 tsp Shetland sea salt; 1/2 tsp chilli powder; 1/2 tsp ground coriander; 1/2 tsp garam masala; 5 whole curry leaves

Published on August 29, 2016 • Last updated October 20, 2024 by Elizabeth

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Try this quick and easy Kheera cucumber and tomato curry side dish. This delicious recipe can be prepared in just 10 minutes.

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cooking Time: 10 minutes

Difficulty: Easy

Table of Contents[Hide][Show]

Ingredients for cucumber tomato curry
Instructions
What is a Kheera cucumber?
What to serve with this kheera cucumber curry
Kheera Cucumber and Tomato Curry
Other curry recipes you might like
Other Indian dishes you might like

I used to throw dinner parties for my mother and my brother. I would pretend I ran a restaurant and set the table up all posh with the fine china (Royal Albert Old Country Roses—the whole set!) and the silver cutlery, which was kept in its own velvet-lined box, reserved for special occasions.

I’d hand write out the menu and hand it to my dinner guests, bustling about the kitchen preparing and then serving them their dinner. The meal was usually a simple roast chicken with all the trimmings and perhaps a cake or fruit crumble for afters, but my nearly 40-year-old self is rather impressed with the enterprise of my 13-year-old youth.

Things haven’t changed much, and I still enjoy throwing themed dinner parties; any excuse for an extravagant feast?

Due to the presence of a Kheera cucumber in my last veg box delivery, an Indian feast night was calling to be had.

A man's hands holding a Kheera Cucumber in the sunlight.

Ingredients for cucumber tomato curry

170 grams of Kheera cucumber, cut into pieces
190 grams of fresh ripe tomatoes, chopped

2 tbsp sunflower oil
1/2 tbsp black mustard seeds
1/2 tsp whole cumin seeds

1/2 large fresh red chilli, finely chopped
1/2 tsp Shetland sea salt
1/2 tsp chilli powder
1/2 tsp ground coriander
1/2 tsp garam masala
5 whole curry leaves

Scroll down for the full printable recipe.

Instructions

Heat oil in a small saucepan and then add all the spices. Cook until the seeds start to pop.
Add the chopped tomatoes and cook for two minutes, until they begin to soften and reduce.
Add the chopped cucumber and cook for a further three or four minutes, until the cucumber begins to soften but still retains some of its crunch.

What is a Kheera cucumber?

Kheera cucumbers are a hardy Indian heirloom crop with a yellow flesh that eventually turns brown upon ripening.

They are crisp, sweet and, according to the paper bag they came in from my veg box producers, they can be bitter if eaten raw, so I made mine into a curry side dish slightly adapted from this recipe.

What to serve with this kheera cucumber curry

I spent a very enjoyable day pottering in my kitchen, cooking dishes for our Indian-themed feast. A friend had told me about a Navarathna khuruma they’d enjoyed in a restaurant in India: nine types of vegetables and fruits cooked in a rich Indian white gravy. I thought I’d try and recreate that recipe, so I went to my friend Kavita over at Kavey Eats – her mother, Mamta Gupta, has been sharing her traditional Indian family recipes online since 2001 at Mamta’s Kitchen.

I found a recipe for navratan murg korma that sounded appealing (pictured below, left) and this was made in the slow cooker. Although it was nothing like the vegetarian dish he’d enjoyed it was still incredibly tasty – and spicy despite me reducing the green chilli content down to just half of one!

I made Bombay Potatoes from Sarah over at Tales from the Kitchen Shed to accompany. These I prepped earlier in the day, parboiling them in turmeric and salt, coating them in the spice mixture, and leaving them to chill in the fridge until needed. A quick 20-minute roast in the oven, and bam—super tasty, quick, and easy Bombay potatoes! This recipe (pictured below, right) will appear regularly in our house.

I also made some cauliflower with fennel and mustard seeds from Madhur Jaffrey’s book Indian Cookery (1982). This is a relatively quick and effective way to jazz up cauliflower, and it makes a great side dish.

These were served in segments of a tiffin box a friend picked up for me while visiting India, along with a packet of pilau rice I had in the cupboard (ok, I was cheating!), some ready-made chapattis, and a bowl with natural yoghurt to cool things down a bit.

For dessert, I made carrot halwa from Carolyn Caldicott’s book Bombay Lunchbox (2014), for this traditional Indian sweet, whole cashews and slivered raw almonds are toasted in butter and then set aside.

Grated carrots are cooked in the same butter until they wilt, then full-fat milk and cardamom powder are added. The mixture is reduced until the milk nearly evaporates, producing a sticky carrot syrup.

The nuts are stirred back in and can be served immediately or pressed into a pan and cut into small squares.

I used some organic rainbow carrots from my veg box for this, and there were quite a few white ones, resulting in (what I thought) a rather unappealing greyish-brown sludge.

I sprinkled over some more chopped nuts and popped it into the fridge and made a batch of Vanilla Chai Melting Moments as a Plan B.

Indian Sweets - Carrot Halwa and Vanilla Chai Melting Moments

Despite my initial reservations about its un-set appearance, I was pleased with how lovely the carrot halwa was. Dense and chewy with a sweet milk cardamom-infused carrot flavour, it finished the meal well, especially when served with a sweet Bollywood chai latte. This blend of traditional Indian spices and almonds is paired with a delicious full-bodied Assam tea.

Recipe Difficulty Levels

Easy

Requires basic cooking skills and ingredients you most likely already have in your kitchen.

Moderate

Requires more experience, preparation and/or cooking time. You may have to source special ingredients.

Challenging

Recipes requiring more advanced skills and experience and maybe some special equipment.

Other Indian dishes you might like

Mamta’s Delicious Lucknowi-Style Lamb Biryani by Kavey Eats
Moru Kachiyathu with Mango and Bananas by Citrus Spice UK
Tarka Daal by The Hedgecombers

Category: Recipe, Vegetarian, VeggieTag: Cucumber recipe, Curry recipe, Indian recipes

About Elizabeth

Solivagant. Foodie. Calls Shetland home.

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