Yellow cucumber is not a vegetable you’re likely to find in the produce section of a regular grocery store in the US. Indian and Asian stores will most likely have them, since they are part of the cuisine. This is not only my favorite pickle, but also one of my favorite recipes. There’s no cooking involved, and it is ready in a jiffy! My sister made this for me on my recent trip to India and it turned out absolutely perfect!

Yellow Cucumber

Avakaya

I’d like to take a moment to give a quick background on South Indian pickles, especially from the Andhra region. Let’s start with the term avakaya. Ava means mustard and Kaya means vegetable. Avakaya is a raw pickle made with mustard powder as the main ingredient along with a specific vegetable or unripe fruit. Green mango pickle for instance, is the most popular of all pickles in Andhra, and is referred to as Mamidikaya Avakaya. Yes, a tongue twister! In this case green mangoes are sun-dried to ensure all moisture is gone and the pickle can last for years at room temperature. These are stored in beautiful ceramic containers of different shapes and sizes, called ‘Jaadi’.

Pickle Jaadi

Picking the Right Cucumber

Without a doubt, this step is key for this recipe. The cucumber you pick should be hard, yellow in color, with no blemishes or soft spots. The skin is not peeled for this recipe, but you need to ensure that the cucumbers are washed and completely dry before you start this recipe.

You can try our Raw Dosakaya or Cucumber Salad, or Cucumber Dal (aka Dosakaya Pappu), if you love this gourd.

Dosavakaya: Raw Yellow Cucumber Pickle

Like father, like son: this is my dad’s favorite pickle as well. He enjoys it when it is freshly made. His tip (to anyone who listens), is make this in small quantities, and consume it within a week to 10 days. That makes a lot of sense. When it is fresh, the cucumber is crunchy, and as it gets older it softens and also loses the freshness. This recipe uses mustard powder, red chili powder, amchur (dry mango powder), mustard and vegetable oil, and turmeric powder. Salt to taste of course. While the seeds are not used, they are filtered so the juice can be added back in the pickle, and then discarded.

Here are a few suggestions on what you can enjoy this with:

• Curd (Yogurt) Rice
• Egg Tomato Spicy Rice
• Vegetable Multigrain Khichdi
• Brown Jeera (Cumin) Rice
• No Ferment Cabbage-Onion Dosa (Sanna Pollo)
• Savory Brown Rice Pongal

Pickle & Chutney Recipes

Check out some of our easy and delightful pickle and chutney recipes here:

• Tart Spicy Pickled Cauliflower
• Indian Lime Pickle
• Spicy Raw Carrot Pickle (Gajar ka Achar)
• Pickled Chili Peppers
• Flavorful Cilantro Mint Chutney
• Yellow Mung Raw Onion Chutney
• Cranberry Chutney with a South Indian Twist
• Tomato Chutney
• Raw Mango Fenugreek Salsa
• Malabar Chutney
• Coconut Tomato Chutney
• Flavorful Cilantro Mint Chutney
• Zero Waste Butternut Squash Peel (Sippe) Chutney
• Superfood Moringa Leaf Chutney

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5 from 1 vote

Dosavakaya - Raw Yellow Cucumber Pickle

This spicy, tangy pickle made with mustard seeds powder and yellow cucumber is delicious! Enjoy it with steamed rice or top it on your sandwich.

Course Pickles

Cuisine Indian

Keyword amchur, dosakaya pickle, dosavakaya, mustard oil, Mustard Powder, pickle, turmeric powder, Yellow Cucumber

Special Diet Gluten Free, Grain Free, No Added Sugar, Nut Free, Raw, Vegan, Vegetarian

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 10 minutes

Total Time 20 minutes

Servings 30 People

Calories 23kcal

Equipment

• Bamboo Cutting Board
• Kitchen Knife

Ingredients

• 3 Cups Yellow Cucumber - Dosakaya
• 2 Tablespoons Mustard Powder
• 2 Tablespoons Red Chili Powder
• 2 Teaspoons Dry Mango (Amchur) Powder
• 1 Teaspoon Turmeric Powder
• 1 Tablespoon Sea Salt - Or to taste
• 2 Tablespoons Mustard Oil
• 2 Tablespoons Avocado Oil

Instructions

• Wash the dosakaya and dry them thoroughly. Cut cucumbers in half, lengthwise. Leave the peel intact. Scoop out the seeds with a spoon and run them through a sieve to collect the juice. Discard the seeds in your compost.
  
• Cut cucumbers to small pieces.
  
• In a large bowl add cucumber, juice collected from draining the seeds, mustard and avocado oils, mustard, chili, turmeric, mango powders and salt.
  
• Mix well by hand (make sure they are dry) to ensure pickle sauce is evenly spread out.
  
• Transfer to a pickle jar (jaadi) and enjoy Dosavakaya. This pickle can be stored at room temperature for a couple of weeks but is best enjoyed within 10 days. Refrigerate later.
  

Notes

Great with steamed rice and organic ghee, or your favorite sandwich.

*Use organic ingredients wherever possible

Nutrition

Nutrition Facts

Dosavakaya - Raw Yellow Cucumber Pickle

Serving Size

 

20 g

Amount per Serving

Calories

23

% Daily Value*

Fat

 

2

g

3

%

Saturated Fat

 

1

g

6

%

Polyunsaturated Fat

 

1

g

Monounsaturated Fat

 

1

g

Sodium

 

242

mg

11

%

Potassium

 

31

mg

1

%

Carbohydrates

 

1

g

0

%

Fiber

 

1

g

4

%

Sugar

 

1

g

1

%

Protein

 

1

g

2

%

Vitamin A

 

169

IU

3

%

Vitamin C

 

1

mg

1

%

Calcium

 

5

mg

1

%

Iron

 

1

mg

6

%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.