This ripened cucumber curry is a simple yet flavorful curry crafted using pantry staples, and is enjoyed with chapati and rice as a filling, healthy meal. Like most Indian curries, it relies on a very simple set of ingredients, and is a super nutritious and comforting meal to turn to.
Plus, it is vegan and low calorie too, making it a great choice for those watching their weight and trying to keep their calorie intake in check.
Ready to give this recipe a shot? Here’s what you need to know about it before you do.
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Ingredients For the Recipe
To put this curry together, you’ll need a very simple set of ingredients.
- Oil: 2 tbsp
- Mustard seeds: 1 tsp
- Bay leaf: 1
- Red dry chilies: 1
- Potatoes (diced): 1 cup
- Onions (sliced): 1 cup
- Cucumber (diced): 1.5 cups
- Turmeric powder: ½ tsp
- Red chili powder: 1 tsp
- Sambar masala: 1 tbsp
- Salt: 1 teaspoon or as per taste
- Tomatoes (roughly chopped): ½ cup
- Water: 1.5 cups
- Green chilies: 2
- Coriander leaves (chopped): A bunch
How to Make the Ripened Cucumber Curry
Once you have all your ingredients ready, here’s what you’ll need to do to put the curry together.
Heat oil in a pressure cooker. Add mustard seeds, bay leaves and dry red chilies.
Next, add the potatoes and onions and mix well. Saute and cook for 2 minutes.
Add in the cucumber next and mix well. Saute and cook for 2-3 minutes.
Add the powdered spices and mix well. Saute.
Add in the tomatoes next and mix well.
Add water next and mix well.
Add the green chilies and coriander leaves and mix well.
Close the pressure cooker and let it cook for 3-4 whistles.
Serve hot with rice and dried sabzi of your choice.
Frequently Asked Questions
Apart from the cucumbers, you can also add some drumsticks or small brinjals into the curry. Their flavors work wonderfully with the other ingredients in the curry- just make sure you cook them first, and then add the tomatoes and the cucumber towards the end, so that they are all cooked to perfection. 
If you can’t seem to be able to get your hands on ripened cucumbers, you can make do with zucchini too. It is the closest thing to cucumbers, and has a similar taste and texture, which can work wonderfully for this recipe.
The sambar masala lends a beautiful flavor to the curry, but if you don’t have it at hand, you can substitute with some curry powder instead. If not, you can just take a few minutes to scratch make the curry masala powder on your own in your kitchen, and stock it to add flavor to your future curries. 
You can store your leftover curry in the refrigerator for a day or two- not beyond that. This is because cucumbers tend to have a softer texture, and can end up becoming lumpy and soggy when stored and reheated too long. 
Tips & Tricks to Make the Ripened Cucumber Curry
Before you jump right into the recipe, here are a few additional tips and tricks you might want to keep in mind.
- When choosing cucumber for the curry, make sure you choose yellow cucumber and not green cucumber. Check if the cucumber is firm and ripe, and doesn’t have any soft spots.
- You can use any neutral flavored cooking oil for the recipe, but mustard oil is the best choice, since it lends the curry a nice smoky flavor.
- You can also add whole hard boiled eggs into the curry towards the end, right before you serve it. This can be an excellent way to increase the protein content of your meal.
- If you have some curry leaves, you might want to add it to the mix along with the mustard seeds and the other spices.
- Asafoetida is another great addition to the tempering for the dish. It adds a nice bit of flavor and also makes the curry easy to digest.
- If your curry seems to be lacking that tanginess, you can also add a teaspoon of lemon juice to it and give it a good mix.
Serving Ideas & Suggestions
Just like any other Indian curry, this one can be served with some steamed rice or piping hot chapatis on the side. If you’re trying to make it as a part of a healthy meal, you can also choose to serve it with some quinoa or millets- it is pretty versatile that way.
A crunchy salad like this summer celery salad can be a wonderful side to pair along with the curry.
If you loved trying out this Indian curry, and are inspired enough to try some more such recipes, here are a few handpicked ones you might want to take a look at.
📖 Recipe
Ripened Cucumber Curry
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoon Oil
- 1 teaspoon Mustard Seeds
- 1 Bay Leaf
- 1 Red Dry Chilies
- 1 cup Potatoes , (diced)
- 1 cup Onions , (sliced)
- 1.5 cup Cucumber , (diced)
- ½ teaspoon Turmeric Powder
- 1 teaspoon Red Chili Powder
- 1 tablespoon Sambar Masala
- 1 teaspoon Salt
- ½ cup Tomatoes , (roughly chopped)
- 1.5 cup Water
- 2 Green Chilies
- 1 bunch Coriander Leaves, (chopped)
Instructions
- Heat oil in a pressure cooker. Add mustard seeds, bay leaves and dry red chilies.
- Next, add the potatoes and onions and mix well. Saute and cook for 2 minutes.
- Add in the cucumber next and mix well. Saute and cook for 2-3 minutes.
- Add the powdered spices and mix well. Saute.
- Add in the tomatoes next and mix well.
- Add water next and mix well.
- Add the green chilies and coriander leaves and mix well.
- Close the pressure cooker and let it cook for 3-4 whistles.
- Serve hot with rice and dried sabzi of your choice.
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