Dosakaya Pappu

Yellow cucumber dal — small, round, pale-yellow dosakaya (Indian yellow cucumber or lemon cucumber) peeled, diced, and cooked together with toor dal, water, tomato, green chilli, and turmeric until the dal and cucumber both mash to a thick, unified consistency, then tempered with mustard seeds, dried red chilli, garlic, and curry leaves in sesame oil. The dosakaya has a crisp, slightly sour flavour when raw; it breaks down during cooking and adds a gentle fruity acidity to the dal without the sharpness of tamarind. Distinctly Telangana and Andhra: the dosakaya is rarely used as a cooking vegetable outside this region. The pappu's characteristic quality is the blend of the cucumber's natural sourness with the toor dal's nuttiness; no tamarind or lemon is needed. Eaten mixed into rice with ghee and papad.