Stuffed Cucumber Curry

Have you ever had a writer's block? Well, I am facing this right now...I am sitting in front of my computer screen, wanting to write something special, a thousand ideas running through the brain, but somehow not able to write anything. Words do not seem to come to mind and I am just aimlessly looking at the screen, waiting for my brain to convert the ideas to words that I can put together into a meaningful sentence...but I still go on looking at the screen (this could be a long evening.....!)

Well, now, I'm giving up for the day and just jumping to today's recipe. 

Ingredients

1 - long cucumber

For the stuffing 

2 tbsp - gram flour (besan) 
1 - green chilli, chopped 
2 inch piece - ginger, peeled and finely chopped 
1/4 tsp - red chilli powder (more or less)
1/4 tsp - garam masala 
2 1/2 tbsp - sunflower oil 
1/4 tsp - dried fenugreek leaves (kasuri methi) 
1/4 tsp - whole coriander seeds, roughly broken 
1 tbsp - lemon juice 
4 tbsp - fenugreek leaves (methi), chopped 
1 tbsp - coriander leaves, chopped 
salt to taste

For tempering 

2-3 tbsp - sunflower oil 
1/4 tsp - panch phoran ( a mix of fenugreek, cumin, fennel, mustard and nigella seeds)
a generous pinch of asafoetida (hing)

Method

1. Peel the cucumber. Cut a 2cm wide "window" into the cucumber with a margin of around 2 cms at both ends as well as the bottom (see photo) Remove the cut out part. 
2. Rub some salt onto the cucumber all around.
3. Add all the ingredients of the stuffing to a bowl and mix well.
4. Fill in the stuffing into the cucumber Cut the cucumber into approx 5 cm long pieces. 
5. Heat the oil in a pan, add the panch phoran and hing. When the seeds start to splutter, add the stuffed, cut cucumber pieces and cook on a low heat, turning the pieces carefully every couple of minutes until they are brown from all the sides. (the cooked cucumber should not be too soft)
6. Serve hot with rice or rotis, or even as a starter!

Enjoy!