Kachumber

During these sweltering summer days I'm all for cooling foods. In my mind, cucumbers seem to be the epitome of something cooling. Perhaps it's because they are mostly made up of water (over 90% water to be exact). Until recently the most I ever did with cucumbers was make pickles or dip them in hummus. Even though I love a good pickle, I wanted to venture out from my comfort zone and experiment a bit more. That seems to be a big trend in my life at the moment :)

When it comes to juicing, cucumbers are really refreshing and hydrating! Yesterday morning I juiced a whole small/medium sized cucumber, several leaves of romaine, a handful of kale, a knob of fresh ginger, a lime, and an apple. I ended up taking it outside with me while I worked in the garden for a bit. I guess you could say it was my version of gatorade, but without all of the fake shit! I'm thinking that cucumber, ginger, & pineapple would be an awesome combo, too. Get creative and try it in your next juice!

Since I love Indian food, I wanted to make my own version of kachumber with my homegrown cucumbers. In case you have never had it or don't quite know what it is, kachumber is a mixture of chopped veggies, typically made up of cucumbers and onions. It is meant to be a raw and cooling contrast to spicy curries and such. I had some pretty good kachumber at Pondicheri before they took it off the menu. When my cucumbers were ripe and ready to be picked, I set about creating my own version that was just as cooling and satisfying.

Kachumber
Some chopped cilantro would be a lovely addition to this, but I didn't have any on hand. If you like cilantro, I highly recommend adding it along with the mint. If you are making this ahead of time, wait to salt it until right before you serve it as the salt will draw out a lot of moisture from the veggies. This makes a great side dish for a spicy veggie curry or dal. 

1 medium cucumber, seeds scooped out and sliced
heaped 1/2 cup of small grape or cherry tomatoes, halved
1/2 of a red onion, small dice
large handful of raw cashews (toasted lightly if you want)
juice of 1 lime
1 tbsp fresh mint leaves, finely chopped
1/4 to 1/2 tsp fresh ground cumin
1/4 tsp garam masala (optional)
sea salt to taste

Combine everything together in a bowl and toss well. Taste, and adjust with more salt, spices, or lime juice as needed. Chill the kachumber until you are ready to eat it. Makes approximately 5 or 6 small servings. Enjoy!