Kachri Phali ki Sabzi is a traditional Rajasthani dry vegetable recipe. Made with Kachri (Wild Cucumber) and fresh phali (green beans), it is rustic, delicious, and a wonderful addition to our meals. The recipe is simple, local, and seasonal! Try something new today :-)
Trim the ends of beans and cut them into ~2-inch pieces.
Steam the beans or boil them in water for just 5 mins. Drain, run under cold water and keep aside.
Cut off the ends of Kachri and peel. Cut a small sliver and taste if it is not bitter. Very rarely you might get a bitter wild cucumber. If it is bitter, it is not good for cooking.*
Cut the kachri lengthwise into half and scoop out the seeds. Now cut into small bit size pieces. Keep aside.
In a kadhai/wok, heat mustard oil on medium heat. When the oil starts to smoke, add cumin seeds and asafetida.
Next add onions, green chilies, and garlic. Mix well and sauté for a minute till the onion starts to soften.
Reduce heat to low and add turmeric, coriander powder, and cumin powder. Add the chopped kachri and mix well to coat the kachri and onions in the spices.
Add one cup water, cover and cook on medium heat for about 5 minutes till the kachri is soft. Check with a wooden spoon. If you are able to break the kachri with a wooden spoon, it is done.
Add the steamed beans and salt. Mix well and cook covered for another couple of minutes. Sprinkle garam masala and mix.
Remove from heat and serve hot with some ragi roti and yellow dal (like we had for lunch!) or as a side to dal and rice.
Notes
Nutritional information is the approximate value for 1 of 4 servings. Since Kachri is such a local ingredient, I couldn’t find the exact calorie value of Kachri. This detailed study shows that Kachri is actually an excellent source of protein with 23g protein in every 100g!
*If by rare luck, you have a bitter kachri, discard it and use this recipe to simply cook the beans.