Kanda Keri Kachumber
We were lucky to have been introduced to this relish quite popular in Gujarat, India by our friend Rinku. As the summer starts and mango is in season a relish with onions, raw mangos with cumin and chili powder for seasoning becomes very popular. As she showed the picture of the relish she made and described it, one could already imagine the sour, sharp flavors with the aromatics and heat from the spice. Kachumber means a relish or salad. But since a most popular version of it included cucumber, we thought of cucumber as well instantly because of the cooling sensations.
What these flavors led us to in our mind was a kanda keri kachumber gazpacho – a cold soup to beat the summer, to refresh and tantalize you on a hot summer lunch.
The mango cucumber and red onion gazpacho
After getting an idea for the gazpacho, we didnt waste time to try it the first time we could lay hands on a raw mango. Raw mangos in india are whiter in color. In US there are many varieties and many time you can find firm yellow fleshed mangos which are still quite tart and hardly sweet. We found one of these and used them with peeled Persian cucumbers and chopped red onions. We used mildly hot green chilies of heat (we also threw in a piece of green bell pepper) and toasted cumin crushed in mortar and pestle for the aromatics. The body for the gazpacho to bring it all together comes from some stale bread and soaked blanched almonds. A splash of olive oil and vinegar and sea salt and we marinated this covered overnight – but 2 to 4 hours will be good to bring the flavors sit and come together)
After that it was quick. Add just a little bit of water as needed to get the ingredient pureed to a very smooth paste. We used some water and immersion blender. Its very important to puree this fine. It is equally important then to strain the mixture as it gives it a royal silkiness and mouthfeel which brings finesse to the dish.
We happened to have been to the dane county farmers market and found some violet blossoms. Season the soup with some salt, olive oil and vinegar as needed. We chopped some cucumber, red onions and mango and garnished the plated soup with them and the violet blossoms.
Everyone who tried the soup loved the cold mouthfeel and the refreshing sweet and sour flavors with a hint of spicy heat – the comment we received was it was like chatpati bhel in a cold soup form. If your diners like some bread on the side, you can always reheat some frozen naan using our tips.
Kanda keri kachumber Gazpacho
- Total Time: 24 hours 15 minutes
- Yield: Serves 4
Description
Kanda Keri Kachumber is a popular salad or relish in Gujarat. In this recipe it takes form of a refreshing summer cold soup.
Ingredients
1 cup peeled and chopped cucumbers
0.5 cup chopped raw mango
0.25 cup chopped red onion
1 cup bread chopped into pieces with sides removed if crusty (stale bread works great, white bread is more neutral and works better, multi grain or seed will work too as long as flavors are not very strong or robust)
0.25 cup blanched almonds (preferably soaked in warm water for 1 hour)
0.25 cup olive oil
1 Tbsp good quality white wine/champagne vinegar
1 tsp chopped mild chili
1 Tbsp chopped Green Pepper (Optional)
1 tsp cumin seeds, toasted and coarsely ground
salt for seasoning
For Garnish:
2 tsp very finely chopped cucumber
2 tsp very finely chopped raw mango
2 tsp very finely chopped red onion
few edible blossoms (optional)
Instructions
Add all ingredients to a bowl, mix and marinate for 4 hours or more (preferably overnight, up to 24 hours)
Add 0.5 to 1 cup water gradually as needed and grind to a very fine puree using a blender or an immersion blender.
Strain mixture through a sieve to get a silken smooth gazpacho (straining well is very important for texture) Check and add more water to get soup consistency
Adjust seasoning with salt, olive oil and vinegar as needed. This depends on the flavor of the mango and its tartness how much you might need to add.
Ladle soup in 4 bowls. Garnish with the chopped cucumber, mango, red onion, edible blossoms if using
- Prep Time: 24 hours
- Cook Time: 15 mins
- Category: Soup
- Method: Blending
- Cuisine: Modern Indian
Keywords: Modern Indian Recipe kanda keri kachumber gazpacho (red onion, mango cucumber cold soup)
That looks simply awesome 👌
Thanks Shailender 🙂