Pipinna vyanjana

Name: Pipinna vyanjana (Cucumber curry)
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 35 min
Yield: Serves 6
Cuisine: Sri Lankan
Ingredients: 3 large telegraph (long) cucumbers, or 2 white cucumbers; 2 tablespoons grated fresh coconut; 3 green cardamom pods; 1 teaspoon chilli powder; 1 fresh curry leaf sprig, leaves picked; ½ teaspoon fennel seeds; 2 cm (¾ inch) piece of cinnamon stick; 1 teaspoon ground coriander; ½ teaspoon ground cumin; ½ onion, finely chopped; ¼ teaspoon ground turmeric; 2 small Indian green chillies, finely chopped; 150 ml (5 fl oz) coconut milk

Cucumber curry

Preparation info

Serves
6

Difficulty
Easy
Ready in
35 min

Appears in

Lands of the Curry Leaf

By Peter Kuruvita

Published 2018

About

Toasted coconut gives this quick, fragrant curry a wonderful ‘cooked on the open fire’ taste, and also acts as a thickening agent.

Ingredients

3 large telegraph (long) cucumbers, or 2 white cucumbers
2 tablespoons grated fresh coconut<

Asia
Sri Lanka
Main course
Spicy
Gluten-free
Vegan

Method

Peel the cucumbers and cut them in half lengthways. Remove the seeds, then cut on the diagonal into slices about 2 cm (¾ inch) thick. Set aside.

Place the coconut, cardamom pods, chilli powder, coriander and cumin in a small heavy-based frying pan and shake over low heat for 8–10 minutes, or until the coconut is dark golden.

Transfer the mixture to a saucepan, along with the cuc