A Tamil summer vegetarian feast: Cynthia Shanmugalingam’s cucumber yoghurt curry and gooseberry pickle

Hot gooseberry pickle

250g gooseberries 250ml apple cider vinegar

, peeled and crushed 1 tbsp caster sugar 1 tsp salt 1 tsp fenugreek seeds 1 tbsp mustard seeds 4 garlic cloves

Wash the gooseberries well, then spread them out on a cloth and leave to dry.

Put the vinegar, 250ml water, the sugar and salt in a saucepan and cook on a high heat until the sugar and salt have dissolved and the liquid is simmering. Add the gooseberries, turn off the heat and leave to pickle for 10 minutes.

In a small frying pan, dry roast the fenugreek for about 60 seconds, until fragrant, then leave to cool. Tip the cooled fenugreek into a small spice grinder or mortar, add the mustard seeds and crushed garlic, then blitz or grind to a paste. Scrape the mix into a small bowl, add the drained gooseberries, the oil, chilli powder and salt, then cover and put in the fridge for at least two hours.

Cucumber yoghurt curry

2 cucumbers 80g desiccated coconut (frozen or freshly grated), soaked in water for 15 minutes, then drained 2 green chillies, roughly chopped 4 garlic cloves, peeled and roughly chopped

, to taste ½ tsp black peppercorns 2 tsp sesame seeds 100g natural yoghurt Salt

For the temper 4 tsp vegetable oil, or coconut oil 10 fresh curry leaves 1 tsp fenugreek seeds (optional) 2 tsp mustard seeds 2 tsp cumin seeds 3 dried red chillies, ideally cascabel.

First, make a coconut-cucumber paste. Peel the cucumbers, reserving the skins. Wrap each cucumber in clingfilm, then bash them lightly with a rolling pin. Remove the clingfilm, keeping the seeds, and cut the flesh on a slight diagonal into 1cm slices. Put a few of the chopped cucumbers, the cucumber seeds and skins into a blender, add the drained coconut, green chillies, garlic, coriander, black peppercorns and sesame seeds, then blitz smooth.

Put the yoghurt in a medium bowl, and whisk until smooth, then beat in enough water, if need be, to get it to a pouring consistency. Add salt to taste, stir in the cucumber paste and remaining chopped cucumber, then pour into a serving bowl and put in the fridge to chill.

When you’re ready to eat, make the temper. Put the oil in a small frying pan on a high heat, add the curry leaves and, after about 30 seconds, when they’re sizzling, stir in the fenugreek (if using), mustard seeds, cumin seeds and red chillies – stand well back, because the spices will probably splutter. Pour the hot temper, oil and all, over the cucumber yoghurt curry and serve with plain boiled white rice.

• Cynthia Shanmugalingam is chef/proprietor of Rambutan, London SE1.