Kachri (Dried Wild Melon), Whole

Whole kachri is sun-dried wild desert melon, sliced and dried in the Rajasthani way. It has a distinctive tangy, sour and slightly musky flavour, and blended into a paste it infuses marinades, chutneys and curries with a bold, fruity sourness.

A Rajasthani pantry staple

Kachri grows wild across the Thar desert, and it has long been one of the defining sour ingredients of Rajasthani and wider North Indian cooking. Its best-known use is as a natural meat tenderiser: the ground fruit works on mutton and beef during marination, which is why it turns up in kebab mince, handi dishes and kachri masala. It is equally at home in vegetarian cooking, in chutneys, dry sabzis and pickles.

How to use it
Soak a small handful of the dried slices in warm water for twenty minutes, grind them to a paste and rub it into mutton or beef before marinating, allowing an hour or more. The dried pieces can also be ground straight to a powder and used at about a teaspoon in a Rajasthani dry rub or a kachri masala. Keep the slices sealed and dry. Technique tip: use it in the marinade rather than the pot, since kachri works on the meat before cooking and mostly just adds sourness once a dish is already simmering.

Botanical and Cultural Identity

• Botanical Name: Cucumis pubescens
• Common Names: Kachri, Kachari, Kachuri, Kachar, Chibar, Kachri Gol, Whole Kachri, Dried Wild Melon, Wild Cucumber, कचरी