One of the popular salads made in the western region of Nepal, especially in Palpa district, Chukauni is a spicy potato yogurt salad. This typical Nepali pickle is easy to make and is tasty to eat as are the most of the Nepali pickles. This pickle prepared mostly in the Palpa district of Nepal, goes perfectly with rice or even roti or could simply take it on a bowl and devour it.

Here is one of the ways of making this Palpali pickle named Chukauni.

Ingredients:

3 – 4 boiled and peeled potatoes cut into minimum sized chunks

2 tbsp oil

½ tsp fenugreek seeds

3 – 4 cloves garlic

3 – 4 chopped green chilies

¼ tsp turmeric

½ chopped onion

½ tbsp cumin powder

1/8 tbsp timur (Szechuan pepper – optional)

½ tbsp red chili powder

½ tbsp coriander powder

A pinch garam masala

1 cup plain yogurt

1 tbsp chopped cilantro

Procedure:

First of all, take a large mixing bowl and add potatoes to it. Then add a pinch of salt and a squeeze of lemon juice to it to season it quickly. Now, in a small pan, heat two tbsp of oil and splatter fenugreek seeds, garlic, green chilies and turmeric and fry until the fenugreek seed turns brown. Then, add the oil mixture to the potato and mix it thoroughly. Now, mix the cumin powder, timur, red chili powder, coriander powder, garam masala, plain yogurt and chopped cilantro in a bowl and add it into the potato. You can also add yogurt according to your desire (more or less as you like) however, less yogurt is more preferable. Your Chukauni is ready to be served.