CUCUMBER KACHRI

Kachri is a wild variety of cucumbers. Fresh kachri resembles a brown yellow small melon, which grows wildly in the desert areas and is seldom cultivated as a crop. Since fresh kachri is rarely available outside Rajasthan, the use of sundried kachri powder is popular. It is the real earth food and a protein rich vegetable for people living in the harsh arid areas of Western India, where it is hard to grow conventional vegetables. Kachri powder is used extensively in Rajasthani cuisine generally as a substitute to Aamchur ( dried mango) powder.
Kachari powder is popularly used as meat tenderiser. Soak the meat with Kachari powder to reduce the cooking time. It also adds a nice tangy flavour to the meat. For longer self life the kachari must be refrigerated in an airtight jar. This Traditional dried vegetable/ spice is from Rajasthan. . These are a wild melon called "kachri" or "sane" found in various parts of South Asia. You'll often see these for sale at markets in both rural villages and urban markets in Northern India. They range in color from green to yellow and can be as nearly as big as a football to about the size of a walnut. As they are wild and never cultivated you'll often see kachri vines volunteering along roadsides, amidst crops, and in jungle thickets throughout India.
This rather blurry photo shows how they look when ready to be picked, the vine withers and the small melons can be green to yellowish brown. The flesh inside is watery and seedy like a cucumber and can range from pale green to yellow. When green kachri can have a bitter astringent taste but when ripened they turn yellow and have a definite melon flavor that's rather tart.
I've seen fresh slices of kachri being sold at markets in Delhi for snacking as well as children in the countryside in Uttar Pradesh nibbling on them. Kachri are quite popular in Rajasthan where the harsh desert climate makes growing most vegetables impossible. Rajasthanis make several chutneys and vegetable curries out of kachri.
Kachri are also sun dried for later use in India. They are then ground to powder for use in chutneys or as a meat tenderizer. Kachri powder is also used as a souring agent much like amchur or dried mango powder. It is advised to buy dried kachri whole and grind them yourself as flavor is said to dissipate after grinding. There are commercially available brands of kachri powder available though.

Sour / Tangy. Used in stir fries, or ground into a powder to flavour chutneys and veggies. The powder is also used as a meat tenderizer. 
Self Life : 1 Year