Recipe: Carrot & moong dal kosambari salad
A simple refreshing salad that won the hearts of many South Indians!
Kosambari, a typical South Indian salad which reminds us of our mother’s home food made on special occasions like Ganesha Chaturthi and Sri Rama Navami. It is a tradition in South, where women invite one another, on special occasions to distribute Kosambari and share a part of their traditional touch.
The kosambari is quite simple to make as most of the ingredients are commonly available in a South Indian household.
It is a lentil salad made with freshly grated carrot, mixed with fresh shavings of coconut and lightly flavoured with a good squeeze of lemon juice. A final tempering of mustard seeds and curry leaves lifts up the whole salad.
Ingredients
For the salad
- 1/2 cup Carrots (grated)
- 1/2 Cucumber (skin peeled, and cut into cubes)
- 1/4 cup Split Yellow Moong Dal (soaked for 1 hour)
- 1/3 cup Fresh Coconut (grated )
- 1 Green Chillies (finely sliced )
- 4 sprig Coriander / Cilantro (finely chopped )
- 1/2 Lemon (juice, squeezed)
- Salt (to taste)
For tempering
- 1 tsp Black Mustard Seeds
- 1 pinch Asafoetida / Hing
- 1 sprig Curry Leaves
- 1 Dried Red Chillies
- 1 tbsp Canola / Vegetable Oil
Instructions
For the salad
- Rinse dal thoroughly with water couple of time before you soak
- Soak moong dal in ½ cup of water in a bowl for about an hour and drain the water and keep it ready for the salad
- Peel and cut the cucumber into small pieces
- Peel and grate the carrot and keep it ready for the salad
- Put together all ingredients in their measured quantities
- Mix them all in a mixing bowl
- Using the lemon squeezer, squeeze half of the lemon juice into the salad
- Add salt to taste and mix again
For tempering
- Heat a tempering kadai on medium heat, add a tablespoon of oil
- Once the oil is heated, add mustard seeds, curry leaves into the oil, allow it to splutter for few seconds
- Add in dry red chilli and sprinkle asafoetida, saute till the chillies crisp up
- Pour in the tempered mixture into the salad and mix well
- Garnish with fresh coriander leaves when you serve!
MYHOOGAH IDEAS
Quickly mix up this kosambari salad for your lunch meals at home and make your family reminisce a feel of traditional home cooked meal that they would experience a complete Hoogah about.
It can be your ‘Go To’ healthy recipe. It contains a good amount of protein from the soaked moong dal. Make it more nutritious by adding vegetables like chopped cucumber or tomatoes.
Do check out Kosambari with cucumber and moong dal and find out what you liked the best!
SERVING TIPS
Can be served as a Kosambari platter with assortments of kosambaris and fried papad.
STORING TIPS
Store the kosambari mixture without salt in an airtight container in fridge and just when you serve sprinkle with salt and serve.
If you are planning on keeping the kosambari for more than a day, make sure you do not add salt to the salad as it will leave out water.
