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Kosambari
Moong dal and cucumber salad
ಕೋಸಂಬರಿ: Karnataka's festival salad of soaked moong dal, cucumber, coconut and lemon (plus 2 hours soaking)
No Karnataka festival lunch on a banana leaf is complete without a spoonful of kosambari at the top left corner. This raw salad of soaked split moong dal, cucumber, carrot and fresh coconut, sharpened with lemon and finished with a mustard-seed tempering, is especially made for Ram Navami, when it is offered in temples with panaka (jaggery water), and for Ugadi and weddings. It is crunchy, cool and refreshing, and packed with protein. Chef's tip: add the salt and lemon only just before serving; salted cucumber weeps water and turns the salad soggy within half an hour.
- Total time
- 17 min
- Difficulty
- easy
- Serves
- 4
Ingredients
For the salad
- 3 ½ oz split yellow moong dal
- 1 cucumberfinely chopped
- 1 carrotfinely grated
- 1 ⅜ oz fresh grated coconut
- 1 green chillivery finely chopped
- 3 tbsp fresh corianderchopped
- 2 tbsp lemon juice
- ½ tsp salt
- 3 tbsp pomegranate seeds (optional)
For the tempering
- 1 tsp sunflower or coconut oil
- ½ tsp black mustard seeds
- 1 pinch gluten-free asafoetida
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What you'll need
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Method
0/4 doneStep 1: Rinse 3 ½ oz split yellow moong dal well and soak it in cold water for 2 hours, until a grain crushes easily between your fingers but still has a slight bite. Common mistake: soaking overnight; the dal goes mushy and starts to smell.
Step 2: Drain the dal very well in a sieve and shake off the water; wet dal makes a watery salad. Tip into a bowl with 1 cucumber, 1 carrot, 1 ⅜ oz fresh grated coconut, 1 green chilli and 3 tbsp fresh coriander.
Step 3: Heat 1 tsp sunflower or coconut oil in a small pan over a medium heat, add ½ tsp black mustard seeds and wait until it crackles, then add 6 curry leaves and 1 pinch gluten-free asafoetida; they sizzle in a few seconds. Pour over the salad.
2 minStep 4: Just before serving, add ½ tsp salt and 2 tbsp lemon juice and toss. Scatter over 3 tbsp pomegranate seeds if using and serve at once, cool.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 160 kcal
- Protein
- 8 g
- Carbs
- 18 g
- Fat
- 6 g
- Fibre
- 6 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does kosambari take?
- About 17 minutes in total: 15 minutes to prepare and 2 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 4 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegan?
- Yes. It has no meat, fish, dairy or eggs.
- Is it gluten free?
- Yes, as written. Check the labels on stock, sauces and spice mixes, which sometimes contain gluten.
- What can I use instead of cucumber?
- Courgette, same weight (in salads, use young ones).
- What can I use instead of carrot?
- Parsnip or sweet potato, same weight.
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