Indian cuisine is not exactly known for its salads. Curries, elaborate rice dishes, delicious breads sure, not salads as much. But you’ll be surprised to know there are some delicious salads in its repotoire and are eaten accompanying other vegetables and main courses. This salad is popular in the south of India and served specially at weddings.
My recipe is slightly different, this is one of the ways my mom made it specially in the hot summer months. We ate it with yogurt and a squeeze of lime juice.. Koshmbir is sort of a chopped made with veggies (like shredded carrots, beets) or lentils (washed moong Daal) it’s an everyday salad like salsa for Mexican. Great for warm summer weeknight dinner. Simple to put together and can be served as is or as a side.
I like to serve this salad with a side of yogurt as there is no dressing per se.
Let me know if you give the recipe a try.
Ingredients
- 1 Cup Puy Lentils or Black Beluga Lentils
- 2 Cups water
- 4 medium plum tomatoes, pulp removed and finely diced
- 2-3 Persian cucumbers, deseeded and finely chopped
- 1 small red onion finely chopped
- 1 small bunch cilantro finely chopped, about 1/2 Cup)
- 1/4 C finely chopped fresh mint
- 1 jalapeño finely chopped, optional
- 1/2 teaspoon black salt also called kala namak
- 1/2 tsp kosher salt
- 1 inch ginger minced, optional
- 1 tsp chaat masala or ground cumin
- 1/4 C lemon juice and zest of one lemon
- Cracked Pepper to taste
Instructions
- Wash and Soak the lentils for at least 4 hours or overnight to make the beans more digestible
- In a pot bring lentils and water to a boil. Lower the heat, cover and let simmer on med-low to low heat until just tender. About 8-10 minutes.
- Strain and carefully rinse with cold water until lentils are cold. Drain.
- While lentils are simmering prepare the vegetables. Cut the tomatoes in half, remove pulp and dice.
- Chop, cucumber, onion, cilantro and mint, place in a large enough bowl.
- Toss in the lentils and mix with lemon juice, ground cumin or chaat masala, ½ of the zest, black rock salt, sea salt and pepper.
- Mix well gently without mashing the lentils Adjust salt and lemon as needed, and let it sit for at least 10 minutes to 30 minutes for dressing to be absorbed by the lentils and develop flavor. Chill until ready to serve.
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