Carrot Sambol | Easy Carrot Salad - Vegan Srilankan Recipe

 Carrots are my favorite vegetable when it comes to eating raw . I love adding carrots to my meal as a salad or as raita . The subtle sweetness from the carrot and crispness ,gives the salad a nice crunch .

Gajar Koshimbir / Carrot Kosambri  is the Indian version of carrot salad where grated carrots are seasoned with tempered mustard seeds, udad dhall , red chillies and garnished with fresh coconut . Likewise, Carrot Sambol from Srilanka is a close cousin of the Indian Kosambari . 

In Srilanka, carrot sambol is served as a part of breakfast with Sevai /String hoppers and some stew . Many a times, lunch also has this healthy sambol as part of the menu .  

Carrot Sambol is very easy to make and can be prepared in a jiffy . Except for pepper powder and chopped green chillies ,there is no other spice element . The overall salad is crunchy and mildly spiced garnished with fresh coconut and mixed with tomatoes and onions.  While I was reading up about Srilankan cuisine, I found out another variant of Carrot Sambol ,prepared in the Jaffna region of Lanka. In that version, some amount of yogurt is added to the salad which resembles the Carrot Raita from Indian Cuisine.

Carrots are a powerhouse of nutrients and there will seldom be anyone who would hate carrots . From the childhood we have been told that , carrots are a good source of vit A and regular consumption of carrots help in preventing the deficiency of vit A . The orange color of carrot is got from Beta Carotene which is metabolised into Vit A . It addition to vitamin A , carrot is also a rich source of vit K and Vit B complex which are very much essential for our overall growth and health.

Carrots are widely used across cuisine all over the globe . Indian and Asian cuisine also make use of carrots widely in many recipes like stir fries, salads, fried rice , desserts , soups etc .  

Come winters;Gajar Halwa & Carrot Kheer are the most popular never to miss seasonal desserts that every household will dish out and serve . The warm serving of Halwa or kheer is perfect for the chill winter days.

Thai Style Carrot Salad is another lipsmacking and refreshing salad option I have bookmarked from Priya's blog "the world through my eyes" .

Preparation Time : 10 mins
Cooking Time : Nil
Complexity - easy
Serves : 2 to 3

Ingredients

3 - 4 orange carrots
2 green chillies
2 tsp pepper powder
3 to 4 tbsp fresh coconut
salt to taste
2 medium sized tomatoes 
1 small onion 
1/2 fresh lemon

**Can be made as a saatvik / No onion No garlic version by skipping the Onions.

Method

• Peel the carrots and grate them using a grater or food processor.
• De seed the tomatoes and chop them into small cubes
• Chop the onions.
• Mix the carrots,onion and tomato in a wide mixing bowl along with coconut,pepper powder and green chillies .
• Add the lemon juice and salt just before serving. Toss it lightly and serve immediately.

Tip : Never add the salt and lime juice before hand in any salad, as it will tend to release the juices and the salad will turn soggy and lose the crunch.

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Kaakdi Koshimbir | Indian style cucumber salad

 I am so happy to be sharing this recipe on my blog today . Kaakdi koshimbir is a typical Maharashtrian style cucumber salad with a garnish of fresh coconut and roasted peanuts .

This Desi style salad has some rustic flavors from the tempering of cumin/jeera and asafoetida which is mixed into the salad . It hardly takes 10 mins to put this salad together and it can be served alongside a regular meal or as an accompaniment for barbecues or meal starters.

This salad is very refreshing and hydrating especially during summers . The cucumbers provide the necessary hydration to our body to keep us cool .

Thanks to Poonam who is the hostess for the 289th week Foodie Monday Bloghop (FMBH) and she suggested we share some healthy salads which will be perfect for the ongoing summer . In my part of the world ,the mercury is already soaring and we are experiencing severe heat and we are looking for various ways to beat the heat and keep us cool .  Poonam's vermicelli salad is very unique and healthy and definitely on my to do list soon .

 I try to incorporate cucumbers in many ways during summer and even other wise as it is a vegetable that is loaded with health and goodness . 

Cucumbers are natural detoxifiers and antioxidant that help remove toxins from our body . Cucumber is also rich in many other minerals and nutrients which help in digestion, maintaining of skin,manages stress  etc.

Some cucumber based recipes on my blog which you may want to try 

Vellarikaai Kootu / South indian style cucumber curry 
Pahadi Raita 
Southekaayi Kosambri 
Cucumber Pancakes 

For this kaakdi koshimbir  ,I have used English cucumbers which are almost seedless and we can use them as it is without deseeding . Incase you use the native Indian variety of cucumbers, then ensure to deseed before using it in the salad .

Preparation Time - 10 mins

Cooking Time - nil 

Complexity - easy 

Serves - 3 to 4

Ingredients 

2 to 3 cucumbers 
Handful of roasted peanuts (skip if allergic) 
2- 3 tbsp fresh coconut grated 
Pinch of salt 
Pinch of sugar 
2 green chillies slit 
1 tsp cumin seeds 
1/2 tsp oil 
Pinch of asafoetida 
Few curry leaves 

Method 

• Peel the skin of the cucumbers and chop of the top and bottom ends .
• Cut into small cubes and add to a large mixing bowl along with grated coconut and roasted peanuts. 
• Prepare a tempering of cumin/jeera by heating the oil and fry the slit chillies and curry leaves in the same oil .Lastly add the asafoetida and pour it over the chopped  cucumber .
• Add freshly chopped corriander ,salt and sugar and lightly toss it and mix well and serve immediately. Do not let it rest for a long time as the cucumbers, salt and sugar will release water and the salad will become soggy and loose the crunch .

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Peanut Masala | Warm Peanut Salad - Vegan Salad

Sometime back , I got totally fresh peanuts/groundnuts from my vegetable vendor and it was too tempting to not buy them.  I quickly bought around 1/2kg of it and relived my childhood days by cooking them with some salt and then enjoyed eating them by removing the shell and popping out the peanuts from them .

Some of the boiled peanuts is reserved to make something as the weather in my city is playing a little hide and seek with us . The days are warm while as the evening sets in, it begins to get chill as the cool breeze blows . Such is the time when we start craving for something spicy and sizzling to go along with the evening tea.

 With the fresh groundnuts that I had bought, I made some delicious warm peanut salad or peanut masala as it is called colloquially  . This salad is very filling and healthy too . They can be served as one of the starters or appetisers during any parties .

If you donot have the fresh groundnuts,you can always  soak and boil the store bought raw groundnuts and use them.

Fun facts 

In Bangalore ,it is an annual ritual to have a huge farmer's market called "Kadlekaai Parishe" during the months of November/ December.  It is a 2 day event held in an area called Basavanagudi .Here, one can find cart loads of fresh groundnuts directly from the fields and also some interesting and innovative delicacies made using groundnuts and various other snacks and traditional stuff. 

Preparation Time- 5 mins

Cooking time - nil

Complexity - Simple

Serves - 3 to 4 

Ingredients 

250gms boiled peanuts/groundnuts

1 medium sized cucumber 

2 medium sized tomatoes 

Juice from 1 lemon

Pinch of salt 

Chat masala as needed 

1 finely chopped green chilli

Fresh corriander finely chopped 

Method

• Peel the cucumber and cut them into small cubes 
• De seed the tomatoes and cut into small cubes
• In a large salad bowl , add the boiled peanuts, green chillies cucumber, tomatoes, salt and chat masala and toss it well.
• Lastly garnish with fresh corriander and lemon juice.  
• You may also add some finely chopped onions or boiled corn to the salad .

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Sweet Corn Salad - Vegan

Salads are very healthy and refreshing and occupy a very important place as a part of any meal . Generally salads are made using fresh vegetables or fruits and served at room temperature.  There are some varieties of salads that are served warm or cold .

Summers are the time when we love to indulge in fresh fruit juices and fresh salads as it is easy to digest and takes care of the hydration of the body and easy to prepare without much hassles .

This month being peak summer in most parts of the world, Kalyani chose the theme as Summer Salads for our facebook food group shhhhh cooking secretly challenge. Check out this fresh watermelon feta salad on Kalyani's blog . It just looks so refreshing and delicious for this scorching summer. 

 This time I was paired with Aruna of Vasusvegkitchen to whom I gave coriander and peanuts with which she has whipped up a healthy salad with yogurt dressing .Try her Veggie and dry fruit salad without fail.  She gave me the secret ingredients pepper powder and lemon juice. We  both had to whip a salad with the ingredients  we gave one another and as usual our fellow bloggers had to guess what could be the secret ingredient in this salad ... isn't it fun to always play the guessing game ? We love that and this time Poonam guessed my secret ingredients in a jiffy .check out her recioe for flavorful Mango Chick pea salad . It looks so yummy and colorful .

Preparation Time - 10 mins

Cooking Time - 5 mins

Serves - 3 to 4 

Complexity  - simple 

Ingredients 

2 cups frozen or fresh sweet corn

1 medium sized cucumber

2 medium sized tomatoes

Juice from 1/2 lemon

1 tsp pepper powder 

1/2 tsp chat masala

Salt as needed 

Fresh corriander for garnish 

Method

• Boil the sweet corn for about 5 mins and then drain the water and set aside. 
• Peel the cucumber and dice into small cubes 
• Deseed the tomatoes and chop them into small cubes.
• In a wide mixing bowl, add the cucumber, tomato and corn with salt, chat masala , pepper powder , lime juice and toss it gently .lastly garnish with fresh corriander and serve immediately. 

Note

Add salt and lime juice just before serving else the salad will tend to get soggy. 

Carrot Kosambri / Carrot Koshimbhir - Vegan Salad

Kosambri (Kannada) ,Koshimbir(Marathi),Kosumalli (Tamil) is an Indian Salad made out of  fresh carrots or cucumber .Some times a handful of soaked Moong Dhall/ Yellow Lentils is added for extra flavor and taste. 

I generally donot like to add moong dhall to my kosambri . I prefer to taste the carrots and relish the mild dressing of fresh coconut scraping and the seasoning of mustard , lentils and green chillies along with asafoetida .

Its a common practice in Karnataka and Tamil Nadu to have this as a part of menu for special occasions like weddings,festivals,poojas at temples or a special function at home. Ugadi /Gudi Padwa meal is incomplete without a kosambri .

If carrots are not in season then Vellarikaai Kosmalli / Southekaai Kosambri is served.

Carrot Sambol is the Srilankan version of Carrot Kosambri with some mild variation.

Preparation Time : 15 mins
Cooking Time : Nil
Serves : 3-4

Ingredients

250 gms carrot - grated
2 tbsp fresh grated coconut
Kothmir/ Hara Dhaniya /Cilantro / Corriander leaves 
few nos. Curry leaves / kadipatha/karivepilai
Salt
pinch of sugar
Tempering
1 tsp Mustard seeds
1 tsp Udad dhall
1 tsp Channa Dhall
2-3 dry red chillies
pinch of asafoetida

Method

• Squeeze out the water from the grated carrot and put it in a huge serving bowl.
• Prepare the seasoning using mustard seeds,udad dhall,chana dhall.Once all of these splutter,add the red chillies ,curry leaves and asafoetida.
• Pour it on the carrots.
• Add the grated coconut,salt,sugar and toss well. 
• Finally garnish with fresh corriander and serve.

Note:

• Salt tends to leave water and make the salad soggy,so add the salt just before serving.
• If you would like to add moong dhall,soak it for about 15-20 mins in warm water and then add it to the carrots and toss well.
• For those who love the flavor of lime,you can squeeze about a teaspoon of fresh lemon juice and toss well. Do this just before serving to avoid the salad from turning soggy.
• Carrot can be substituted with cucumber or you can take half proportion of each i.e carrot and cucumber and make this salad.

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Southekaai (Vellarikaai) Kosambri / Indian Style Cucumber Salad

Southekaai (Kannada) / Vellarikaai (Tamil) / Khira (Hindi) / Dosekaya (Telugu) / Cucumber is a sought after vegetable used in most Salads or curries which have a lot of vitamins and health benefits.
Fresh green cucumbers may be had as it is without any additions.The yellow cucumber variety also popularly known as Indian Cucumber is widely used in South India in stews,curries and gravies.

As a child ,cucumber has always been a summer special vegetable where in we would have the cool cucumber slices with a little salt and paprika sprinkled over  to beat the afternoon scorching sun.Now that it is summer now,you can include this simple salad in your daily meal.Quick to make and provides the necessary nutrients required .
This salad is a part of any South Indian festive meal especially during Rama Navami,a handful of soaked moong dhall is added to this salad and is offered to Lord Sri Rama as Neivedhiyam / Prasadam. This salad is also called as Vadai Paruppu in most Tamil house holds.


Preparation Time : 10 mins
Cooking Time : Nil
Serves : 3-4

Ingredients

2-3 medium sized green cucumber
2 tbsp grated coconut 
1 tsp pepper powder  

Finely  chopped corriander
salt 
For Tempering
1 tsp mustard seeds
1/2 tsp udad dhall
1/2 tsp channa dhall
pinch of asafoetida 

Method

• Peel and wash the cucumber. Ensure that,you trim of the ends using knife and rub the ends to bring out the sticky, off-white, fluid like oozing substance. It helps to lessen bitter taste from the cucumber.
• Cut them into fine small cubes and put it in a mixing bowl.
• Prepare the tempering using the ingredients listed under Tempering .
• Add the grated coconut,tempering,pepper powder to the mixing bowl and toss well.
• Add salt just before serving and not well in advance else the salad will become soggy and the crispness of the cucumber will be lost.
• Garnish with fresh corriander. 
• Salad can be served chilled or in room temperature.

Notes :

• For those who love tangy flavor,a teaspoon of lime juice or small bits of raw mango can be added for that extra taste.

Mix Veg Raita / Yogurt Dip

Raita and an Indian meal are inseparable .

Without a pickle and raita we donot call our meal complete.

South Indians call it pachadi while North Indians call it Raita.

Raita/pachadi is a yogurt based preparation where we add vegetables with some seasoning like pepper,salt ,cumin powder or grated coconut paste if we are making pachadi.

Not to brag ,but my friends love the mix veg raita I make . Every potluck in the US ,I was assigned the duty of making a huge box of mix veg raita along with some other recipe. 

I normally use onions, tomatoes and cucumber for my mix veg raita. The trick to get a perfect raita is we need to deseed the tomatoes and cucumbers completely before chopping. 

The seeds along with the pulp release excess water and make the vegetables limp and the raita feels diluted .

The yogurt has to be freshly set,  not sour and made from atleast 2% fat milk . That way the raita gets a naturally creamy texture and remains thick until served .

I donot add cream or Greek yogurt to my raita. 

Be it pachadi or raita, I follow this part strictly. 

Few points to keep in mind while making raita 

• Use chilled yogurt 
• Beat the curd well to make it lump free
• Chop the onions just before adding.
• Cucumber and tomatoes can be chopped and refrigerated.  This way it retains the crispness and gives a nice crunch. 

Preparation Time : 10 mins
Cooking Time : Nil
Serves : 3-4

Ingredients

2 cups fresh curd / yogurt 
1 cucumber finely chopped (de seed and chop)
1 onion finely chopped
1 tomato chopped (de seed and chop)
1 tsp cumin powder

1/4 tsp black salt /kala namak
salt as needed
pinch of sugar
Finely chopped corriander /cilantro

1 green chilli finely chopped 

Method

• Beat/whisk the curd well. Use only freshly set curd .
• Add all the chopped vegetables,green chilli,salt,sugar,cumin ,black salt and mix well.
• Garnish with corriander and  serve.
• Keep covered and refrigerated until serving.

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