Kosambari

Kosambari or koshambari is a south Indian salad made from pulses (split legumes) and seasoned with mustard seeds.

Ingredients

● The pulses generally used are split bengal gram and split Green gram, along with grated coconut, coriander, chillies, etc. They are seasoned with curry leaves, mustard seeds and sometimes also asafetida. These salads can be eaten as snacks, but usually are a part of a full course meal.

Preparation

● Broadly, the gram is soaked. For a couple of hours. Then grated coconut, chillies, chopped coriander and/or carrot maybe added. Finely cut cucumber too, can be used in this salad. During mango season unripe mango is grated and added. Seasoning is added just before serving.

Kosambari is a popular food served as naivedyam/prasadam during festivals as also in temples. During Varamahalakshmi and Gowri festivals in South India, women invite each other and exchange kosambari along with turmeric and vermilion (kumkumam) to celebrate divinity in the feminine.

Cucumber jaggery tamarind kosambari

Ingredients & Method:

● Cucumber – 370 grams, (remove the skin and inside seeds and cut into small uniform pieces and keep it in a vessel.

● Tamarind – 37.5 grams( take 3 times of water and mix with tamarind) (remove the seed and skin of tamarind and take only the essence and keep it aside)

● Add the below: Salt – 9.3 grams, jaggery – 37.5 grams, turmeric little, cardamom little.

● Seasoning – Gingelly oil – 18.75 gram, mustard – 4.6 gram, red chilly – 4.6 gram, urud
daal – 4.6 gram, hing – required