4 May, 2017
HESARUBELE + KADLEBELE KOSAMBARI
The south Indian style Hesarubele, Kadlebele Kosambari which means moongdal, chanadal kachumbar/Yellow lentil, bengal gram salad… is a delicious, simple to make, yummy protein packed salad. It is part of every festive meal or wedding feast or all/any kind of feast platter for that matter. It is also Rama navami, Krishnastami festival special as well. It is compulsorily offered as naivedya to lord Rama & Krishna. It is quick and easy to make though its a festival/function special dish. Kosambari is made using soaked yellow lentil and bengal gram separately during festivals and function. But when we prepare this at home to eat as such, both the lentils can be mixed.
It is a light yet filling salad that can be eaten as a meal by itself with a glass of curry leaves buttermilk or beetroot buttermilk or Pomegranate lassi or watermelon lassi or sago buttermilk or Lemon juice/Panaka. Kosambari is basically a mixture of soaked yellow lentil or/and bengal gram, grated fresh coconut, finely chopped cucumber, coriander leaves, salt, lemon juice or grated raw mango and tempering. Soaking of lentils makes them easily digestible and more nutritious.This can be served as after school/evening snack for kids or any age group people for that matter. If not using it for naivedya (to offer to God), grated carrot can also be added, and it enhances the taste and also obviously gives more health benefits.
Below is the recipe of how to make amazingly tasty nutritious vegan food, which we south Indians look forward to consume at any time…any day. There is no particular measurements of ingredients, everything can be gathered according to the requirement, preference and taste, some like more tangy or more spicy or less tangy or less spicy, more vegetables and less lentil or more lentil and less vegetable !!
Ingredients :
- Yellow lentil – 1/2 cup
- Bengal gram – 1/2 cup
- Cucumber – 1 to 2 cups peeled and finely chopped
- Grated fresh coconut – 1 cup
- Coriander leaves – 1/4 cup
- Lemon juice/grated raw mango – as per taste (I make it little more tangy)
- Sugar/Jaggery – 1/4 tsp (enhances the taste)
- Salt – as per taste
For tempering :
- Oil/Ghee – 1/2 tsp
- Mustard seeds – 1/4 tsp
- Green chilli – 1 tbsp (adjust)
- Curry leaves – 1 tbsp
- Hing – 1/4 tsp
PROCEDURE :
- Soak both the lentils at least for 1&1/2 to 2 hours (water should be at room temperature or little warm, but not chilled water)
- Once fully soaked, drain all the water completely and place it in a large bowl
- Add in cucumber, coriander leaves, coconut, sugar, salt and lemon juice /mango, mix and set it aside
- Prepare tempering using all the ingredients under the heading ” for tempering”
- Pour the tempering over the lentil mixture, combine everything well
- Serve immediately as a salad or as a meal by itself
- Or else add salt, sugar and lemon/mango at the time of serving
Following the same method, but skipping the addition lentils, we cam make salad/Kosambari using only Cucumber. So posting below the pic of the same
Yet another type of salad consisting of Cucumber, pomegranate seeds and corn kernels
