Beetroot chi dahyatli koshimbir : Beetroot Yogurt salad

Koshimbir forms an important part of a balanced Maharashtrian meal. These salads, usually eaten during lunch or dinner mostly consist of two versions :

1. Vegetables mixed with yogurt

2. Vegetables topped with phodni (tadka)
Sometimes they are even eaten plain with just an addition of cumin powder and chilli powder.

The vegetables here can either be chopped, grated or diced. These salads are most easy to prepare and are simple too. No sauces, no fancy dressings or no cooking. Maintaining the health factor, at times, peanuts and coconut are added which are popular in Maharashtrian cuisine. 

Dahyatli koshimbir is basically Raita as we popularly call in Hindi, where the vegetables are mixed in yogurt dressing. I have already posted recipe of Kakdichi Koshimbir and Tomato chi koshimbir in the Koshimbir special . My mother makes grated beetroot salad with phodni (spiced oil or tadka), but here i am posting Beetroot salad with yogurt. This salad can also be served without yogurt, or at times by skipping the tadka and simply adding cumin powder, chilli powder, salt and sugar.

Recipe adapted from : "The Essential Marathi cookbook"

Ingredients:

Beetroot - 2 medium

Onion - 1 (optional)

Yogurt - 3/4 cup whisked

Sugar - a pinch

Salt - to taste

Oil - 1 and half tsp (you can also use ghee)

Cumin seeds - 1/2 tsp

Green chillies - 1-2 sliced lengthwise

Corriander leaves - a few to garnish

Recipe:

Boil the beetroot till soft. It takes about 15-20 minutes. After it cools down, peel it and grate it.

Chop the onions finely. Mix them with the grated beetroot.

If the whisked yogurt is too thick, add in 4-6 tbsp of milk or water. Add salt and mix well.

Add this yogurt to the beetroot-onion mixture.

Heat oil in a pan till smoking hot.

Add cumin seeds and let them pop. Add the green chillies. 

Now mix this with the beetroot mixture.

Garnish with corriander leaves.

Happy Cooking :)

Koshimbir special

Maharashtrian cuisine is full of flavours and spices, and a thali (a meal for the day) includes all the nutrients in a balanced way. Since childhood, having koshimbir on the side was always a part of meal. Though served in limited quantity, this was what i loved, especially the kakdichi koshimbir. Kakdi is cucumber and koshimbir is salad. But it's not just about cutting or chopping fresh vegetables, but they are always topped with green chillies, corriander leaves, peanut powder and sometimes with curd and at times with Phodni (Known as tadka). The one made with curd is popularly known as raita. But you can do variations by adjusting the amount of curd and see the magic!! The taste changes dramatically and what you get is different flavours each time.

Salads are always healthy, as they are fresh, raw and light. But at times, they would get boring. So, my mother usually makes tons of varieties, sometimes by adding sprouts, sometimes by mixing two vegetables, sometimes grating them or at times chopping them. And every time the taste is different.

So here i am presenting two different types of koshimbir. Both are made with Phodni (Tadka), but you can skip adding the tadka and add curd instead. Or add tadka and add little amount of curd. Choice is yours.

Kakdichi Koshimbir: (Cucumber salad)

Ingredients:

Cucumbers - 2

Peanut powder - 3 tsp (If you don't have this, you can even add crushed roasted peanuts for a cruncy effect)

Green chillies - 2
Onions - 1 small (optional) 
Oil - 1 tsp
Cumin seeds - 1/2 tsp
Mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp
Asafoetida - a pinch
Salt - to taste
Kadipatta (Curry leaves) - a few (Optional)
Lemon juice - about 1/2 lemon

Recipe:

Wash and slice the cucumbers. Now you can either chop them into small pieces or grate them. Either way tastes great and different i would say. Leave them aside for 15 minutes or so, so that they leave water. 

Squeeze out all the water from the cucumber and take them in a fresh bowl.

Chop the onions and green chillies and add them to the cucumber.

Add the peanut powder. Mix well.

Heat oil in a pan, add mustard seeds. When they crackle, add asafoetida and cumin seeds. After about 10 seconds, add in the curry leaves and take off heat.

Add this to the cucumber mixture. Mix well. Add salt and lemon juice at the time of serving as it would make the salad watery (Cucumber leaves a lot of water).

Healthy koshimbir is ready :)

If you want to add curd, just add a spoonful for a different taste.

Tomato Carrot Salad (Tomato chi koshimbir) :

 

Ingredients:

Tomato - 2 medium

Carrot - 1

Rest all the ingredients are the same :

Oil - 1 tsp

Asafoetida - a pinch

Mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp

Cumin seeds - 1/2 tsp

Curry leaves - a few

Peanut powder - 1-2 tbsp (optional)

Salt - to taste

Recipe:

Wash the carrots and tomatoes.

Chop the tomato. Peel the carrot and grate it. 

Take the tomatoes and carrot together in a bowl.

Now heat oil in a pan. Make Phodni by adding mustard seeds, asafoetida, cumin seeds and curry leaves.

If adding the peanut powder, add now.

Add this to the carrot and tomato. Mix it well. Add salt according to taste.

Isn't this easy?

You can change the taste and flavours by adding lime juice, or sometimes curd, sometimes not adding fodni and adding only curd or at times, just adding salt, pepper and lime juice. 

Whichever way you make it, it tastes great :)

Happy Cooking :)