Beetroot salad - Get ready to be dazzled by this cool, crunchy and bright salad

I like salads because of their philosophy which is a very live and let live concept, do you agree? In a good bowl of salad every ingredient holds its unique taste and texture while blending together to present a dish that appeals to all. It is a 101 about team work, no one gets lost in the team, every person has a worthy contribution to make while presenting a unified end result. I think we human beings can take a lesson or two from the humble salad. Ok, I am shutting down my soap box :-). Personally I love raw salads, there is something about their cool, crispy texture and the unmistakable citrusy flavor that appeals to me. I can eat a bowl of salad for lunch and feel full and happy.

A few years ago, I was interviewing at an IT company in Bengaluru that had its huge campus on airport road. It was quite a distance from home. I was told I would most likely have to meet multiple people as part of the process and was asked to come prepared to spend the day at the campus. I was going for an interview and carrying my lunch pail from home would look weird, right? :-). So I left home after breakfast and spent an hour and half in commute. I met with 2 people before lunch time and the big boss wanted me to meet another person who was not available until post lunch. So he took me for lunch in their cafeteria. It was a regular office lunch with rotis, some curry, rice, dal etc. What caught my eye was a bright red salad. I know, I know, I was interviewing for a job while being the foodie I am :-). While I love beetroots in palya, I had not eaten them raw until then. I took a spoonful gingerly as I didn't want to make a face infront of a prospective boss if I didn't like it :-). A crunchy peanut, an earthy beetroot, a small hot green chili brought together by fresh lemon, yumm. I believe I took second helpings of the salad and I have made it at home many times since then. For anyone interested, I was offered the job (not in the cafeteria though) but I made my choice elsewhere, not relevant discussion for this post at all :-)

Salads belong to the same genre as kosambari and are almost always healthy and nutritious. Though I have added toasted peanuts here, you can replace it with sprouts, boiled chana and other ingredients of choice.

It is already hot Summer in many parts of India. Every time I call home, I hear that heat is already unbearable in April and Monsoon is still ways to go. Bengaluru was known for its cool temperatures. BH recalls fondly his memories of Bengaluru citizens on their morning walks wrapped in shawls, sweaters and monkey caps as he went to school. Mysore is usually a few degrees higher than Bengaluru but still the weather was perfect. I think what made Bengaluru's all season weather were the greenery and trees. It is no longer the case, the city has grown on all sides, is bursting at the seams, greenery is gone, pollution and traffic rampant :-(. Effects of Global warming... Here is a bowl of cool salad to keep you company in the hot Summer as you can avoid going near the hot stove completely.

What do you need to make beetroot salad? 
2 medium sized beetroots
1 Tsp finely chopped onions
2 green chilies (adjust to taste)
1/2 Tsp salt
1 Tblsp lemon/lime juice
2 Tblsp chopped cilantro
2 Tblsp roasted peanuts - crushed coarsely

How do you make beetroot salad? 

• Wash, trim the ends, peel and grate the beets. 
• Wash, trim and chop the green chilies finely. 
• Crush the peanuts roughly in a mortar & pestle. 
• Put all the ingredients together in a bowl, mix well, taste and adjust if needed. 
• Cover and refrigerate for about 30 minutes minimum for the flavors to mingle. 

Notes: 

• Use slightly bigger holes on the grater while you grate beets as you want it to retain texture and not become mushy. 
• I used store bought salted, dry roasted peanuts. You can toast the peanuts in the microwave or stove top. De-skin them before using for this recipe. 
• I sometimes use oven roasted chana or sprouts in place of peanuts. 
• You can add grated carrots to give a slight sweetness, don't let them over power beets though. 
• Roast and powder a Tsp of cumin seeds and add it to the salad for another flavor burst. 
• The quantities given are how I like it, go ahead and adjust to suit your palate. 

Kosambari, easy breezy salad - light on the stomach, good for the spirit

It has been a while since I wrote here, I really wanted to say 'Thank you' to all you wonderful people that stopped by and made things easier for me with your thoughts and prayers. You may not realize it but your act of kindness has meant a lot to me. I am overwhelmed and grateful by the love I have received from so many people, most of whom I have never even had a chance to meet in real life. Life is very pleasantly strange. So again, a big Thank you to all of you, your thoughts are very appreciated.

Past few weeks have been rough and although the ride is definitely not over yet, I feel like we are doing the best under the circumstances. Nammamma seems have reached a balance of comfort and happiness which is a blessing. I realize that the act of cooking, eating, feeding & writing makes me a happy person and I don't want to let go of something that easily is one of the things I enjoy, as does my other favorite activity of reading. Here is something (Mankutimmana Kagga by D.V.G) from one of my favorite Kannada poets that I have been rereading for a while now..with an extremely light translation attempted by me.

Baalkeyali noorentu todaku tinukugaluntu
kelke maankegaligavu jaggavondinisu
golkaredarenu phala? guddaalenu phala?
palkiridu taalikolo Mankutimma
(You encounter many hurdles & difficulties in life, these will not go away at your asking, there is no use crying over it and no use fighting it. Just grin & bear with patience what life dishes out to you)

We (most of USA) did a Spring forward today with clocks getting reset to adjust the hour we gained earlier in the Fall. While it is not good to lose an hour of sleep, Spring holds its promises to look forward to. My rhododendrons are perking up and I can see buds becoming fuller by day in the Camellia bush underneath the window. I will get ready to transport the Jasmine and other flowering pots outdoors in a couple of weeks. So I am ok with the lost hour :-).

Today also happens to be Maha Shivaratri, a celebration to remember and practice self control and apply a little bit of oneself to something bigger than oneself. Unlike many other Hindu festivals, Maha Shivaratri is not about food, it is a day of living simply and self reflection. In the spirit of the day, I made this very simple salad called Kosambari or Kosambri in Kannada. This is one of the very popular versions of the kosambari Nammamma made on most festivals. As the weather gets warmer, this salad makes a wonderful lunch, protein rich with the lentils, citrusy with the lemon juice, taste enhanced with coconut and not at all heavy on the stomach.

What do you need to make Sautekayi(cucumber) Kosambari?
1 medium sized tender cucumber - about 2 cups finely chopped
1/2 cup moong dal/hesaru bele/pesara pappu
1/2 cup grated coconut - preferably fresh, but frozen works well, see notes below
1 Tsp salt
1 Tblsp lemon juice
1 Tblsp chopped cilantro
Seasoning: 
1 Tsp oil
1/2 Tsp mustard
1-2 green chilies - chopped small
1/8 Tsp asafoetida

How do you make Sautekayi Kosambari?

• Soak moong dal for 45 minutes - 1 hour or until it plumps up. 
• Rinse and wash the soaked moongdal, drain the water and keep aside.
• Wash, peel and chop cucumber in to small pieces, you can use the entire cucumber if it is tender, else remove the seeds and use only the flesh part. 
• Mix soaked moong dal, chopped cucumber, chopped cilantro, salt, lemon juice and grated coconut together. 
• Heat oil in a pan, add mustard and chopped chilies and let mustard sizzle. Add asafoetida when the mustard starts to pop, switch off the stove and pour it on top of the dal and cucumber mixture. 
• Mix well and enjoy as a salad or a light lunch. 

Notes: 

• If using frozen coconut, keep the coconut outside to thaw and let it come to room temperature. alternatively, you can put the frozen coconut in a bowl and keep it in a wider bowl with hot water. Take care not to have water flowing into the coconut bowl. 
• Kosambari is typically a spicy, tangy mixture. Go ahead and adjust the lemon juice, green chilies to suit your palate. 
• Asafoetida gives a wonderful flavor to the kosambari, do not skimp on it. 
• There is no hard rule about the proportions used in this recipe, we love it with loads of cucumber and the amount of moong dal used is less. Feel free to change it any way to suit your taste. 

Variations: 

• As I said this is our favorite version of kosambari, Nammamma makes it with grated carrots instead of cucumber or soaked chana dal instead of moong dal. I mix & match depending on the menu for the day.