Kelyachi Koshimbir / Banana Salad

This recipe is an easy and quick. A sweet and sour salad made with ripe bananas and yogurt. It adds a unique flavor to the meal and is served as a side to the poli/flatbread. If you are looking for something to round out the menu, this is perfect.

There is no real recipe here, just a bunch of ingredients thrown together. Bananas and yogurt are usually found in the house. And the sweet and sour taste is a welcome change. The first time I made this my daughter said she would pass on it. I insisted she try it, which she did. And she had seconds. Banana and yogurt do not do much to add color but the combination is big on flavor.

You will need (4 servings)
2 ripe bananas
1/2 cup yogurt
1 tsp. sugar
salt to taste

Mash the bananas. You may also slice them if you prefer. Combine with all the other ingredients. Do not make ahead of time. Serve immediately.

Enjoy!

Tomato Koshimbir

This is a dish that showcases tomato. Tomato is a very special ingredient in my book. It was rarely or almost never used in the house when I was growing up. Onions and tomatoes were never stocked in the house. My father has very few dislikes but tomato is one of them. My sister is not fond of them either and I like tomato only when it is mixed with something else. Most Maharashtrian recipes do not call for tomatoes so we never bought them unless my mother made one of her specials just for me. This salad was one of her specials. It has onions, powdered roasted peanuts and cilantro in addition to the tomato. There is a variation of this salad that I will post another day.

As luck would have it my daughter loves tomatoes. She is so fond of them she eats them raw as a snack. She swipes slices when I chop them. From the time she was two I have planted cherry tomatoes in the garden every summer. She helps herself to tomatoes whenever she wants. When she was little she would lovingly offer me some and I would tell her there would not be enough for her if I took some. I did not want to tell her I did not like them and influence her tastes. Now she wonders how anyone can dislike tomatoes.

My husband too is fond of tomatoes so I use them a lot. But some dishes like this one will always be special.

You will need
2 large tomatoes
1/2 onion
a handful cilantro
1/4 cup roasted peanuts
1/2 tsp. sugar
salt to taste
1 tbsp. oil
1/2 tsp cumin seeds
1 green chili pepper or Serrano pepper

Dice the tomatoes, onion and cilantro. Grind the roasted peanuts to coarse powder. In a bowl combine the tomatoes, onions and cilantro with the ground peanuts. Add salt and sugar. Break up the green pepper into small pieces. In a small pan heat the olive and turn off heat. Add the cumin seeds and the pieces of pepper. Let the oil cool completely. Pour the cooled oil over the tomato mixture. Combine and let it sit for 15 minutes before serving.

Enjoy!

This is my entry for week one, day one of BM #50 for the theme One Ingredient three dishes. Check out the Blogging Marathon page for the other Blogging Marathoners doing BM#50.

Tikhat Gajar Pachadi (Savory Carrot Salad)

Pachadi is a salad that can be made with a variety of vegetables. Sometimes one or more vegetables are used. Here is Khamang Kakadi which is a cucumber pachadi. Similarly radish, tomatoes etc. can be used to make pachadi. Unlike a Koshimbir a pachidi does not contain yogurt. Here is an example of beetroot koshimbir.

Pachadi contains raw vegetables that are not mixed in yogurt. Instead salt, paprika/cayenne pepper, sweet and sour flavors are added to it.

You will need
3 carrots
1/4 cup roasted ground peanuts (should be about a 1/5 of the amount of carrots)
1 tsp. sugar
1 tsp. lime juice
1 tsp. paprika
salt to taste

For the tempering
1 tbsp. olive oil
1 tsp. mustard seeds
1 tsp. cumin seeds
1/4 tsp. asafoetida
1 tsp. turmeric powder

Shred the carrots with a grater and mix in the peanuts. Add sugar, lime juice and paprika. Season with salt. Keep aside.

In a small pan heat the olive oil and add the mustard seeds. When they start to crackle remove the pan from the heat. Add the cumin seeds, asafoetida and turmeric. Let it cool completely. Pour it over the shredded carrot.

Mix well and serve with poli and other sides.

Khamang Kakdi (Cucumber Salad)

Koshimbir or salad is a part of the everyday Maharashtrian menu. It is made out of cucumber, beet or carrot to name a few. Khamang kakadi is a Koshimbir without yogurt. Instead it has a hint of lemon juice. As with most koshimbirs ground roasted peanuts added to give it a nutty crunchy flavor.

My mother usually made koshimbir with yogurt. But my aunt always made khamang kakadi. This recipe always takes me back to the days when I was staying with my aunt and uncle.

You will need

1 cucumber

1/4 cup ground roasted peanuts

1/2 cup cilantro, chopped

1/4 tsp. sugar

1 Serrano pepper, deseeded and minced

2 curry leaves

1 tsp. cumin seeds

1/4 tsp. asafoetida

1 tbsp. olive oil

salt to taste

Wash, peel and dice the cucumber. Mix in the peanuts, cilantro, Serrano pepper and sugar. In a small pan heat the olive oil and turn off the heat. Add cumin seeds and curry leaves to the hot oil. When they crackle add the asafoetida and let it cool. When cooled add it to the koshimbir. Season with salt and serve.

Beet Koshimbir (Beetroot salad)

My mother made this recipe often. It is one of my favorite koshimbirs/salads. There are only four ingredients and two of them are salt and sugar. This brings out the taste of the beetroot. If you love beetroot this recipe is for you. It makes a great addition to the everyday meal of poli/Indian flatbread and sides.

Koshimbir is usually a second side in the traditional meal. It is usually made with raw ingredients or ingredients in a form as close to raw as possible. Koshimbir is nutrient rich and allows you to add color and seasonal variety to the meal. It provides a different texture and is easy to prepare.

I posted this recipe several years ago. The pictures were not really good and needed an update. Now, 4 years later I finally got round to it.

You will need
2 medium sized beetroots
1/2 - 3/4 cup yogurt
1 tsp. sugar
salt to taste

Wash the beets and cut off the edges. Slice the beets in half and place in the pressure cooker cut side up. Add just enough water to keep them from drying out. Pressure cook the beets.

Take out the cooked beets from the pressure cooker and peel. The peel should come right off. Shred the cooked beets.

Add the salt and sugar. Add just enough yogurt to bring it all together.

Enjoy!