Tag Archives: Carrots

Recipes: Kosamali Salad

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Also known as Koshambari, Kosamalli is a no-cook protein-rich salad that is made as a neividhyam for Rama Navami and also served in certain Tamil Brahmin weddings. It’s a super easy recipe to make, but one which I have never made. So in April, during the Tamil New Year, since I had my mother with me, I learned how to make it from her. And since it has been super hot in Singapore (no surprise there, right?), I also added in some raw mangoes which added a nice tinge of sourness to the salad.

Kosamali Salad

Ingredients:

  • ½ cup grated carrots
  • ½ cup grated cucumber
  • ¼ cup grated raw mango
  • ¼ cup yellow moong dal
  • 6-7 tbsp fresh grated coconut
  • 1 tsp oil or ghee
  • ½ tsp mustard seeds
  • 1/8 tsp asafoetida
  • 2 dried red chillies, broken
  • 4-6 curry leaves
  • 1 tbsp chopped coriander leaves
  • Salt as required
  • 1 tsp lemon juice

Method:

  • Soak the yellow moong dal in a pan in hot water for about 30 mins, then drain completely and keep aside. You can also soak it in normal tap water for about 2 hours and then drain and keep aside. Just make sure when you drain it, all the water is completely drained.
  • In a large bowl, add the drained moong dal, grated carrots, grated mangoes and grated cucumbers and lemon juice and mix well.
  • In a small skillet, add the oil or ghee and when the oil or ghee warms up, add in the mustard seeds and let them pop. Then add the curry leaves and let them splutter for a bit.
  • Then add the dried red chillies, and asafoetida and let it cook for a couple of seconds.
  • Switch off the flame and add the tempering to the mixed dal and vegetables.
  • Now add in the grated coconut and the finely chopped coriander leaves to the salad and cover and keep aside for at least 10 minutes.
  • If you are eating the salad immediately, then add in the salt and mix well and serve.
  • If this salad is meant to be eaten later, or you plan to chill it for a while, add the salt just before serving otherwise the cucumber will start to ooze water.

This was a super delicious salad and will make a good addition to our salad repertoire.

Recipes: Carrot & Radish Salad

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I have been eating a lot of salads these days and try to make different salads so that we don’t get bored of eating the same thing every day.

I tend to use radishes a lot. Radishes are packed with nutrients, vitamins and antioxidants and are a great addition to your daily salads.

Radish contains phytochemicals that have anti-carcinogenic properties. Additionally, they have vitamin C which helps keep your body and cells healthy. They also have anti-hypertensive properties that help control hypertension or high blood pressure because of the potassium in it. Radishes are low on the glycemic index and high in fibre so it a great vegetable to incorporate for diabetics. Radishes are powerful when it comes to eliminating toxins. This helps keep your liver and stomach in mint condition.

Traditional thinking does say that people with diabetes should not eat carrots, but that is not really correct. Currently carrots have a GI of 41, which is not too bad and is at a moderate level. Carrots are full of vitamin A, vitamin C, vitamin K, and potassium.

This is a very easy salad to make, and takes just 10 mins to prep. Just remember to dress the salad just before eating as it becomes very soggy when the radish releases its waters when it comes in contact with salt.

Carrot and Radish Salad

Ingredients:

  • 2 medium sized carrots
  • 1 medium sized radish
  • 6 cashew nuts
  • 6 almonds
  • 4 walnuts
  • 1 tbsp white sesame seeds
  • 2 tbsp lemon juice
  • 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 tsp honey
  • Handful of coriander leaves
  • Salt and Pepper to taste

Method:

  • Grate the carrots and radish and mix it together in a bowl.
  • Finely chop the coriander leaves and add this to the grated carrots and radish and mix it together.
  • Cover and refrigerate until its time to serve.
  • Chop the nuts into very small pieces and dry roast them in a dry pan until they are crisp and slightly brown.
  • In the same pan, add the sesame seeds when the nuts are almost crisp and stir until the sesame starts to pop. Let it cool and keep aside.
  • When you want to serve, prepare the dressing by mixing together the lemon juice, olive oil, honey, salt and pepper into a smooth emulsion.
  • Drizzle the dressing on the salad and sprinkle the crisp nuts and sesame seeds and serve immediately.

Recipes: Tomato Carrot Capsicum Soup

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Last weekend, S wanted a light lunch as I was planning to make pizza for dinner. When I probed further, S said he wanted a carrot and tomato soup. So I went online and searched a few sites and then came up with this version. It is a keeper and a winner! It kept well and we finished it the next day.

Tomato Carrot Capsicum Soup

Ingredients:

  • 6 medium-sized tomatoes
  • 2 large carrots, chopped
  • 1 large red capsicum, chopped
  • 1 large onion, chopped
  • 5-6 cloves of garlic, chopped
  • 1-inch piece of  ginger, chopped
  • 2 dried red chillies (optional)
  • 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 tsp pepper
  • 1 tsp cumin seeds
  • 1 tsp fennel seeds
  • Salt to taste

Method:

  • In a large pan or pressure cooker, heat the oil and when it heats, add the cumin seeds and fennel seeds and let it splutter.
  • When the seeds splutter, add the onions, ginger and garlic and let them brown.
  • When the onions brown, add the carrots and stir for a couple of minutes.
  • Make a small cross at the top of the tomato (where the stalk is) and put the whole tomatoes into the cooker or pan.
  • If using a pressure cooker, cover and cook for 3 whistles. If using a pan, cover and cook until the vegetables are completely cooked.
  • When cool, remove the tomatoes carefully and peel the skin and return it back to the pan.
  • Using a handheld blender, blend the cooked vegetables to a smooth paste. If you don’t have a handheld blender, then transfer to a normal blender, blend it and return it back to the pan.
  • Heat the pan again and thin it with water as needed. Season with salt and pepper according to taste.
  • Serve hot with bread croutons.

Recipes: Carrot Rice

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When you are tired of making the same old food every day and you wish to try something new, this recipe is something you can make. This is exactly what happened the day I made Carrot Rice. We were bored of the same food day in and day out and so I decided to make this dish my mum used to make when we were in school.

This is a very easy dish to make and makes a great addition to your lunchbox or even to your little one’s school lunchbox. It’s very easy to make and hardly takes anytime in the morning when you are rushing to get everyone out of the house on time!

Carrot Rice

Ingredients:

  • 2 carrots, grated
  • 1 cup rice, cooked and cooled completely
  • 1 green chilli, chopped
  • 1 tsp mustard seeds
  • 1/4 tsp asafoetida
  • a handful of chopped cashew nuts
  • a handful of raisins
  •  1-2 tsp lemon juice
  • Salt to taste
  • coriander leaves to garnish
  • 1 tbsp Ghee or oil

Method:

  • When the rice is cooked, fluff it a bit and then let it cool completely.
  • In a pan, heat the ghee or oil and add the mustard seeds.
  • When the seeds pop, add the asafoetida and the chopped chillies and let them cook for a while till the chilli becomes crisp.
  • Add the chopped cashew nuts and let them brown.
  • Next, add the raisins and let them plump out.
  • Now add the carrots and salt and cook for a couple of minutes. You don’t want the carrot to cook too much, but retain some crispness.
  • Switch off the gas and add the lemon juice according to taste.
  • Stir well and then add the rice and mix well so that the carrots are completely mixed into the rice.
  • Check for seasoning and then garnish with coriander leaves and serve with a raita, yoghurt or even some chips or crisps.

Recipes: Carrot Sweet Potato Soup

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Carrot Sweet Corn Soup 2

Last week faced with an almost bare fridge and a family who didn’t want the usual lunch options, I was confused about making lunch. Then I remembered some organic fusilli that S had bought some time back and decided to make a simple Pasta salad. To go with that, I decided to put together the last bits of carrots and sweet potatoes I had and made a soup. The soup was a resounding success. BB loved it so much that he didn’t want dinner, but just had the soup again (this is notable because he does not like carrots nor sweet potatoes!)

Carrot Sweet Corn Soup 1

Carrot Sweet Potato Soup

Ingredients:

  • 3 carrots, peeled and chopped into bite-sized pieces
  • 3 sweet potatoes, peeled and chopped into bite-sized pieces
  • 2 onions, chopped
  • 5-6 pods of garlic
  • 1-inch piece of ginger, chopped
  • 4-5 fresh red chilli, chopped
  • 2 tsp red chilli powder
  • 1 tsp cumin powder
  • 1 tsp coriander powder
  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • Salt to taste
  • Water or stock as required
  • Ground pepper (optional)

Method:

  • In a large pan, heat the olive oil and when warm, add the garlic and fry till slightly golden brown. Then add the ginger and red chilli and fry for a few minutes.
  • Add the onions and fry for a while, letting it become translucent.
  • Now add the dry spices – salt, red chilli powder, cumin powder and coriander powder and fry for a few minutes.
  • Then add the chopped carrots and sweet potatoes and saute till they are completely cooked. If needed, add water as required.
  • Cool completely and blend to fine paste either using an immersion blender or a conventional blender. Pour back into the pan and bring it to a boil.
  • Serve hot with croutons and some freshly ground pepper.

Carrot Sweet Corn Soup 3