Carrot Kosambari is a super simple, fresh Indian carrot moong dal salad made with grated carrots, soaked moong dal and a simple tempering. It’s such a delicious accompaniment with any Indian curry and one of those easy South Indian recipes that instantly makes a meal feel complete.
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This South Indian Grated Carrot Salad Goes With Everything
Growing up, my mum always made this delicious moong dal carrot kosambari to serve with vegetable molagootal. It was such a refreshing combination alongside freshly made sona masoori rice and the other sides on the table.
What I really love about this carrot kosambari recipe is how simple and easy it is to make. You only need about 10 minutes of hands-on time. There is literally a 2-minute prep involved in soaking the moong dal. After that, it’s simply a matter of combining everything for a healthy, easy-to-make and naturally gluten-free salad.
What Is Kosambari?
Kosambari is a simple and fresh South Indian salad from Karnataka traditionally made with soaked lentils, fresh vegetables and a light tempering. It is also known as Hesaru Bele Kosambari in Kannada, while in some parts of Tamil Nadu, it is called Kosumalli. Just don’t confuse it with Maharashtrian Koshimbir.
Now I can completely connect the dots because my mum grew up in Bangalore, Karnataka, and this clearly comes from one of her childhood favourites.
Sandhya’s Top Tips
- Soak the moong dal in hot water for at least 2 hours or longer. They double, or even more, in size and become much softer. I know you will see a lot of recipes suggesting 1 hour, but I can tell you from experience — longer is better as it helps the dal digest more easily. You can even soak it overnight, drain the excess water and then add it straight to the salad.
- Grate the carrots just before making the salad for the freshest flavour and texture.
- Adjust the green chilli to your liking. Add more or less depending on how spicy you enjoy it.
- If you have access to fresh coconut or frozen grated coconut (after defrosting), you can absolutely add it too. I didn’t add any this time, but it tastes delicious.
- Don’t skip the tempering. The classic South Indian flavours in this carrot salad come from it!
Ingredients
(Detailed measurements and ingredients can be found in the recipe card below.)
- Carrots: Peel the carrots and grate them using the coarse side of the grater.A little more or less is perfectly okay.
- Moong Dal: Also known as green gram or hesaru bele in Kannada and pasi parup in Tamil
- Fresh coriander leaves: roughly chopped.
- Seasoning: Oil, mustard seeds, asafoetida (peringayam) and chopped green chilli.
- Salt: Add to taste.
- Fresh Lemon Juice: This adds the perfect zing and tang, and balances the flavours beautifully in this simple lentil salad.
Variations
- This easy carrot kosambari recipe is very adaptable and you can add a few simple ingredients depending on what you have at home - Grated cucumber, Fresh coconut or/ and Raw mango.
- Curry Leaves: You can add curry leaves to the tempering for even more South Indian flavour.
- Beetroot: I also make a delicious beetroot kosambiri variation. Instead of grating the beetroot, I sometimes spiralise it for a fun change.
How To Make Carrot Kosambari Recipe?
Step 1: Place the moong dal in a cup and add enough hot water to cover it. Allow it to soak for at least 2 hours. Drain it in a colander or strainer. When you break a moong dal with your nail and it snaps easily, you know it’s ready to use.
Step 2: Peel and grate the carrot on the coarse side of the grater.
Step 3: In a wide bowl, add the grated carrots, drained, soaked moong dal, lemon juice and salt.
Step 4: Make a simple South Indian tempering with oil, mustard seeds, green chilli and asafoetida.
Step 5: Add the tempering and coriander leaves to the bowl.
Step 6: Toss everything together until well combined. Serve immediately.
Serving Suggestions
Serve this fresh carrot kosambari as a side dish with your favourite Indian curry or lentil dhal and hot steamed white basmati rice.
Honestly, it’s so good that I sometimes enjoy a bowl of this all by itself as a healthy and delicious snack just like air fryer crispy chickpeas.
Storing
This salad tastes best when freshly made and served. If you have any leftovers, store them in the fridge and enjoy them within 24 hours.
Recipe FAQ's
I wouldn’t recommend freezing it at all. This fresh carrot salad tastes best when freshly made and served.
Traditionally, moong dal is used. However, you can always experiment slightly with variations like whole moong beans too.
They are similar in style as both are fresh Indian salads, but they are different dishes from different regions with their own unique ingredients and flavours. Kosambiri is a traditional South Indian salad from Karnataka, whereas Koshimbir is a Maharashtrian salad popular in Western India.
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Ingredients
- 3 medium carrots about 350–400g, grated
- 4 tablespoon moong dal
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice juice of ½ lemon approx
- Salt to taste I use about ¾ tsp
- ¼ cup fresh coriander leaves chopped
For the tempering
- 1 teaspoon oil I use sunflower oil
- ½ teaspoon mustard seeds
- 2 green chillies chopped (optional)
- A pinch of asafoetida
Instructions
- Soak the moong dal in hot water for at least 2 hours. Drain completely before using.
- In a large mixing bowl, add the grated carrots, soaked moong dal, lemon juice, salt and coriander leaves.
- Heat oil in a small pan. Add the mustard seeds and let them splutter.
- Add the asafoetida and green chillies. Turn off the heat immediately.
- Pour the tempering over the salad and mix well using a spoon or fork.
Video
Notes
- You can also add chopped cucumber, grated coconut or chopped raw mango.
- Adjust the quantity of moong dal, lemon juice and salt to your liking.
- Best served fresh.
Krishna Patel says
Omg really so easy! Tried it today after seeing your reel on Instagram
Sandhya Hariharan says
That's amazing Krishna! yes this carrot kosambari is one of the easiest Indian carrot salad you will make.