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Moong Dhal, Kale & Coconut Salad

Bringing a bit of sunshine to your kitchen, this is a great, light lentil dish to serve in the height of summer. Known in India as Kosambari, it’s packed full of flavours and textures very traditional to cuisine from Udupi, a colourful South Indian city. It’s traditionally enjoyed during religious festivals.
Serves
Serves 4
Total Time
15 Minutes Plus soak overnight
Ingredients
200g of yellow split moong dhal, picked and rinsed, then soaked in 1 litre/quart lukewarm water with 1 tsp salt overnight
50g of kale, thinly sliced into strips
2 carrots, peeled and grated
1/2 cucumber, diced into 1cm cubes
2 tbsp of desiccated coconut
30g piece of fresh ginger, peeled and grated
Freshly squeezed juice of 1 lime
2 tbsp of freshly chopped coriander
1/2 tsp of fine sea salt (optional)
For the tadka
3 tbsp of vegetable oil
1 tsp of mustard seeds
Pinch of asafoetida powder
15 fresh curry leaves
Small pinch of crushed dried chilli flakes
Method
Step 1

Drain the soaked moong dhal, discarding the soaking water, and set aside until needed.

Step 2

Bring a large saucepan of cold water to the boil. Add the kale and boil for 2–3 minutes, then drain into a colander and rinse under cold running water. Drain well again and set aside for a moment.

Step 3

In a mixing bowl, combine the soaked and drained moong dhal, the grated carrots, diced cucumber, desiccated/dried shredded coconut, grated ginger, lime juice and chopped coriander/cilantro. Add the drained kale and mix all of the ingredients together until well combined. Set aside while you prepare the tadka.

Step 4

Put the vegetable oil into a small saucepan over a medium heat. Add the mustard seeds and let them sizzle and crackle in the hot oil for 1 minute. Add the asafoetida powder, curry leaves and crushed dried chilli flakes/hot red pepper flakes. Shake the pan well to ensure all the ingredients are coated in oil and then carefully drizzle over the kale salad mixture. Toss well to coat the salad in the seasoned oil and check the seasoning, adding the salt if required. Serve.

Recipe courtesy of The Delicious Book of Dhal: Comforting Vegan and Vegetarian Recipes Made with Lentils, Peas and Beans by Nitisha Patel, published by Ryland Peters & Small. Photos:Clare Winfield. 

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