Carrot Lentil Salad (Gajar Kosmalli)

Carrot = Car + rot does not mean that a car is rotting!( Audi / Benz/ Tesla /Toyota/ Honda); instead, carrots make healthy salads and snacks. Carrot salad is made with soaked mung lentils to enrich it with proteins. Lemon juice adds a tangy taste. Aromatic cilantro leaves that help improve mood, are used as a garnish. Carrot Kosmalli is made during summer and at festivals. It is served by itself, as an appetizer or as a side dish.

Buying & Storage: Carrots are available year-round. Cut off the green leaves as they absorb moisture from roots. Store carrots in a plastic bag in the refrigerator’s vegetable bin. Avoid storing carrots near apples which emit ethylene gas, giving them a bitter taste.

History: Carrots were originally cultivated in Afghanistan about 1000 years ago probably as yellow or purple root. Carrot cultivation spread to Spain in the 1100s via the middle East and North Africa. http://www.carrotmuseum.co.uk/history.html

Story: Kosmalli is a special dish made by my neighbors in Bangalore (Karnataka) during the nine-night Navrathri festival. A tradition when people kept dolls on shelves like steps and decorated with rangoli (patterns made on the floor with rice flour paste) in their homes. Special snacks ( varieties of Chundals) were made to distribute along with betel leaves, betel nuts, turmeric, kumkum, and either a comb, mirror, or blouse piece were given to women & young girls during their visit. They came dressed up in costumes of traditional silk saris and long skirt blouses (Pavadai – chattai), adorning themselves with jewelry, and long braided hair covered in yellow chrysanthemums (javanthi), white jasmine (malligai) or orange Cassandra (kanagambaram) flowers. The orange carrots and yellow lentils complemented their flowers and saris.

Carrot Nutrition Facts

Health Benefits of Carrots

• Carrots are low in calories (1 medium carrot has 25 calories). 
• Carrots help in liver cleansing, toxemia and swelling. 
• Carrots are rich in vitamins A, B-6, C, and K, fiber and potassium. 
• Each carrot – 3mg of Beta carotene reduces lung cancer risk by 40 % .
• Caveat : A large portion of its calories come from natural sugars.

Spice & herb Powers

• Mustard seeds: Selenium in mustard helps provide relief to rheumatic arthritis and magnesium in it lowers blood pressure.
• Asafetida powder helps relieve bloating, soothes headaches and toothaches.
• Green chili aids in digestion helps in weight loss, & reduces insulin levels in people with type 2 diabetes. 
• Ginger can treat many forms of nausea, reduce muscle pain and soreness.
• Cilantro leaves lowers anxiety, improves sleep, and prevents food poisoning.

Method to make Carrot Lentil Salad

• Soak yellow lentils (mung dal) in 1 cup boiling hot water. (5 min)
• Wash, peel, and grate the carrots with a grater or in a food processor.
• Peel and chop ginger; mince green chili; add to the carrots.
• Drain water from soaked lentils; add to the carrots.
• Add salt and lemon juice to carrots; toss together & marinate._{(5 min)}
• Heat the oil in a small frying pan; add mustard seeds, cover with a lid.
• When seeds splutter, remove and add asafoetida (thing) powder; pour over salad.
• Garnish with washed and chopped cilantro leaves.

Serve Gajar Kosmalli by itself, with Couscous Pilaf, or on lettuce leaves.

_{TIPS
Time saver: skip the lentils and make a plain carrot salad
Healthier version: Substitute lentils with sprouted mung beans
Gajar = Carrot; Kosmalli = Salad}