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South Indian · Indian

Hesarubele kosambari

Vegetarian

ಹೆಸರುಬೇಳೆ ಕೋಸಂಬರಿ · hesarubēḷe kōsambari

Soaked split yellow moong dal with cucumber, carrot, fresh coconut, green chilli and lemon, finished with a mustard-seed tempering — Karnataka's festive raw-lentil salad.

Hesarubele kosambari is a South Indian salad, ready in about 1 hour 47 minutes and made with mung beans and cucumber. It serves 4 and is rated easy to cook.

Start cooking
Kosambari: soaked moong dal salad with cucumber, carrot and coconut in a steel bowl
Photo: Vidya pmysore / Wikimedia Commons · CC-BY-SA-4.0
Prep
15 min
Cook
2 min
Rest
1 h 30 min
Total
1 h 47 min
Serves
4
Level
Easy
Calories
149

Ingredients

4 servings

Tempering

Equipment

Method

  1. Step 1

    Rinse the moong dal (opens in a new tab) and soak in plenty of water for 1–2 hours, until a grain crushes easily between your fingers but is still crunchy.

    • 2 min

  2. Step 2

    Drain the dal very well and put it in a bowl with the cucumber (opens in a new tab), carrot (opens in a new tab), coconut (opens in a new tab), green chilli (opens in a new tab) and coriander.

  3. Step 3

    Heat the oil in a small pan, add the mustard seeds (opens in a new tab) and let them pop, then add the curry leaves (opens in a new tab) and asafoetida (opens in a new tab) and take off the heat.

    Let the mustard seeds pop fully before adding the rest of the tempering, or they taste bitter and raw.

  4. Step 4

    Pour the tempering over the salad, add the salt and lemon juice (opens in a new tab) just before serving, and mix.

    • 1 min

About this dish

Origin
Karnataka, India · Well documentedA fixture of Kannada festival meals and wedding feasts; similar salads exist in Tamil Nadu (kosumalli).More food from India
Dish
Lunch · Dinner · Salads · Side dishes
Cooking method
No-cook, Raw, Sautéed
Taste
fresh, tangy, nutty, mild
Diet
Vegan · Dairy-free · No nut ingredients · Low-carb · High-fibre
All labelsVegan · Plant-based · Vegetarian (lacto-ovo) · Eggetarian · Lacto-vegetarian · Ovo-vegetarian · Pescatarian · Flexitarian-friendly · Whole-food focused · Dairy-free · Egg-free · No nut ingredients · No added sugar · Alcohol-free · Pork-free · Beef-free · Low-carb · High-fibre · Carb-conscious
Worked out from the ingredients. How labels work
Good for
Festive & celebration · Budget-friendly · Make-ahead
Cook more with
Mung beans · Cucumber · Carrot · Coconut · Green chilli · Coriander leaves
Techniques
Sautéing · Tadka (tempering)

Allergens

  • May contain: Wheatfrom asafoetida
  • May contain: Glutenfrom asafoetida
  • Contains: Mustardfrom mustard seeds

Based on typical versions of these ingredients and not verified allergen-free. Brands differ and cross-contact happens, so always check labels. For severe allergies, follow your clinician’s advice.

Nutrition

149 kcal per serving

Estimated

1 serving ≈ 96 g · recipe makes 4

Where the energy comes from

  • Protein 17%
  • Carbohydrate 52%
  • Fat 31%
Nutrition per serving and per 100 g
NutrientPer servingPer 100 g*
Energy149 kcal155 kcal
Protein6.8 g7 g
Carbohydrate20.3 g21.1 g
Net carbohydrate14.8 g15.4 g
Sugars3.7 g3.9 g
Added sugars0 g0 g
Fibre5.5 g5.7 g
Fat5.3 g5.5 g
Saturated fat4.2 g4.4 g
Trans fat——
Cholesterol0 mg0 mg
Sodium308 mg321 mg
Salt equivalent0.8 g0.8 g
Vitamins & minerals per serving
Potassium
458 mg
Calcium
47 mg
Iron
2.1 mg
Magnesium
59 mg
Vitamin A (RAE)
131 µg
Vitamin C
9 mg
Vitamin D
0 µg
Vitamin B12
0 µg
Folate (DFE)
166 µg

How these numbers were made

  • Calculated from USDA FoodData Central (SR Legacy) per-100 g values and the listed quantities.
  • *Per 100 g of combined raw ingredients; the cooked dish may weigh more or less.
  • Not counted (tiny amounts or “to taste”): curry leaves, asafoetida.
  • “—” means the value isn’t known for enough of the ingredients; it is never zero by default.
  • Values are estimates for guidance, not for medical dosing. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. fdc.nal.usda.gov.

Good to know

Tips

  • Add salt and lemon at the last minute so the cucumber stays crisp.

Common mistakes

  • Soaking the dal for too long — it turns mushy and loses its bite.

Serve with

  • Part of a banana-leaf festive meal with rice, saaru and payasa, or alongside panaka on Ram Navami.

Storage

  • Without salt and lemon, keeps 1 day refrigerated.

Variations

  • Mavinakayi kosambari: Add grated raw mango in summer and reduce the lemon.
  • Gajjari kosambari: Make it mostly with grated carrot and a little cucumber.

Original editorial recipe · FriendsPantry editorial · Not yet independently reviewed · Added · Updated

Recipe DNA

How this dish is built

Built from the recipe’s own sections. Each band’s width is its share of the dish by weight. Choose a component to see what it does.

What the dish is built around

Main ingredient

Used in steps 1, 2

Reviews & corrections

Reviews come from signed-in cooks and appear after a moderator checks them. We never show made-up ratings.

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