Another beautiful Koshimbir from Maharashtra – one that is cooling and exquisitely suited to hot summery days.

Koshimbir is Maharashtrian term for salad – Kosambari in Kannada and Kosumalli in Tamil are other names that you will see for Indian salads.

Many different combinations of vegetables are used to make different varieties of Koshimbir. In Maharashtra there are 2 main types of salads (although you will often see these confused, or equated):

Khamang Kakdi – a salad with roasted and ground peanuts, with yoghurt just as a coating or dressing

– a salad with roasted and ground peanuts, with yoghurt just as a coating or dressing Kadichi Koshimbir – a salad without the crushed peanuts and with a reasonable amount of yoghurt.

This recipe is for the first type, made with cucumber, green coriander leaves, a touch of yoghurt and crushed peanuts. It is incredibly cooling, so is perfect for hot summery days. It can also be made with boiled or steamed pumpkin or potato.

Similar recipes include Cucumber, Carrot and Green Mango Koshambari. Ambe Dal, Cucumber and Pineapple Kachumber, Warm Cucumber Salad with Sesame (Cucumber Kosumalli), Kachumber (Chuchumber), Cucumber Kosumalli #2, and Cucumber Kosumalli #3.

Other Cucumber dishes you can try are Cucumber Raita, Cucumber Lassi and Olan (Cucumber and Coconut Curry).

Explore all of our Indian Salads, or all of our Indian recipes. Browse all of the Cucumber recipes too, or simply spend some time with our Early Autumn dishes.

This is a great fasting dish if made without the asafoetida (hing) and coriander leaves.

Khamang Kakdi | Kakdi Chi Koshimbir | Maharashtrian Cucumber Salad

ingredients

2 Medium size Cucumber

4 Tblspn Peanuts

2 Tblspn Coconut, Grated (use frozen, easy to obtain from an Indian shop)

2 – 3 Tblspn Coriander (cilantro), finely chopped

1 Green Chilli, chopped

2 Tblspn plain Indian yoghurt

Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

tadka

0.75 Tblspn Ghee

0.5 tspn ghee

0.5 tspn cumin seeds

0.75 tspn brown mustard seeds

8 curry leaves

pinch asafoetida (hing)

method

Roast the peanuts in a dry pan over medium heat until toasted but not burnt. Crush the roasted peanuts coarsely – using a mortar and pestle makes this easy. Keep aside.

Peel the cucumbers and chop into small cubes. Add the grated coconut, the chopped coriander leaves and chilli, the yoghurt and some salt and black pepper. Mix well. You are looking for enough yoghurt to coat the salad like a dressing, without making it a raita.

Make the tadka. Heat the ghee in a small pan and add the mustard seeds and allow them to pop. Add the cumin seeds and after a few moments the asafoetida and then the curry leaves. Tip onto the salad and mix through.

Place the salad in a serving bowl and top with the crushed peanuts.

recipe notes and alternatives

You can replace the yoghurt with lemon or lime juice plus 1 tspn sugar.

Make it with cubed, cooked pumpkin or potato instead of cucumber.

Delicious with Sabudana Kitchari (Sago Kitchari) or with a Pulao. Eat it with your roti and subzi. Or just roti or paratha. Or a bowl of the salad on its own is perfect on a hot day.

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