Cauliflower Koshimbir

 

When I heard my friend, Geetanjali tell me about the several koshimbir or salads that she rustles up often at her home, I was all ears. I am always on the look out for newer healthier food options. This salad, apart from new ingredients for koshimbir, also packs in freshness, sweet, tangy and citrusy flavours in.

While Geetanjali’s version had cauliflower as the sole vegetable, and used lemon juice for the tang, I added some carrots for colour, and had to improvise with grated raw mango since I did not have lemon at hand. You could try both versions. They taste just right with steamed rice and dal combo or with hot phulkas too. In fact, you could make a wrap with a hot phulka, some mustard smeared on it, filled in with the koshimbir, rolled up and enjoyed!

What’s good about this dish?

• Cauliflower is a cruciferous vegetable, similar to cabbage or broccoli.
• Fresh cauliflower is an excellent source of Vitamin C, Vitamins B1, B3, B5, B6. A great source of minerals like iron, manganese, potassium, too.
• Di-indolyl methane (DIM), a substance found in this family of vegetables have anti viral, anti bacterial properties and also functions as immune modulator. This property is being used in clinical trials for treating Human Papilloma Virus (the virus that causes cervical cancer)
• Cauliflower has several other cancer fighting compounds too – they protect against prostrate, cervical, colon, breast, and ovarian cancers. All this makes it a very important vegetable in every woman’s diet.
• When cooking, wash the head under running water, parboil in salted water, rinse again and use in recipes.

Go on, realise the benefits of this wonder vegetable using it in recipes such as the one below - 

You need

1. Cauliflower – 1 medium head
2. Carrot – 1 medium Or Grated Carrot – 1/2 cup
3. Raw mango – 1 small OR Grated mango – 1/4 cup
4. Fresh grated coconut – 2 tsp, optional
5. Salt- 1/2 tsp or more if needed
6. Sugar – 1/4 tsp,optional

For seasoning -

1. Fresh coriander leaves – chopped, 2 tbsp
2. Oil – 1/2 tsp
3. Mustard – 1/4 tsp
4. Asafoetida powder (hing) – a pinch
5. Green chilli – 2, finely chopped

To assemble

1. Break the cauliflower head into small florets.
2. Boil about 1 litre water in a saucepan, add about a tsp of salt to it, drop the florets in the boiling water, turn off the stove, steep for a couple of minutes in the water. Drain, rinse under clean cold water. Now use a steel grater and grate the cauliflower florets into a finer texture.
3. Grate the raw mango, and the carrot too.
4. Toss all the grated veggies together, mix in the coconut, (if using) add salt and sugar and mix well without bruising the vegetables. Add in the chopped coriander too.

5. Heat the oil in a pan, add the mustard, allow to splutter, tip in the chilli and hing, and pour over the salad.

6.Chill for half an hour before serving.