In
this post, I will write the recipe for pumpkin koshimbir
as
an example but the intent is to let you know the concept of koshimbir
so
that you can make your own different varieties of koshimbirs.
Since this preparation can be made with various different vegetables,
this post will not have any specific health or Ayurvedic information
about the ingredients.
The
word 'koshimbir'
has typical, simple, Marathi, middle class written all over it. A
Maharashtrian thali
is
incomplete without a koshimbir.
I refuse to call it raita
because
it is different from it. Raita
can
be called the north Indian cousin of koshimbir
and a somewhat distant second cousin who lives in Greece is Tzatziki.
It is a very simple, quick and yet a tasty and wholesome preparation
and usually acts as a side dish with the main meal.
Usually,
a koshimbir
will
have four components:
- a grated raw vegetable but some vegetables taste better in koshimbir if cooked
- yoghurt/curd
- ground roasted peanuts or desicated coconut
- chaunk
Keeping
the yoghurt and chaunk
constant,
you can try many different combinations with vegetables, cooked or
uncooked and use various other ground nuts like sunflower seeds,
pumpkin seeds, almonds etc.
Preparation
time:
10
minutes
Cooking
time:
5 minutes
Difficulty:
Easy
Type:
Main
Course
Serves:
2
Vegan:
No
Ingredients:
2
cups cubes of pumpkin/butternut pumpkin
2
tbsp curd/yoghurt
1
tbsp chopped coriander
2
tbsp desicated coconut
½
tbsp ghee/oil
½ tsp asatoetida
1
tsp mustard seeds
8
curry leaves
1
medium sized dry red chilli
Himalayan/Rock
salt for taste
Preparation:
- Peel the skin of the pumpkin. To some, it is a tedious task but it is a wonderful food sadhana and do it with complete awareness. Feel the pressure it requires for you to cut through the pumpkin skin, listen to the sound the knife makes as it cuts through the pumpkin. Inhale the scent as more and more surface area of the pumpkin gets exposed. Use the senses to heighten your awareness. Once it is peeled, cut the pumpkin into small cubes. Cook these cubes in a pressure cooker or in a sauce pan. The cubes should be soft but must retain the shape.
- Take these cubes in a bowl and add the yoghurt, desicated coconut, coriander and salt and mix well. Keep this mixture aside.
- Now, we prepare the chaunk. For this dish, instead of adding the main ingredients in the chaunk (which is usually the case), we add the chaunk to the main ingredients. Take the ghee/oil in a stainless steel ladle and heat it over low to medium heat. Add mustard seeds and wait for them to finish popping. Then add asafoetida, curry leaves and the chilli (in that order).
- Now pour this chaunk into the mixture in Step 2, listen to the sizzling sounds and mix well. Traditional Maharashtrian koshimbir is ready.
Pitfalls:
When
you heat the ghee/
oil before putting in the chaunk
ingredients, make sure that it is not too hot. If the ghee/
oil overheats, first of all its composition will change chemically
which is not good for health. Secondly, it will destroy the flavour
and potency of the ingredients. So, it is better to start with low
heat, add 2-3 mustard seeds to test and increase the heat, if
required. If the ghee/ oil starts smoking and the ingredients turn
dark brown or black, then the ghee/ oil and the ingredients have been
damaged.
Notes:
- Many people add sugar to koshimbirs but I do not as all my preparations are sugar free. If you want to make it sweet, add honey but in that case, use oil in the koshimbir instead of ghee. According to Ayurveda, mixing equal amount of ghee and honey is an incompatible food combination and hence I usually avoid mixing these even when not in equal proportions just to be safe.
- Please refer my post Getting Started With Ayurveda for understanding of Ayurvedic terms and concepts.
Variations:
The
most popular koshimbir
is
made using cucumber and ground roasted peanuts. Other common
koshimbirs
are
made out of carrot and beet (cooked). One can even try parsley
instead of coriander. But as stated above in the introduction, one
can try many different combinations keeping the yoghurt and chaunk
constant.