I am not very fond of red radishes, I find them a little too strong & a little too sharp and pungent for my taste. But when combined with freshly grated sweet carrots, you get a deliciously healthy and very nutritious salad.

Carrots both are healthy & nutritious – they are chock full of Vitamin A, Vitamin K and dietary fiber. While radishes are rich in folate, magnesium, copper, calcium, Vitamin B6 and Vitamin C. Both vegetables are packed with antioxidants, anti-inflammatory benefits & nutritious elements that help to boost one’s immunity.

My tasty Carrot & Radish Salad is very easy to prepare & a lovely accompaniment to any traditional Maharashtrian meal. Using a food processor also makes quick work of all the grating, but if you prefer to grate the carrots & radishes by hand – then by all means, feel free to do so ☺.


CARROT & RADISH SALAD

Ingredients:

2 medium carrots, peeled and finely grated
1 small bunch of red radishes (10-12), finely grated
2-3 small Thai green chilies split lengthwise
2 tbsp of unsalted and roasted peanuts, crushed
juice of 1 lime
salt, to taste
pinch of sugar
¼ tsp black mustard seeds
¼ tsp cumin seeds
5-6 fresh curry leaves
pinch of asafetida (hing)
2 tbsp oil (vegetable of canola)
1 cup of mung bean sprouts (or alfalfa sprouts or a lovely mix)
freshly chopped cilantro leaves for garnish

METHOD:

Now using a clean tea towel or paper towel, squeeze out all the liquid from the grated carrots & radishes. There is a lot more liquid than you would think, but I actually reserve this liquid & will add it to a dal or curry later. But for this particular dish if all the liquid is not squeezed out, your final product will be a big watery mess – and we certainly don’t want that.

In a large mixing bowl, combine the lime juice with the salt, sugar and green chilies. Whisk to blend and dissolve the sugar and salt in the lime juice. Then add in both the grated carrots and grated radishes.

In a small pan, heat the oil on medium high. When hot, carefully add the mustard seeds. When the splattering subsides, add the cumin seeds along with the curry leaves and asafetida. Then carefully pour this hot spiced oil mixture over the grated carrots and radish salad. Lastly, add the crushed peanuts and mung bean sprouts. Mix well to combine all of the ingredients together & garnish with freshly chopped cilantro leaves. Serve with any traditional Indian meal.


VARIATIONS:

Feel free to add a cup or so of cooked/steamed edamame to this salad for great color, texture & taste. You could also add cooked chickpeas if you like.



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