BM# 74: Week 3/ Day 2
Theme: Thalis/ Spreads
Dish: Simple South Indian Vegetarian Thali
Today I have a simple South Indian vegetarian thali. Coming up with a menu is quite a task — picking dishes that complement each other is an art. So I took the help of my Dakshin cookbook. The author, Chandra Padmanabhan, has a whole chapter of suggested menus and I picked one of the simpler ones.
Here’s what is in (and around) my South Indian Vegetarian thali:
- Mysore Rasam
- Cilantro-Onion Chutney (recipe to follow soon)
- Green Pepper Poriyal
- Fresh Cucumber Salad (recipe follows)
- Rice
- Chips
I loved making these dishes as they are quite easy to make with not much prep work or cooking involved. If you have the poriyal powder and Mysore rasam powder handy, the curry and the rasam don’t take too hands on time to make. Cilantro-Onion chutney is sweet, spicy and delicious — I’m going to share that recipe soon.
I loved making these dishes as they are quite easy to make with not much prep work or cooking involved. If you have the 
I’m including the recipe for the refreshing south Indian style cucumber salad below. This salad has cucumber, soaked moong dal, coconut and a crunchy tempering with dal and seeds. The most time consuming part of this dish is soaking the moong dal which can be done while the other dishes are being prepped and cooked.
The tempering with dals and seeds gives it the south Indian flair and makes it extra special. Fresh grated coconut adds sweetness to this delicious salad.
Lets check out what my fellow marathoners have cooked today for BM# 74.
South Indian style Cucumber Salad
Ingredients
For the Salad:
- 1 Large Cucumber, finely chopped*
- 2 tbsp Moong dal, soaked for 1 hour
- 2~3 tbsp Fresh grated coconut
- 1 Green Chili, finely chopped
- 3 tbsp Cilantro, finely chopped
- 1 tbsp lime juice
- To taste salt
For Tempering:
- 2 tsp Oil
- 1 tsp Mustard seeds
- 1 tsp Cumin seeds
- 1 tsp urad dal
- 1 tsp chana dal
- ½ tsp Asafoetida (hing)
- 1 Dry Red Chili, halved
- 8~10 curry leaves
Instructions
- In a large mixing bowl, mix the chopped cucumber, coconut, green chili, cilantro, salt and lime juice.
- Drain the soaked moong dal and add it to the cucumber mixture.
- Heat oil in a small pan; add all the ingredients for tempering. When the seeds start to splutter, add to the salad. Mix well.
- Serve chilled or at room temperature.
Notes
- I used English cucumber that has a very thin skin, so I didn't peel it. If you are using an Indian cucumber, then peel, deseed and add to the salad.
sushma
Simple yet delicious Thali Pavani. Looks great
Kalyani
Its past my dinner time here, but would love to dig into that spread sometime soon !
Jayashree
The salad sounds interesting. Bookmarking it to try out. Does it have a regional name?
Srivalli
Such an excellent spread Pavani, all dishes so simple yet to filling!..
Priya Suresh
Very comforting and definitely a satisfying thali. My kind of foods.
Dharani @ Dharani South Indian Cuisine
Looks Good Thali with Salad, I like to add the Fresh Cucumber Salad in my diet dish. Its will make me perfect.
Nalini
This is one such comforting Thali,the cucumber salad looks so refreshing and healthy.
Harini
Love the cucumber salad!!
Usha
That’s a mouthwatering simple South Indian thali. I love simple salads like these. Make a great side dish for Indian food snd also goes well with some of the western cuisines.
Sowmya
Such a simple and sumptuous thali, Pavani. Love the golden brown potato fry!