Koshimbir (Indian Cucumber Salad)

Close-up of koshimbir garnished with cilantro and red chili powder in a bowl with a spoon.

Koshimbir (Indian Cucumber Salad)

Koshimbir (Indian cucumber salad) is a refreshing Maharashtrian vegetable salad made with cucumbers, tomatoes, onions, and carrots in a cool yogurt dressing. A great cold vegetable salad for summer, ready in just 20 minutes — skip the onions to make it fasting-friendly too.

Course accompaniment, Salad, Side Dish

Cuisine Indian, Maharashtrian

Prep Time 10

Cook Time 10

Total Time 20

Servings people

Calories 59.5kcal

Author Priya Lakshminarayan

Equipment

Ingredients

11 oz Greek Yogurt
¼ cup water
½ cup onions, finely chopped
2 tomatoes, finely chopped
1 cucumber, peeled and grated
1 carrot, peeled and grated
2-3 green chillies
2 tablespoon chopped cilantro
½ teaspoon black salt
½ teaspoon cumin powder
¼ teaspoon freshly crushed black pepper
Salt

Instructions

Finely chop the onion and tomato. Peel and grate the carrot and cucumber. Mince the green chilies and chop the cilantro. Set everything aside.
In a large bowl, add the yogurt and water. Whisk until smooth and lump-free.
Add more water if you'd like your koshimbir thinner. Keep in mind the cucumber and tomato will release moisture too, thinning it out further as it sits.
Add the onion and tomato to the whisked yogurt.
Add the grated cucumber and carrot to the bowl.
Add the green chilies and half the cilantro, reserving the rest for garnish.
Add black salt, regular salt, freshly crushed black pepper, and cumin powder. Mix everything together well.
Add salt as needed — a few extra tablespoons of water too, if you like it thinner (I prefer mine thick). Garnish with the remaining cilantro and serve chilled.

Notes

You can either grate all the veggies or chop them fine — it's personal preference.
Instead of Greek yogurt, use regular homemade dahi or any plain unsweetened yogurt.
You can also make this Indian salad with just cucumbers if you'd rather keep it simple.
Add salt only right before serving, not while prepping — salting too early draws water out of the cucumber and tomato, leaving you with a watery, diluted salad instead of a crisp one.

Nutrition