Summer food series # 3 - Yellow Lentil and raw mango salad

Barbara of Winos and Foodies is hosting A TASTE OF YELLOW for a wonderful cause.

LIVESTRONG Day is the Lance Armstrong Foundation's (LAF) grassroots advocacy initiative to unify people affected by cancer and to raise awareness about cancer survivorship issues on a national level and in local communities across the country. LIVESTRONG Day 2007 will occur on Wednesday, May 16.

Although the last date for sending her entries has passed me, I dearly wanted to present something Yellow for this event for a cause. Here is my very Indian, yellow lentil salad made with soaked golden yellow Bengal Gram dal (Split yellow bengal gram lentils), grated yellow raw mangoes, shredded carrots, bell peppers, lemon and spices.

Bengal Gram Dal is one lentil you cannot afford, not to have in your kitchen pantry. Bengal Gram dal can be found in all Indian stores as Chana Dal.

Benefits of yellow Bengal gram dal:

1. This is one of the foods with very low glycemic index (GI of 8 compared to a GI of 100 for glucose). This makes the sugars get absorbed gradually and there are no peaks in sugar levels. This is excellent for diabetics as well as weight watchers.

2. The fiber in chana dal can also help control cholesterol levels and promote a healthy digestive tract. 100 gms of this dal has around 15 g of Total Dietary fibre. A diet with increased fibre content is known to offer protection from cancer of the colon.

3. Whole Bengal gram is rich in Calcium, a 100 gm weight providing 202 mg of Calcium.

This salad is one of the huge variety of dishes that can be made with this versatile lentil.

Chana dal & Raw Mango Salad
Category: Raw foods, Salad, Summer food, Diabetic recipe, High fibre food
Time Taken: Under 30 minutes excluding soaking time for lentils
Source: My own
Serves: 2

Ingredients
1/2 cup Chana Dal soaked in hot water for 4-5 hours or overnight
1 medium sized raw mango, washed thoroughly and grated with skin
1/4 cup grated carrot
1/4 cup finely diced bell peppers - any colours
1 green chilli, seeds removed and finely chopped

For seasoning-
Dry roast - 1 tsp cumin, 1 tsp mustard seeds and coarsely powder
1/4 tsp red chilli powder (optional)
Juice of 1 lime
Salt to taste

For garnish-
1 tbsp coconut shavings
1 tbsp finely chopped coriander leaves / mint leaves

Directions
Drain the lentils well and pulse for 10-20 seconds in a blender, till it is broken coarsely.
In a large bowl, combine all ingredients except garnish. Toss well.
Garnish with grated coconut and coriander leaves.

Notes
This is a no-cook recipe, ideal for summers when you don't want to stand by the stove.
This salad can be had as a meal by itself, or you could roast some papads in the microwave and scoop the salad with papad pieces.
You can also serve this with regular Indian fare as a side.

My previous summer salad got selected in Rediff's Summer Food Recipes.