Keep it light, like Popeye

Pushpesh Pant

Many years ago, we had our first test of chhalli — grains of wheat soaked overnight and lightly boiled, and it was love at first sight and bite. For us, there hasn’t been a better cereal since. So, imagine our delight when good friend Nishant Choube included it in a delightful salad. The spinach leaves provided the perfect foil by not only adding colour, but also balancing the nutrition effortlessly. Popeye would have surely approved of this! There were a few hidden delights as well — a few morsels of succulent tender coconut, a very visible caramelised lemon and a slice of ripe papaya. Spiced with a hint of a blend that swerved towards chaat masala, it was a perfect anytime snack. Come to think of it, you could make a light lunch of it.

To make it a little more substantial, you could add a bit of roasted sweet potato or increase the portion of fruit.

Gehun Palak Salad

Ingredients

Wheat grains (soaked overnight and lightly pressure cooked) 1/2 cup

Spinach leaves (cut and blanched in boiling water for two minutes) 250g 

Kasundhi/mustard sauce 1 tsp

Tender coconut (flesh sliced) 1 tbsp 

Lemon (caramelised, halved) 1 

Papaya/apricot (peeled and chopped) 1/2 cup 

Aromatic spice blend ¼ tsp each of cumin powder, cardamom powder, powdered peppercorn, dried pomegranate seeds and a pinch of black rock salt

Salt To taste

Sugar (powdered, optional) 1/2 tsp 

Sesame oil 1 tbsp

Method

Coarsely chop the spinach leaves. Heat oil in a pan and add the leaves; stir fry for a minute on high heat. Add kasundhi, boiled wheat grains and powdered spices. Remove from flame and place in a bowl. Sprinkle a little lemon juice, adjust the seasoning and divide into equal portions. Garnish this with papaya or apricot pieces and serve with caramelised lemon halves.