Getting back to the salad days

Sheetal

Does the word salad conjure up an image of a dull, unappetising bowl of veggies? Frown no more, because we have an ultimate guide to make that boring bowl of salad enticing.

‘Seasoning’ effect

First and foremost, you are forgetting to ‘season’ your ingredients? You should act as if you are going to eat each ingredient individually. For instance, tomatoes and cucumbers go well with salt and pepper. Avocados are tastier when combined with something citrus. Similarly there is no reason to avoid the seasonal offerings, especially fruits in your salads. Owing to their natural freshness and sweetness, fruits blend perfectly with bitter greens.

All about favourites

Who says to become a salad person you need to give up on your favourite rice or pasta? Bring the health quotient by turning pasta into a pasta salad. The same goes for rice and quinoa, which can be made into delicious salads. In case of pasta salad, stick to wholemeal pasta.

The right spice

The main point is to start experimenting. Work around your tastes with your salads. You may not get it right the first time but eventually you will. The only difference is to have that hunger, hunger for health! And one does need to spice it up with up a sauce.

Here are a couple of recipes for the beginners

Orange and asparagus salad

Ingredients

• Asparagus blanched 40 gm
• Iceberg lettuce 35 gm
• Lollo rosso lettuce 30 gm
• Orange segments 50 gm
• Black olives 5 gm
• Cherry tomato 15 gm
• Lemon juice 10 ml
• Extra virgin olive oil 10 ml
• Salt 2 gm
• Black pepper 2 gm
• Parmesan shavings 5 gm

Method

Cut and mix the lettuces into bite sized bits. Take a mixing bowl and add lettuce, asparagus, orange segments, cherry tomato halves and black olives to it. Drizzle lemon juice and extra virgin olive oil on top of this mixture. Add salt and pepper. Toss it well. Garnish with parmesan cheese savings and serve cold. —Chef Japvir Vohra

Dhokla jhalmuri salad

Ingredients

• Fresh ghokla 150 gm
• Puffed rice (murmura) 50 gm
• Nylon sev 20 gm
• Red apple 25 gm
• Green apple 25 gm
• Takuan radish 25 gm
• Carrot 25 gm
• Lemon grass 3 gm
• Green chilli 2 gm
• Sesame oil 5 ml
• Light soya sauce 5 ml
• Tamarind chutney 30 gm
• Mint chutney 20 gm
• Peanut 10 gm
• Fresh coriander 5 gm
• Salt To taste
• Micro green 2 gm

Method

First cut the green apple, red apple, carrot and takuan radish in julienne form. Take a salad bowl and crumble dhokla in it, then add murmura (puffed rice), green chilli and all those julienned vegetables. Add fresh coriander leaves and crushed peanut. Add mint chutney and tamarind chutney. Mix them properly. Put the salad in a serving plate or bowl. Now, put the leftover julienned vegetables on top and garnish it with micro greens, some crushed peanut and chopped coriander. —Chef Sharad Nautiyal