The Crunch of Summer
Five salads to stay cool.
The next time you have a menu in your hands,and the suns blazing overhead,you know what to choose. The salad does not have to be the standard excuse of a few greens tossed in mayo. It can be a meal in itself refreshing combinations of fruit,vegetables and meat. A summer salad has to be light,cheerful and seasonal, says Ritu Dalmia,owner of Cafe Diva in Delhi. It has to be pleasing to the eye,crunchy and should not be heavy, she says. While it is the simplest dish to put together,and requires little time and effort,a lot of people get the basics wrong. Dont drown it in mayonnaise,it is supposed to be low-fat. Second,always mix the dressing and salt,just before serving. If you mix it earlier,the vegetables lose water and your salad will get soggy. Also make sure you blanch the veggies only for 30 seconds in hot water. Do not cook them any longer. A salad should be crunchy, says Madhu Menon chef and restaurant consultant from Bangalore.
Here are a few recipes for you to toss up.
Peanut and rice salad
Chef Ritu Dalmia recommends you make a meal out of leftover rice in your kitchen with this salad. It really is not the lowest in calories,but I could eat this almost every day,she says.
Ingredients:
Jasmine rice: 30 gm
Basmati rice or wild rice: 30 gm
Roasted peanuts: 50 gm
Sesame seeds,lightly toasted: 1 tbsp
Chopped coriander: 1 cup
Fresh red chilli,chopped: 1
Dressing
Ginger grated: ½ inch
Minced garlic: 2 cloves
Sesame oil: 15 ml
Soy sauce: 1 tbsp
Grated jaggery: ½ tbsp
Boil the jasmine rice in plenty of boiling water for about 12 minutes,drain and cool. Cook the wild rice in boiling water for longer,say 20-25 minutes,drain. You could also use your leftover rice. Grind half the peanuts till crumbly. In a mixing bowl,prepare the dressing by mixing all the ingredients and whisk till the jaggery has melted. To assemble,mix the two types of rice,sesame seeds,chilli,coriander and ground peanut. Add the dressing and mix well. Garnish with whole peanuts.
Mixed salad with eggplant and feta
With feta cheese and fried eggplant,this salad has a Mediterranean touch. This is my three-times-a-week lunch, Dalmia.
Ingredients
Round,large eggplant,cubed and fried: 100 gm
Dried oregano: 1 tbsp
Fresh mint leaves: a handful
Cherry tomatoes,halved: 500 gm
Feta cheese crumbled,or paneer: 30 gm
Lemon,squeezed: ½
Extra virgin olive oil: a few tbsp
Hazelnuts roasted optional
Handful of Rocket leaves or any salad leaf,washed and torn: 1 cup
Wash and dry the salad leaves. Arrange and top them with cherry tomato and eggplant. Sprinkle some crumbled feta cheese on top. For the dressing,mix oil,lemon juice,mint leaves and oregano. Season with salt and pepper. Pour a bit of dressing on the salad,garnish with roasted hazelnut and serve.
Instead of frying,you can also grill the eggplant in preheated oven at 180 degrees for about 25-30 minutes.
Thai fruit and shrimp salad
Do try making this at home. It may seem like an unusual dish,but the amazing combination of hot,sour,sweet,salty,and pungent flavours make this dish truly spectacular, says chef Madhu Menon. He also suggests variations: oranges,mangoes and melons.
Ingredients:
Papaya: 1 cup,apples: 1 cup, green seedless grapes: 1 cup,pineapple: 1 cup All fruits should be chopped
Medium prawns,peeled and blanched in boiling water for 30 seconds: 100 gm
Shallots small onions,sliced and deep-fried to golden brown: 4 tbsp Garlic,fried on low heat for about 10 seconds they shouldnt turn brown: 1 tbsp
Small green chillies, sliced fine: 4
Small toasted peanuts,lightly crushed: 4 Mint leaves,chopped fine
Dressing: Juice of two medium lemons; Chilli powder: 1 tsp Sugar: 2 tsp Fish sauce: 2 tbsp,adjust to taste
Mix the fruits with the prawns. In another bowl,mix the dressing ingredients and stir,till the sugar dissolves. Check for sourness. If its too sour,add ½ tsp of sugar. Before serving,stir the dressing one more time. Add the green chilies to the fruits and shrimp. Throw in the dressing and toss well. Garnish with the fried shallots,garlic,peanuts and mint leaves.
Laab Kai
This is a hot-and-sour salad from Thailand. Its low in fat,but bursts with flavour. The primary flavours are hot from the chilli,sour from the lime juice and salty from the fish sauce. Its also made very quickly less than 10 minutes, says Menon.
Ingredients:
Boneless chicken breast meat,ground very coarsely: 200 gm
Chicken stock: 6 tbsp
Peanut oil: 2 tsp
Galangal,finely chopped you can use young ginger: 2 tsp
Lemon grass,finely chopped: 1 tbsp
Fresh red chillies,finely sliced: 1 tsp
Finely sliced shallots,sliced: 4 Fresh mint leaves,chopped: 1/2 cup
Coriander leaves,chopped: 1/2 cup Spring onions,chopped: 2 tbsp Raw rice
Lettuce leaves: 4
Dressing
Lime juice: 4 tbsp
Fish sauce: 2 tbsp
Red chilli powder: 1/2 tsp
Sugar: 1/2 tsp
For the toasted ground rice,heat a skillet and add the raw rice. Keep the heat low and stir from time to time,till the grains turn golden brown. Remove from heat and cool. Later,put it in a grinder till you have a coarse powder. Do not grind it too fine. In a separate bowl,combine the salad dressing ingredients.
Heat a large pan and add peanut oil. Once hot,add the lemon grass,shallots,and galangal. Stir for 20 seconds,and add the stock. Turn the heat down and add the minced chicken. Cook for 3-4 minutes. The stock would have evaporated. Dont overcook the chicken. Turn off the heat. Add the dressing,the chillies,the toasted rice,spring onions,the mint and coriander leaves. Mix well. Serve warm.
Summer fruit salad with dill leaves and yoghurt
Simplicity is key to this salad which uses all the colours of summer. It uses fresh fruits and can be made in no time, says Anurudh Khanna,executive chef,The Park,New Delhi.
Ingredients:
Apple 1
Mango 1
Watermelon: 300 gm
Grapes: 10
Honey dew melon: 300 gm
Pears: 1
Iceberg lettuce: 100 gm
Dill leaves,chopped fine: 10 gm
Hung yoghurt: 300 gm
Olive oil: 10 ml
Lime: 1
Rock salt to taste
Black pepper crushed,to taste
Dice fruits and store in refrigerator. Take out iceberg hearts and dip in chilled water. For the dressing,the hung yoghurt should be a nice thick consistency. In a mixing bowl,add the yoghurt and whisk in olive oil,lime juice,rock salt and crushed pepper. Keep the dressing chilled. In a mixing bowl,add the diced fruits,shredded iceberg lettuce and add the dressing. Garnish with chopped dill. Serve chilled.
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