Kachumber Salad

Kachumbar literally means cut in to small pieces. This simple and delicious salad is made from small chunks of cucumber, onion and tomato with cilantro leaves.

Ingredients:

• 1 cucumber peeled and chopped finely
• 1 medium onion chopped finely
• 2 tomato chopped finely
• 2 tbsp finely chopped cilantro ( Green Coriander Leaves)
• 2 tsp lemon juice
• salt to taste
• ½ tsp black pepper
• 1 green chili finely chopped

Method:

• Mix all ingredients well in a bowl

Do You Know?

A salad is a food item generally served either prior to or after the main dish as a separate course, as a main course in itself, or as a side dish accompanying the main dish. The word “salad” comes from the French salade of the same meaning, from the Latin salata, “salty.”

Fresh Corn & Grapes Salad

Ingredients:

• ½ cup Red Globe table grapes seeded and chopped
• ½ cup sweet corn
• ¼ cup small Onion finely chopped
• ¼ cup tomato chopped
• ¼ cup capsicum chopped
• 2 tbsp Lemon Juice
• 1 tsp black pepper powder
• Salt to taste

Method:

• In a bowl, mix all ingredients and refrigerate for at least one hour before serving.

Do You Know?

The Red Globe table grape is a variety of very large, seeded red grapes with firm flesh used mainly as a table grape. It can be grown outdoors in very warm areas with long growing seasons such as California or Australia, but in most of the world it is strictly a greenhouse grape. The majority of Red Globe production in the US and Australia are exported to Asia.

Simple Salad

This salad is simple to make and can be used with any vegetarian or non vegetarian dish.

Ingredients:

• Onion cut into slices transversely
• Medium sized tomato sliced half longitudinally
• Cherry tomatoes
• Green chilies cut longitudinally
• Lemon juice
• Salt to taste

Method:

• Arrange onion slices, tomatoes and green chilies in a platter.
• Squeeze lemon juice.
• Sprinkle salt just before serving

Do you know?

A cherry tomato is a smaller garden variety of tomato. Cherry tomatoes range in size from a thumb tip up to the size of a golf ball, and can range from being spherical to slightly oblong in shape.

Cracked Wheat Salad

It is a healthful and delicious salad prepared with parboiled cracked wheat, cilantro leaves, mint, tomatoes, onions, and lemon. It tastes great when it is chilled for an hour before serving.

Ingredients:

• ½ cup Burghul (parboiled cracked wheat)
• ¼ cup finely chopped tomato
• ¼ cup finely chopped cucumber
• ¼ cup finely chopped onion
• ¼ cup finely chopped cilantro leaves
• 1 tbsp finely chopped mint leaves
• 1 Finely chopped green chili
• 2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
• 1 tsp black pepper powder
• Salt to taste

Method:

• Rinse burghul several times.
• In a large mixing bowl, pour one cup of hot water over the cracked wheat and cover, let stand for about 20 minutes until wheat is tender and water is absorbed.
• When it's ready, drain any excess water, if necessary, and squeeze dry.
• Add the chopped herbs and vegetables and toss the mix.
• Combine lemon juice, black pepper powder and salt in a separate bowl. Add to wheat mixture and mix well.
• Refrigerate it for at least an hour before serving.

Do you know?

Many wheat varieties are reddish-brown due to phenolic compounds present in the bran layer which are transformed to pigments by browning enzymes.

White wheats have a lower content of phenolics and browning enzymes, and are generally less astringent in taste than red wheats.

The yellowish color of durum wheat and semolina flour made from it is due to a carotenoid pigment called lutein, which can be oxidized to a colorless form by enzymes present in the grain.

Everyday Salad

This salad is simple to make and can be used every day with any vegetarian or non vegetarian dish.

Ingredients:

• Onion cut into slices transversely
• Small sized tomato sliced half longitudinally
• Cucumber peeled and sliced
• Cherry tomatoes
• Green chilies cut longitudinally
• Lemon slices
• Salt to taste

Method:

• Arrange onion slices, cucumber slices, Lemon slices, tomatoes and green chilies in a platter.
• Sprinkle salt just before serving.

Do You Know?

To produce good tasting, crisp onions, first slice or chop onions and place them in a bowl. Cover the onions with water and then add some ice to the water. Let the onions soak for 15 minutes to an hour and then drain before serving.

Chana Apple Pecan Salad

This salad is highly nutritious and filling. I like to prepare it as filler between lunch and dinner. Relative proportion of ingredients is ones choice.

I prefer freshly boiled Garbanzo and Bengal gram instead of tinned ones for salads. All ingredients should be freshly prepared for salads.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup boiled Kala Chana (Bengal Gram)
• 1 cup boiled Kabuli Chana (Garbanzo)
• 1 cup golden apples diced
• 1 cup red hard tomatoes diced
• 1 cup cucumber diced
• ½ cup chopped cilantro leaves
• ½ cup roasted Pecans chopped
• ¼ cup onion chopped

Dressing:

• 2-3 tbsp Lemon Juice
• 2 cloves garlic crushed
• 1 tbsp ginger grated
• 2 Green Chilies chopped
• 2 tbsp salad oil
• 1 tsp black pepper powder
• Salt to taste
• 1 tsp sugar

Method:

• Soak the Black Gram and Kabuli Chana, together, overnight in plenty of water.
• Boil in salted water until soft. Drain and refresh with cold water. Drain and allow them to cool.
• Dice cucumber, tomatoes and golden apple of the same size of Kabuli chana.
• Chop onion, green chilies and cilantro leaves fine.
• Roast the pecans and chop them in big size pieces.
• Completely crush garlic so that it can blend with oil well.
• In a small bottle, with a tightly-fitting cover, take the ingredients for Dressing. Put the lid on and shake the bottle to mix all the ingredients in it well.
• In a big bowl take the salad ingredients and mix well with dressing.
• Refrigerate for about an hour before serving.

Do You Know?

If using only half an onion, use the top half and store the root end. The root end will stay fresh for a longer period of time.

Tangy Potato Salad

Serve this tangy potato salad as starter; I am sure even non-potato lovers will also fall in love with potatoes after eating this.

Ingredients:

• 1 large potato boiled and cubed
• 2-3 spring onions finely chopped
• 1 green chili chopped fine

Dressing:

• 3-4 tbsp thick yogurt
• 1 cloves of garlic minced
• 1 tbsp lemon juice
• 1 tbsp salad oil
• ¼ tsp sugar
• ¼ tsp black pepper powder
• Salt to taste

Method:

• In a big bowl, take all the ingredients for dressing. Mix them well. Now add potato cubes, chopped spring onion and green chilies.
• Gently mix everything together to avoid breaking the potatoes.
• Refrigerate covered for at least two hours.
• Serve as starter.

Do You Know?

Spring Onion is also commonly known as green onion, scallion or salad onion. These are milder than other onions because they are harvested before the bulb are developed fully.

Murmure Ka Salad

This is a simple and delicious salad made from puffed rice (Murmure), cucumber, onion, tomato and cilantro leaves.

Murmure are easily available at most of the Indian grocery shops. These are also used to make Bhelpuri.

Ingredients:

• 2 cups Murmure (puffed rice)
• 1 cucumber peeled and chopped finely
• 1 medium onion chopped finely
• 2 tomato chopped finely
• 2 tbsp finely chopped cilantro leaves
• 2 tsp lemon juice
• salt to taste
• ½ tsp black pepper
• 1 green chili finely chopped

Method:

• Mix all ingredients well in a bowl.
• Serve immediately so that the Murmure Salad does not get soggy.

Do You Know?

Puffed rice is referred to as mur mure in some parts of India.

It is a type of puffed grain made from rice; usually made by heating rice kernels under high pressure in the presence of steam, though the method of manufacture varies widely.

A traditional way of making Murmura is heating rice in a sand-filled oven just like popcorn.

Cottage Cheese Salad

One can prepare salad with anything - fresh vegetables, canned vegetables, fruits, eggs and seafood. Here I have prepared salad with cottage cheese along with peas and baby mushrooms. Tomatoes not only provide nutrition but give color also to the salad platter therefore they are added to salad..

Ingredients:

• ½ pound Cottage Cheese slices
• ½ pound Green Peas
• 5-6 Button Mushrooms
• 2 small firm tomatoes
• 1 green chili finely chopped
• 1 tbsp butter
• 1 bunch of fresh cilantro finely chopped
• Salt
• Black pepper powder
• Chaat masala
• 1 lemon/lime

Method:

• Heat butter in a frying pan and sauté paneer slices. Take them out in bowl.
• Stir fry peas and mushrooms in the same frying pan in remaining butter. Take them out in a separate bowl.
• Crumble the paneer and add salt, chat masala, black pepper powder and chopped green chilies. Mix well.
• Add salt, black pepper powder and chat masala in peas and mushrooms also.
• Cut tomatoes in fancy styles.
• Arrange in a salad plate. Garnish with cilantro leaves. Squeeze lemon over paneer, peas and mushrooms.
• Serve fresh.

Churmuri Salad (Grated Radish Salad)

Simple nutritive and quick to make salad made with grated radish, tomato and green chili.

Ingredients:

• 2 Mooli (radish) peeled and grated
• ½ tomato finely chopped
• 2 green chilies finely chopped
• 1 tbsp cilantro finely chopped
• 1 tbsp lemon juice
• Salt to taste
• Green bell pepper and boiled potato for decorating salad plate

Method:

• Mix all the ingredients and arrange on a serving plate.
• Add salt just before serving.

Do You Know?

Radishes are suggested as an alternative treatment for a variety of ailments including whooping cough, cancer, coughs, gastric discomfort, liver problems, constipation, dyspepsia, gallbladder problems, arthritis, gallstones, kidney stones and intestinal parasites.

Rainbow Salad

What a feast to eyes! It is a fun to collect seven colored ingredients to make this salad…..chose your own choice of ingredients and make it.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup shredded purplish cabbage
• 1 cup beetroot cut into thin strips
• 1 cup blue berry fresh or frozen
• 1 cup shredded lettuce
• 1 cup yellow bell pepper cut into thin strips
• 1 cup shredded orange carrot
• 1 red pepper cut into thin strips
• 2 tsp lemon juice
• salt to taste
• ½ tsp black pepper

Method:

• Arrange all the ingredients in the form of a rainbow in a flat dish.
• Add lemon juice, black pepper and salt just before serving.
• Serve with dip/chutney.

Do You Know?

A red or purplish cabbage is more mild and sweet flavored than other cabbage. It has a round, solid head and is popular for adding color to salads, coleslaw and stir-fries. The leaves on the red cabbage are tougher than the leaves of green cabbage, because of its longer maturity time. Red cabbage is available throughout the year.

The color in purplish cabbage will have a tendency to run when it is cooked. The cabbage turns a purplish blue and turns other foods that it is cooked with to a reddish color. To prevent the red cabbage from discoloring, add lemon juice or vinegar to the cooking water.

Cabbage Bowl Salad

A simple,colorful and nutritious salad made from diced cucumber, onion and tomato and bell peppers. .

Ingredients:

• 1 cucumber peeled and diced
• 1 medium onion diced
• 1 tomato diced
• ½ green bell pepper diced
• ½ yellow bell pepper diced
• ½ red bell pepper diced
• 1 carrot diced
• 2 tsp lemon juice
• salt to taste
• ½ tsp black pepper
• 1 green chili finely chopped

Method:

• Try to cut all vegetables in equal sized cubes.
• Mix all ingredients well in a bowl.
• Add lemon juice, black pepper and salt.
• Transfer salad into cabbage bowl made from outer stiff leaves of a big cabbage.

Do You Know?

Cabbage provides Vitamin A, Vitamin C and is known as an excellent source of fibre. Cabbage features a vast number of anti-cancer and anti- oxidant compounds.

Consuming cabbage has also been linked to fastening up oestrogen metabolism, which is also believed to help prevent breast cancer.

Cabbage contains properties that help prevent colon cancer and stomach cancer.

Cabbage juice features anti- ulcer compounds, and is reported to contain both anti- viral and anti- bacteria properties.

Tempered Cucumber Salad

Grated cucumber is mixed with yogurt and tempered with asafetida.

Ingredients:

• 4 cucumbers grated
• 1 small tomato finely chopped
• 2 green chillies chopped
• 1 cup thick butter milk or yogurt diluted with water in the ratio of 1:1
• Salt to taste

• For Tempering:

• 2 tbsp cooking oil
• pinch of asafetida
• ¼ tsp mustard seeds

Method:

• Mix all ingredients in a bowl.
• For tempering: heat oil in a small pan. Add mustard seeds.When these stop spluttering remove from fire and add pinch of asafetida. Pour this over cucumber yogurt salad and mix well.
• Serve chilled

Tips: Chill the serving plates to keep your salad crisp longer.

Do You Know:

Cucumbers contain vast amounts of Vitamin A and Vitamin C; they also have the minerals potassium and calcium. They are enriched in fibre and contain many other vital minerals including magnesium. Cucumbers also feature high amounts of folic acid, which has been known to help reduce blood pressure as well.

Stir Fried Moong Bean sprouts

Slightly cooked moong bean sprouts are served as a side dish.

Ingredients:

• 2 cups green gram sprouted
• 2 tbsp finely chopped onion
• 2 green chilies finely chopped
• 2 tbsp green cilantro leaves
• 1 tsp chaat masala
• Salt to taste
• 1 tbsp lemon juice
• 1 tsp cumin seeds
• ½ tsp asafetida
• 1 tbsp cooking oil

Method:

• Heat oil in a pan. Add asafetida and cumin seeds.
• Add green gram sprouted, green chilies, cilantro leaves, chaat masala and salt. Cook for 3-4 minutes stirring occasionally, till green gram is little transparent.
• Take out in a bowl. Sprinkle lemon juice.
• Garnish with chopped onion and serve.

Do You Know?

Moong beans are germinated by leaving them watered with 4 hours of daytime light and spending the rest of the day in the dark. These can be grown under artificial light also.

Moong bean sprouts are a good source of vitamin C, B complex vitamins and protein.

These are low in calories and can be eaten freely.

Paneer Lettuce Salad

Try Lettuce with fresh cottage cheese for a tasty twist to your usual salad.

Ingredients:

• 1 pack Boston Lettuce
• 1 medium onion sliced
• ½ Red Bell Pepper sliced
• Fresh Paneer chunks (Cottage cheese)
• ½ tsp Black Pepper powder
• 1 tsp Salad Supreme Seasoning
• 2 tbsp lemon juice
• Salt to taste
• 2 tbsp olive oil

Method:

• Mix all the ingredients and serve chilled.

Note: Lettuce is a delicate vegetable and great care should be taken when selecting and storing. When selecting your leaves, be sure that they are fresh and crisp, with no signs of wilting or dark spots or edges.

Do You Know?

Lettuce is a fat free, low calorie food. It is a valuable source of vitamin A and folic acid. Lactucarium (or “Lettuce Opium”) is a mild opiate-like substance that is contained in all types of lettuce. Both the Romans and Egyptians took advantage of this property eating lettuce at the end of a meal to induce sleep.

Chickpea/Garbanzo/Kabuli Chana Salad

Tangy chickpea salad made of kabuli chana, potatoes and carrot.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup garbanzo beans (Kabuli Chana) boiled
• 1 small potato boiled and diced
• 1 small onion chopped
• 1 carrot chopped
• 1 tsp cilantro chopped
• 1 green chili finely chopped
• 2 tsp lime juice
• ¼ tsp black salt
• salt to taste
• 1 tsp chat masala

Method:
Mix all the ingredients together and chill.

Do you know?

Black salt is a special type of rock salt mined from the volcanic regions of Pakistan and India.It is full of therapeutic benefits and is recommended for patients with high blood pressure.

Salad Baskets

Salad Basket is easy to prepare and delicious to eat.

Ingredients:

• 1 big boiled potato diced
• 1 big sweet potato boiled and diced
• 1 cucumber peeled and diced
• 1 cup boiled sweet peas
• 1 green chili finely chopped
• 2 tsp parsley leaves finely chopped
• salt to taste
• 1 tsp chaat masala
• 2 tbsp lime juice
• 1 tsp black pepper powder
• Two big firm round tomatoes

Method:

• Cut tomatoes into halves and scoop out pulp from inside.
• In a bowl put diced potato and sweet potato.Mix in salt, ½ tsp chaat masala, ½ tsp black pepper powder and 1 tsp lime juice. Fill two tomato halves with this mixture.
• In another bowl take diced cucumber and peas.Mix in remaining chat masala, black pepper powder, lime juice and salt. Fill remaining halves of tomatoes with this mixture.
• Garnish with parsley leaves and serve cold.

Note: You can fill tomato baskets with different types of salads.

Tip: New potatoes are best for potato salad, but if they aren't available, use other type of potatoes.


Do You Know?

In 1994 Calgene introduced a genetically modified tomato called the 'FlavrAavr' which could be vine ripened without compromising shelf life. However, the product was not commercially successful and was only sold until 1997.

Recently, stores have begun selling "tomatoes on the vine", which are determinate varieties that are ripened or harvested with the fruits still connected to a piece of vine. These tend to have more flavor than artificially ripened tomatoes (at a price premium), but still may not be the equal of local garden produce

Egg Peas Salad

This nutritive colorful salad can be served for breakfast.

Ingredients:

• 4 cups of green peas ( fresh or frozen)
• 2 big round hard tomatoes
• 4 hard boiled egg
• 2 tsp chaat masala
• Coriander leaves to garnish
• 1 tsp butter
• 1 tbsp lemon juice
• ½ tsp black pepper powder
• salt

Method:

• In an skillet heat butter and saute peas. Take out in a bowl and add chat masala and lemon juice according to taste.
• Shell boiled eggs. Cut each into two pieces. Sprinkle salt and black pepper on each.
• Cut each tomato into two pieces. Scoop out pulp and seeds to make a hollow bowl like structure.
• Fill tomato halves with peas salad. Arrange these with eggs in a platter.
• Garnish with coriander leaves.

Tips: Cut boiled eggs with a knife dipped in hot water to avoid breaking

Do You Know?

Egg albumen, also known as egg white, accounts for most of an egg's liquid weight, about 67%. It contains more than half the egg's total protein, niacin, riboflavin, chlorine, magnesium, potassium, sodium and sulfur.

The albumen consists of 4 alternating layers of thick and thin consistencies. From the yolk outward, they are designated as the inner thick or chalaziferous white, the inner thin white, the outer thick white and the outer thin white. Egg white tends to thin out as an egg ages because its protein changes in character. That's why fresh eggs sit up tall and firm in the pan while older ones tend to spread out.

Chicken Egg Salad

This salad is as flavorful as it is attractive. Add your own favorite ingredients to the salad bowls.

Ingredients:

• 2 chicken breast halves, grilled and sliced into small cubes
• 2 tbsp chopped Spring Onions
• 2 big round hard tomatoes
• 1 hard boiled egg
• 2 tbsp Ranch Dressing and Dip
• 1 tsp Wing Sauce
• Tomato Ketchup
• Coriander leaves to garnish

Method:

• Mix chicken chunks with Ranch dressing, Wing Sauce, Chopped Spring Onions.
• Shell boiled eggs. Cut into two pieces.
• Cut each tomato into two pieces. Scoop out pulp and seeds to make a hollow bowl like structure.
• Fill tomato halves with chicken salad. Arrange these with eggs in a platter.
  Serve chilled.

Do You Know?

The yolk in a newly laid egg is round and firm. As the yolk ages it absorbs water from the albumen which increases its size and causes it to stretch and weaken the vitelline (the clear membrane enclosing the yolk). The resulting effect is a flattened and enlarged yolk shape.

As a food, yolks are a major source of vitamins and minerals. They contain all of the egg's fat and cholesterol, and almost half of the protein.

Black-eyed Bean (Cowpea) Salad

Cowpea contains about 25% protein, making it extremely valuable where many people cannot afford protein foods such as meat and fish

Ingredients:

• 1 cup boiled black-eyed beans
• ½ cup cucumber cut into small cubes
• ½ cup carrot cut into small cubes
• ½ cup onion cut into small cubes
• 2 small finely chopped green chillies
• ½ cup finely chopped green coriander
• 2 tbsp lemon juice
• Salt to taste
• ½ tsp black pepper powder
• 1 tsp chaat masala

Method:

• Mix all the ingredients in a bowl.
• Keep in the refrigerator for at least two hrs.
• Serve it as a evening snack or salad with meal.

Do You Know?

The protein in cowpea seed is rich in the amino acids, lysine and tryptophan, compared to cereal grains; however, it is deficient in methionine and cystine when compared to animal proteins. Therefore, cowpea seed is valued as a nutritional supplement to cereals and an extender of animal proteins.

Cowpea can be used at all stages of growth as a vegetable crop. The tender green leaves are an important food source in Africa and are prepared as a pot herb, like spinach. Immature snapped pods are used in the same way as snapbeans, often being mixed with other foods. Green cowpea seeds are boiled as a fresh vegetable, or may be canned or frozen. Dry mature seeds are also suitable for boiling and canning.

Cowpea contains about 25% protein, making it extremely valuable where many people cannot afford protein foods such as meat and fish.