Our in-house salad nut shares four tried-and-tested recipes for healthy, tossed-up bowls. These imaginative dressings are summer’s secret ingredient to getting the perfect mix every time you attempt one
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WHO says salads are all green and no taste? We love a good mixed bowl, and the usual complaints against this versatile dish don’t stand a chance. Don’t think this
requires exotic vegetables, precisely measured, complicated dressings and deft tossing. Think that it takes half the prep and cooking time and effort than Indian subzis. What a boon in the scorching summer, right? And the fact is, most people stay away from making salads at home, but don’t mind shelling out big bucks at their favourite joint. We’re about to let you in on a secret:
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It’s less about the veggies and more about the dressings. And it doesn’t help to load up on ingredients to make it ‘tasty enough’ for our Indian palate. Instead, keep it mild by striking the right balance with veggies and fruits, and drizzle one of our top four easy and affordable dressings.
Tastes like summer
Nothing spells summer better than citrus fruits, but sometimes the trusty lemon needs a break; the tang of orange juice fills the shoes very well and is perfect for those hot summer lunches or light dinners. While it might be hard to find oranges this season, you can always go for bottled organic orange juice/pulp that has no added sugar or preservatives. Pair it with vegetables that have high fibre content to balance the fructose levels of the juice. Note that this salad is highly perishable and will not last at room temperatures in the city. Take it to work only if your office has a refrigerator.
Ingredients
1/2 tsp balsamic vinegar
1 tsp mustard sauce
1 tbsp honey
1/2 cup orange juice
2 to 3 tsp lime juice
1 tbsp olive oil
A few garlic cloves, chopped
Fresh/dried herbs
Salt and pepper
Method
Mix all the ingredients, beat well and keep refrigerated.
Goes best with: 1/2 cup stir-fried chopped or sliced bell pepper, English cucumber, broccoli, zucchini, and mushrooms (optional) + boiled and shredded chicken (optional)
Pro tip: Keep boiled chicken handy at all times. Boil around half a kilo of chicken with bones and use the broth for a quick cold lettuce soup.
Korean twist
Our salad dressing for the Korean twist includes the versatile ingredient, gochujang. Pic/Pradeep Dhivar
This Korean hot favourite fermented sauce is spicy, savoury, and slightly sweet, but so much more complex than other hot sauces. Gochugaru chilli flakes, glutinous rice, fermented soybeans, malted barley and salt are left to ferment together in large earthenware pots. We like how versatile it is, going into dips and stir-fries alike. In salad form, it is traditionally eaten with cabbage and cucumber, but we usually toss in whatever is available.
The twist we bring to it is the hint of tang and spice with orange juice and honey. You can always add more gochujang if you want it to be spicier, but we wouldn’t recommend it in this heat. Both, the salad and the vegetables, can be prepared and stored in the refrigerator overnight.
Ingredients
2 tbsp gochujang
1 tbsp honey
Few baby carrots, julienned
1/2 tsp chilli flakes
1/2 tsp of olive oil
Pinch of pepper
Method
Put ingredients in a jar and shake well and refrigerate overnight to let the carrots soak in the gochujang flavours. Add the dressing to veggies right before you eat.
Goes best with: 1/2 cup of stir-fried broccoli, capsicum and bell peppers + 1/2 cup hand-torn lettuce.
Add the tadka
Muga Kosimbiri is the tastiest desi salad we’ve ever had. Usually served at summer weddings in the South and as prasadam in Karnataka, the only dressing here is the tadka. Extremely pocket-friendly and even more filling, it wears gluten-free, vegan and healthy tags too. It’s a meal on its own, getting the sweetness from seasonal fruit and the spice punch from chillies.
Ingredients
2 tbsp ghee/coconut oil
2 to 3 green chillies
1 tsp hing
Pinch of cumin
Curry leaves
Method
Heat oil and add the tadka ingredients and pour over the ingredients. Mix with moong dal and serve.
Goes best with: Soaked yellow moong dal, grated carrot, fresh coconut, mango, coriander + salt and sugar to taste.
Fresh and fruity
When working with strong flavours in both the dressing and the salad, it’s an art to pair them right. Fruit salads are the quickest to make (peeling time included, if you are a pro) and the colours
refresh the mind.
Ingredients
3 tbsp lime juice
1 tbsp honey
1 tbsp orange juice
1/2 tbsp olive oil
Pinch of salt
Method
Whisk the juices together and adjust proportions as per your taste. Refrigerate until you are ready to pour on the fruits.
Goes best with: 1 cup mango + 1/2 cup pineapple + 1/2 cup musk melon + 1/2 cup green apple and figs (optional)
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