Three salad ideas by Dr. Nandita Shah

By Dr. Nandita Shah

Three salad ideas from our contributor Dr. Nandita Shah

(slightly adjusted by Stanka)

Note On These Recipes

Some of the recipes have been converted from American recipes, and some ingredients have been substituted with what is easily available elsewhere.

It’s easy to measure dry ingredients, but it’s hard to fix an exact quantity on vegetables and fruits whose sizes vary. Also a medium-sized onion in India would be a small one in the US or jaggery varies in sweetness and so on.

Please use these recipes creatively and not mathematically. Please do not stick to the quantities given in the recipes. Taste the food as you make it and add and subtract to the recipes as it suits your taste.

Nandita

Sprout Chaat/Moong (Mung)

This is a healthy salad, which is always a great hit.

Ingredients for 2 people:

2 cups of moong – sprouts for 2-3 days (sprouts made at home or small sprouts – not the long ones used in Chinese food)

1/2 cup of chopped tomatoes

1/2 cup of chopped onions

1/4 cup of chopped coriander

juice of one lime

turmeric

black salt

chaat masala

grated ginger

minced green chillies

date and tamarind chutney or see options

Method –

Add all ingredients into bowl and mix well.

Options:

Instead of date and tamarind chutney, add dressing from avocado, date, cumin powder, ginger powder, red chili powder, water – processed in a blender.

Instead of date and tamarind chutney, add extra-virgin olive oil and tamari soy sauce.

For those who cook:…… 1/2 cup chopped boiled potatoes

Seaweed Salad

Ingredients for 4-6 people:

1/3 pack seaweed

10 oz (300g) of radish, sliced thin with a peeler

10 oz (300g) of carrots, sliced thin with a peeler

10 oz (300g) of cucumber, sliced thin with a peeler

5 oz (150g) of onion, sliced

1 oz (30g) of garlic, ground

2 tsp combucha vinegar or juice of 1 lime

2tsp salt

1 tsp mustard

pepper to taste

jaggery

Method –

Soak seaweed with water for 20 minutes and drain. Mix all ingredients gently with fingers to avoid tearing. Serve.

Green Papaya Salad

Ingredients for 2 people:

5.5 oz (160g) green papaya

1 handful of salad greens, for example baby spinach, red amaranth leaves, methi, tender, gongura leaves etc.

2 oz (60g) of tomatoes

2 oz (60g) of beetroot

2 oz (60g) of carrots

1.5 oz (40g) of whole moong (green gram) sprouted for 2-3 days

mint leaves

4 tsp sesame seeds

extra-virgin olive oil and tamari soy sauce

Method –

Peel the papaya, take out seeds and grate into thin slices. Wash the salad greens and if the leaves are larger, chop them a little. Pour the extra-virgin olive oil and tamari soy sauce over the salad, sprinkle with sesame seeds and let it sit for 5-10 minutes. Grate the beetroot and sprinkle on top just before serving, so the rest of the salad does not get coloured.

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