Tag Archives: salad

Grilled Naan Salad with Mint Raita Dressing

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grilled naan salad with mint raita dressing

A friend of mine was telling me about how she loves Indian food but finds restaurant Indian food too heavy for hot weather. Just because its summer doesn’t mean you need to give up on Indian food! Here’s a grilled naan salad with raita dressing that is both light, and cooling for a hot summer day.

When Stonefire flatbreads approached me to be their spokesperson in Portland, I simply couldn’t refuse. I love a good flatbread, especially naan – an Indian flat bread made in a special clay oven called a tandoor. Stonefire makes a variety of naans, including garlic which is absolutely delicious! I used their regular/plain flavored naan for this recipe and it was very good. But wait, there is a way for you to try this naan salad! Read on..

grilled naan salad with mint raita dressing

The Stonefire Food Truck will be touring the country from April-August, 2014 serving up some truly scrumptious fare, all involving flatbreads ofcourse! I will be serving this yummy naan salad at Stonefire’s food truck in Pioneer square on June 26th at lunch time - only one day, only in Portland!

Stop by the food truck for free samples, giveaways and recipe tips!

WHEN:       Thursday, June 26, 2014. 11am-4pm
WHERE:     First stop at SW Morrison St and SW Broadway, followed by SW 3rd Avenue and SW Morrison St and SW Washington St & SW Park Ave

Follow the food cart tour on Facebook and Twitter

Don’t miss it, its going to be fun!

Grilled Naan Salad and Raita Dressing

Serves 2 as an entree

For the salad
1 naan cut or torn into 12 bite size pieces
1/2 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
salt
4 cups chopped iceberg or romain lettuce
1/2 cup cherry tomatoes
1/2 cup cucumber slices
1/4 cup red onion slices, optional

For the dressing
3/4 cup plain greek yogurt
2 tablespoons finely chopped mint leaves
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
4 tablespoons water
Salt and pepper

Method
Pre-heat oven to 400f.
1. Place the naan pieces on a baking sheet. Whisk the olive oil, cumin and salt together. Pour on top of the naan. Toss well. Arrange the naan pieces in a single layer on the baking sheet. Bake the naan at 400f for 10 minutes or till the naan is golden brown. Remove from oven and set aside.

Alternatively, you can also grill the naan on an outdoor grill – brush the whole naan with the oil and cumin mixture. Cook on an outdoor grill till grill marks appear on both sides and it. Let the naan cook slightly and then tear it into pieces.

2. While the naan is baking, work on the salad dressing. Combine all dressing ingredients in a bowl and whisk till well combined. If the dressing is too thick, add water 1 tablespoon at a time until the desired consistency is reached. It should be thick like ranch dressing. Refrigerate till you are ready to assemble the salad.

3. In a large bowl, toss the toasted naan, other salad ingredients. Serve the yogurt raita dressing on the side. Serve immediately.

Mango Blueberry Quinoa Salad with Lemon Basil Dressing Recipe

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My sister regularly gets this blueberry mango quinoa salad with lemon basil dressing at the Marks and Spencer grocery store in UK. She also regularly raves about it to me. She says it’s the perfect healthy salad for summer – fruity, tangy, fresh and filling.

Marks and Spencer’s version of this salad has quinoa, barley, red rice, sprouts, mango, blueberry, and cucumbers. I simplified it a bit, and used only quinoa plus the fruits and cucumber.

Cut the cucumber and mango about the same size as the blueberries, so everything looks uniform. Add the fruits to the salad just before serving to ensure they are fresh and juicy. This salad recipe has as much fruits and vegetable as there is quinoa. If you want it less fruity just use less fruits or more quinoa.

The dressing recipe here will make a little more than you need. Toss  half the dressing with the quinoa. Serve the other half on the side – this always pleases the people who like their salads extra tangy!

You can customize this blueberry mango quinoa salad recipe any way you like. Here are some suggestions to add to this recipe if you want some variations:

-          Cooked chickpeas
-          Any kind of sprouts
-          Walnuts
-          Cubed jicama
-          Cubed carrot
-          Fresh mint

Here is another recipe for blueberry mango quinoa salad with lemon basil dressing ala Marks and Spencer from foodwired

Blueberry Mango Quinoa Salad with Lemon Basil Dressing Recipe

Serves about 2

For the quinoa
1/2 cup quinoa
1 cup water

For the fruits and veggies
½ cup fresh blueberries
½ cup cubed ripe mangoes
½ cup cubed cucumbers
1/2 tablespoon dried cranberries

For the lemon basil dressing
1½ tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon lemon zest
10 Basil leaves, chopped finely
Salt and pepper

Place the quinoa and water in a medium skillet and bring to a boil. Then reduce heat, and simmer covered for about 15 minutes or till the quinoa is cooked. Remove the lid, and fluff the quinoa with a fork. Let it cool to room temperature.

While the quinoa is cooking, combine the fruits in a bowl and refrigerate till you are ready to serve the salad.

Whisk together all the dressing ingredients, except the chopped basil. Refrigerate till you are ready to serve. Chop and add the basil to the dressing just before serving. If you add it earlier, it will go black.

Add half the dressing to the quinoa and mix gently.

Assemble the salad just before serving – toss the quinoa, fruits and cucumbers together. Serve other half of the dressing on the side. Serve  immediately.

My Grandmother’s Multicolored Mixed Vegetable Raita

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My two grandmother’s could not be more different.  One has a PhD, was a career woman and takes pride in the fact that she ‘cant boil a kettle of water’. She is a connoisseur of fine food, but never enters the kitchen herself. My other grandmother works miracles in the kitchen. She can effortlessly turn out simmering pot after pot of the most delectable sambars, kuzhambus, rasams, poriyals, and kootus. She instilled in me a love for cooking; and not a week goes by when I’m not on the phone with my grandmother asking for recipes, techniques or clarifications. As different as they are from each other, both my grandmothers are remarkable women, and I continue to learn so much from them.

 My grandmother (the non-cooking one!), grandfather,  father and aunt. Late 1950s

 

 

 When its too hot to cook, I always turn to this mixed vegetable raita. Its cool, refershing and there is no cooking involved. I am happy just eating a huge bowl of this for dinner. But this colorful raita will be a great accompaniment to and Indian dinner of rice, roti and curry.

Its easy to remember this recipe – just remember the 6 Cs- cucumber, capsicum, corn, carrot, curd, cherry tomato. Then add pomegranates. Thats it! I didnt use pomegranate seeds in this recipe because I couldnt find any; but I highly recommend you use them!

My grandmother adds salt to the raita only just before serving. If you add salt any sooner, it will draw out the moisture from the vegetables and make your raita watery. And make sure you let the raita sit in the fridge overnight, it tastes much better than eating it right away.

My Grandmother’s Multicolored Mixed Vegetable Raita Recipe

serves about 10 as a side dish

1 large seedless cucumber, the kind with the plastic wrap or 4 small cucumbers (about 3 cups when chopped)
3 medium carrots (about 1 1/2 cups when chopped)
1 small green pepper (about 1/2 cup when chopped)
1 small orange pepper (about 1/2 cup when chopped)
1 cup cherry tomatoes
2 cups drained canned sweet corn
1/2 cup pomegranate seeds (I didnt use, because I couldnt find them)
3 cups yogurt
salt

Peel the cucumber and carrots, and chop into very small pieces. Chop the peppers into tiny pieces as well. Cut each cherry tomato into 2 or 3 pieces.  Mix all ingredients together in a large bowl, except salt. Place the raita in the fridge. Raita tastes better if it sits over night. Add salt just before serving and stir well. Serve chilled.

Wheat Berry Confetti Salad with Artichokes, Peppers, Dill and Mint

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Wheat berry is the whole wheat kernel containing the wheat germ and wheat bran.  Wheat berries have heaps of fiber and protein. They have a sweet, nutty flavor and a chewy texture. They are tasty, easy to make and good for you. I buy wheat berries at Whole Foods. This recipe has a great confetti of color from all the different vegetables. Not only is this a colorful, healthy salad, its also vegan!

How to cook wheat berries

- Boil wheat berries in salted water and drain when done

- They will take anywhere between 1 to 2 hours to cook. I usually cook mine for about 1 1/2 hours.

- After one hour, start tasting the wheat berries. Turn off heat and drain when they are done to your satisfaction.

Wheat Berry Confetti Salad with Artichoke Hearts, Roasted Red Pepper, Green Pepper, Purple Cabbage, Yellow Sweet Corn, Dill and Mint Recipe

serves about 4

1 cup hard wheat berries
1-2 dried bay leaves
10 cups water
4 tablespoons olive oil
1-2 cloves garlic, finely minced
2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
1 teaspoon brown sugar
salt and pepper
1 large artichoke heart (bottled or frozen), chopped
1/2 cup chopped roasted red peppers
1/2 cup chopped green peppers
1/4 cup shredded purple cabbage
1/4 cup canned sweet corn, drained
1/2 tablespoon chopped fresh mint
1/2 tablespoon chopped fresh dill

Place the wheat berries, bay leaf, and water in a large pot. Salt the water generously. Bring to a boil. Then reduce heat to medium. Place a lid on the pot and crack the lid open to let steam escape. Let the wheat berries boil for about 1 1/2 hours or till done. After an hour of cooking, start checking the wheat berries for doneness. Remove from heat when wheat berries are done to your liking. Drain and set aside.

In the same pot, heat olive oil. Add the minced garlic and let it sizzle for about 20 seconds. Turn off heat and let the oil cool a little. Then stir in white wine vinegar, brown sugar, salt and pepper. Add cooked wheat berries to pot and mix well. Then add all other ingredients and mix well. Serve at room temperature. This salad will taste better if left in the fridge overnight.

Chive Blossom Tempura Salad

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My dear friend Siva is the most passionate foodie I know. He goes on amazing eating trips and comes back with a head full of ideas. One such idea is this chive blossom tempura. When I returned home with a beautiful bunch of  blooming chives from the Dupont circle farmers market , I asked Siva what he suggests I do with them. Tempura was his answer. This tempura is easy to make, tastes great, and the batter is eggless. Serve this tempura by itself or on a salad. Thanks Siva!

Notes:

- If you dont have chive blossoms, just use fresh chives. Chop the chives and mix it with the tempura batter. Then fry small spoon fulls of this batter. Eat these chive fritters with dipping sauce or over  salad

- Use your favorite tempura dipping sauce. Mine had vinegar, chillies, sugar and soy sauce. I use this sauce for dipping the tempura and also as a salad dressing

- Make sure the club soda/soda water/seltzer you use for the tempura batter is ice cold. I add some ice cubes to make it extra cold, and then measure the liquid out

- If you are serving this as a tempura (without the salad), you may want to leave a little of the stem on the chive blossom for great presentation. See photo below. Holding the stem, dip the flower in the tempura batter. Then fry the flower part only, while holding on to the stem using tongs.

 

Chive Blossom or Chive Flower Tempura Salad Recipe

Serves about 2

One bunch of chive flowers (about 16 flowers)
1/2 cup flour
1/2 cup ice cold club soda or seltzer or soda water
a pinch of baking powder
Salt & pepper
Vegetable oil for shallow frying
Store brought tempura dipping sauce
3 cups salad leaves of your choice (dont use strong tasting ones like arugula)

Cut the chive flowers from the stems. Chop up the stems and reserve.

Make the tempura batter by gently mixing together flour, soda water, baking powder, salt and pepper. Dip a chive flower into the batter and shallow fry till crisp and golden on all sides. Repeat with all chive flowers, a few at a time. Drain the tempura on paper towels. Arrange tempura over salad leaves. Garnish with chopped chive stems. Serve with your favorite tempura dipping sauce.

Shaved Carrot Salad with Pecans and Tangy Honey Vinaigrette

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Here’s an easy, simple carrot salad that will be a great side dish. I love packing this for a summer picnic. Sweet, tangy, crisp yumminess! I like shaving the carrots into ribbons or strips using a vegetable peeler. If you wish, you could grate or julienne them.

Tips

- For extra crisp carrots, place the shaved carrots in a bowl of water with ice cubes.  Pat dry before dressing
- When you measure the ingredients for the vinaigrette, measure out the olive oil first. Then use the same measuring cup or spoon to measure the honey. They honey will slip out of the olive oil coated measuring spoon easily
- The vinaigrette will keep for a few weeks in the fridge, so its a great make ahead item!
- I used white wine vinegar for the salad dressing. Apple cider vinegar or balsamic vinegar will also work well. For a citrus touch, try adding lemon or orange juice and zest 

I love serving salad dressing in this mini creamer jug I brought back from my trip to Thailand.

Shaved Carrot Salad with Pecans and Honey Vinaigrette Recipe

serves about 2

3 medium carrots
3 tablespoons chopped pecans
Honey vinaigrette, recipe below

Peel the carrots. Using a vegetable peeler, shave the carrots into long ribbons (see photos above). Lightly toast pecans in a skillet. Sprinkle pecans over shaved carrots. Serve chilled, with honey vinaigrette (recipe below).

Honey Vinaigrette Recipe
Whisk together 2 tablespoons each of olive oil, honey, and white wine vinegar. Add salt to taste.

Temples, Monks and a Thai Raw Mango Salad with Tofu. Thailand Part 2.

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I love Thailand for its sensuous food, elegant people and spectacular sights. Out of the 30 or so countries I’ve visited, Thailand is easily on the very top of my favorites list. Here, I share with you some pictures of Bangkok – a city that is a beautiful mélange of ancient culture and modern lifestyle. You will find serene Buddhist temples along the Chao Phraya river. And a hop away, you will find racy go go bars in Nana plaza. It is incredible that these cultural extremes co-exist. With its night life, beautiful Wats (temples) and amazing food, Bangkok is a truly exciting place. If only Bangkok was cooler, Id move there in a heartbeat!

Above: Wat Pho in Bangkok;  the gigantic reclining Buddha with mother of pearl in His feet

The most memorable part of my trip to Thailand is of course, the food. Thai cooking is seductive; and I cant think of a better recipe to showcase the beauty of Thai food like this one. Salty soy sauce, rich, sweet brown sugar, fresh zesty lime, crunchy, nutty peanuts, hot chillies, and crisp, sour mangoes. Every flavor in the world is packed into this mango salad.

Traditional Thai mango salad doesn’t have tofu in it. I added tofu to make this salad more filling.

Some tips:

Make this salad a day ahead and store it in the fridge. The flavors get so much better the next day
Only use raw, green mangoes (not the ripe yellow ones)
Leave out the chili if you prefer a milder salad
Add strips of pan-fried tofu to make this salad heartier
If you dont have a mortar and pestle, use a food processor to crush the peanuts

Thai Raw (Green) Mango Salad with Tofu Recipe

serves about 4

2 large green, raw mangoes
3/4 cup roasted peanuts
2 shallots, peeled
1 thai red chili (use more or omit according to taste)
3 tablespoons soy sauce
3 tablespoons dark brown sugar
1 tablespoon lime juice
a few sprigs cilantro
6 oz firm tofu, drained (optional)
Salt

Peel the mangoes and cut around the pit. Discard the pit. Grate the peeled mango using a box grater. Alternatively, slice the peeled mango into very thin strips.

Place the roasted peanuts, peeled shallots and red chili in a mortar and pound to a rough paste. Add this crushed peanut mixture to the shredded mango.

In a small bowl, whisk together the soy sauce, brown sugar and lime juice. Add this to the shredded mango and peanuts. Toss well. Taste and add salt if needed. Garnish with cilantro. Serve chilled.

To add tofu to this salad: Drain tofu and pat dry. Cut it into thin strips. Pan fry the tofu strips in a little oil till golden. Toss the tofu with the mango salad.

Baby Spinach and Kumquat Salad with Orange Sesame Dressing

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spinach-and-kumquat-salad-with-orange-sesame-dressing

Kumquats are gorgeous little citrus fruits with a sweet rind and sour flesh. Think of them as bright flavored, miniature oranges. You can eat kumquats whole, rind and all. They add a lovely, fresh, sweet-sour pop to this baby spinach salad. If you dont like or dont have kumquats, just use orange segments (or similar citrus fruit) instead.

kumquats1

Staying with the citrus theme, I used an orange and sesame dressing for this salad. Using frozen orange juice concentrate is the secret here. The concentrate gives the dressing great flavor without watering it down (like regular orange juice would).

 orange-sesame-dressing

spinach-kumquat-salad

Fresh Baby Spinach and Kumquat Salad with Orange Sesame Dressing Recipe

serves 2

for salad
4 cups fresh baby spinach leaves, loosely packed
6-8  kumquats
6 small red onion rings
2-3 tablespoons toasted pecans (I didnt use pecans)

for dressing
4 tablespoons frozen orange juice concentrate, thawed
1 tablespoon sesame oil
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 1/2 tablespoon rice wine vinegar
1 teaspoon toasted sesame seeds
salt and pepper

Wash and pat dry the spinach leaves. Wash and cut each kumquat into 3 or 4 rounds. Cut the red onion into thin rings. Assemble all ingredients for the salad in a serving dish.

Whisk together all ingredients for the dressing. Serve with spinach salad.

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