Indian Salads

[Monica Bhide]

Hi all, we are having a huge dinner tomorrow night and I am stuck in a rut about what sort of salad to serve. The dinner menu has all sorts of fish, chicken and vegetarian recipes, all Indian. I normally do two salads, one with yogurt ( a raita of sorts) and one with onions (with vinegar and red food color )... I would like to do something different tomorrow night. Any suggestions? Maybe somehting with potatoe croutons and toasted sesame seeds

Okay, I need to feed.. will be back in a few

[Suvir Saran]

Do a cold Aloo Chaat (Potato Salad).

And make your raita more veggies and less yogurt. And try hanging the yogurt to drain extra water... it will become nice and thick and will work as a thick coating on whatever you choose to toss in it.

[Sandra Levine]

This would not be authentic, but I think it would go: either a watercress, red onion and orange salad or a green salad that included leafy herbs, like coriander and flat parsley. You could use a mint vinegar in the salad dressing, or even try adding a little garam masala.

Edited December 7, 2002 by Sandra Levine (log)

[Monica Bhide]

Sandra I used your suggestion, added baby chopped spinach, dried crushed red chillies (marinated in yogurt), and a bit of black salt. The dinner is tonite so I will post opinions tomorrow!

[Sonzy]

Do a cold Aloo Chaat (Potato Salad). 

And make your raita more veggies and less yogurt.  And try hanging the yogurt to drain extra water... it will become nice  and thick and will work as a thick coating on whatever you choose to toss in it.

Do add to Suvir's Raita,

I would add KidnyBeans and Kachaloo to the Aloo Chaat. As for Raita, I love a Pineapple Raita.

Btw, do we get Kachaloos there?

Kachalu reminds me of Jammu / Vaishno Devi. You get excellent Kachalu chaat at Katra.

- Sonzy

[Monica Bhide]

Do a cold Aloo Chaat (Potato Salad).  

And make your raita more veggies and less yogurt.  And try hanging the yogurt to drain extra water... it will become nice  and thick and will work as a thick coating on whatever you choose to toss in it.

Do add to Suvir's Raita,

I would add KidnyBeans and Kachaloo to the Aloo Chaat. As for Raita, I love a Pineapple Raita.

Btw, do we get Kachaloos there?

Kachalu reminds me of Jammu / Vaishno Devi. You get excellent Kachalu chaat at Katra.

- Sonzy

Can you describe for others what "kachaloo" is

[Suvir Saran]

Do a cold Aloo Chaat (Potato Salad).  

And make your raita more veggies and less yogurt.  And try hanging the yogurt to drain extra water... it will become nice  and thick and will work as a thick coating on whatever you choose to toss in it.

Do add to Suvir's Raita,

I would add KidnyBeans and Kachaloo to the Aloo Chaat. As for Raita, I love a Pineapple Raita.

Btw, do we get Kachaloos there?

Kachalu reminds me of Jammu / Vaishno Devi. You get excellent Kachalu chaat at Katra.

- Sonzy

Can you describe for others what "kachaloo" is

And I thought you were the special contributor these next two weeks?

I am vacationing sweet friend... the ball is in your court.

[Suvir Saran]

Sorry!

The quiestion was to Sonyz.

Welcome to eGullet and the Indian forum Sonyz.

Great to have you here...

Edited December 7, 2002 by Suvir Saran (log)

[Monica Bhide]

Welomce Sonyz!! Yes Suvir the question was for Sonyz

[Monica Bhide]

This would not be authentic, but I think it would go:  either a watercress, red onion and orange salad or a green salad that included leafy herbs, like coriander and flat parsley.  You could use a mint vinegar in the salad dressing, or even try adding a little garam masala.

So I finally ended up making two salads, one as indicated earlier and the other one was a Potruguese Grilled Chicken salad on baby greens ( my doctored up version of Caeser salad i guess)

Worked well, thank you all of the suggestions

[Monica Bhide]

This simple salad is healthy and great for the holiday table. It is from my book, The Spice is Right: Easy Indian cooking for today. The lack of heavy oily dressings makes it a delight. This is a staple in the classes that I have taught, it is so simple there really is nothing to teach in this one.

Birds Nest Salad

1 clove garlic, minced

1 cup canned red kidney beans

1 jalapeño or green chile, minced drained and rinsed

3 tablespoons lemon juice

1 cup corn kernels, drained

2 tablespoons chopped and rinsed fresh coriander

1/4 cup bean sprouts

1/4 teaspoon ground cumin

1/4 cup diced red bell pepper

salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

1/4 teaspoon red chile powder

1 red onion, sliced

1 bunch lettuce leaves of your choice

1 cup canned chickpeas, drained and rinsed

Tips: If you can't find fresh coriander, use fresh parsley instead. Dried coriander is not a substitute. If you do not like the idea of using raw sprouts, boil them for a few minutes and then add to the salad.

In a large bowl whisk together the garlic, jalapeño, lemon juice, coriander, cumin, salt, and black pepper. Add the onion, chickpeas, kidney beans, corn, bean sprouts, bell pepper, and chile powder. Mix well. Arrange the lettuce leaves along the walls of a large glass bowl to form a bird's nest. Gently spoon the salad mixture into the bird's nest, being careful not to disturb the lettuce. Serve at room temperature.

Variations: Add 1/4 cup fresh pomegranate seeds or 1/2 cup mandarin orange sections for wonderful flavor and delightful color.

Per Serving: Calories: 180; Protein: 8 g; Carbohydrates: 32 g; Fat: 2 g