When it comes to healthy eating, salads arguably take the top spot. They are usually rich in fibre, as well as other micronutrients that the body requires, while being low in carbs and calories.
However, the popular salad recipes often call for exotic ingredients, including some that are not commonly found in a desi household.
Celebrity chef and MasterChef India judge Kunal Kapur provides a solution to the problem by sharing his own take on the Asian vegetarian salad, made with everyday ingredients. The dish takes only 22 minutes to prepare, and the quantities of ingredients listed below are sufficient to serve two.
Ingredients for Asian veg salad
For salad
- Cabbage, shredded – 3 cups
- Tomato, julienne – ½ cup
- Onion, sliced – ½ cup
- Apple, medium – 1
- Carrots, grated – 1 cup
- Corn, boiled – 1 cup
- Salt – 1 tsp
- Pepper powder – ½ tsp
- Lemon, small – 1
For dressing
- Ginger – a small piece
- Garlic clove, large – 1
- Green chilli – 1
- Jaggery powder (gur) – 3 tbsp
- Lemon juice – 3-4 tbsp
- Light soya sauce – ¼ cup
- Olive oil – 2½ tbsp
- Coriander, chopped – handful
- Peanuts, roasted – handful
- White & black sesame (til) – 1½ tbsp
Method of preparation
1. Start by thinly shredding the cabbage and place it in a bowl.
2. Deseed and thinly slice the tomatoes.
3. Slice the onions and de-core and slice the apples into thin pieces.
4. Add these to the bowl along with grated carrots and boiled corn, then set aside.
5. Season the vegetables with salt, pepper, and lemon juice, and mix well.
For the dressing
6. In a blender, add roughly chopped ginger, one garlic clove, deseeded green chillies, jaggery powder, lemon juice, light soy sauce, and olive oil.
7. Blend until smooth and well combined to prepare the salad dressing.
To assemble the salad
8. Gently squeeze out any excess water from the vegetables and transfer them to a large mixing bowl or plate.
9. Add roasted peanuts and a small amount of toasted sesame seeds.
10. Pour the prepared dressing over the vegetables and mix well.
11. Plate the salad and garnish with chopped coriander and extra toasted sesame seeds before serving.
