Peanut and Potato Salad

It is the season of peanut harvest in and around Bangalore. There is an interesting story around peanut harvest in our city.
Legend has it that a bull would roam over the fields every full moon night destroying the peanut crops. Flustered farmers offered their first harvest at the Bull temple and the roaming of the bull ceased!Local farmers offer their first crop to Nandi, the bull devotee of Lord Shiva at the Bull temple in Bangalore to this day. The temple vicinity wears a festive look during these two days. A village fair unfolds in the middle of the city. This annual fair is known as ‘Kadalekai Parishe’.
I love the earthy aroma of freshly dug up peanuts here. Call me biased, but the aroma and incredible, sweet, nutty flavours of peanuts that I buy from this fair every year beats all other. I cook the peanuts in their shells in salted water. All of us then gather around the steaming hot bowl of boiled peanuts, shell them and gobble them before some one else grabs it! Warm bonding  during chilly evenings over hot boiled peanuts!
Mostly I have no peanuts left over to include in any dish. However, I managed to make this peanut-potato salad from some that survived the onslaught. Even if the salad was made up from simple, readily available ingredients, it was bowl-scraping, finger-licking, slurp-worthy good. Ok, I’ll stop now.
I am documenting this recipe as much for myself as for sharing with all of you. Fresh seasonal ingredients. A good mix of crunch, soft, and crisp textures. A tongue tickling interplay of flavours. No fried ingredients. Healthy carbs and protein with a giant dose of fibre and vitamins. Do you need any more reasons? Just try it once. I am sure you’ll be hooked.

ALLERGY INFORMATION

• Does NOT contain gluten, lactose, corn, soya, eggs.
• Suitable for lactose or gluten intolerant people
• Contains peanuts.
• NOT SUITABLE for people with nut allergy.

Preparation time – 30 minutes + 30 minutes optional chilling time, Cooking Time – 30 minutes, Serves – 3-4.
You Need
Cookware - Pressure Cooker with 2 containers that fit into it, Metal/Glass Bowl, Colander/Salad spinner, Knife, Chopping Board
Ingredients

1. 2 cups peanuts in their shells
2. 2 medium potatoes, chopped with skin into quarters. 
3. 3 heaped cups Iceberg/Romaine Lettuce
4. 1 big Tomato
5. 2 tsp salt
6. 2-3 cups fresh water
7. a big bowl of ice water

For Salad Dressing

1. 2 tbsp Apple Cider Vinegar
2. 1/2 a red onion
3. 8-9 tbsp Extra Virgin Olive oil (EVOO)
4. 2 generous pinches crushed black pepper
5. 1/4 tsp salt

To Assemble

1. Dunk the peanuts in shells into a huge bowl of water. Let it sit for a few minutes. Rub the shells vigorously with both hands to loosen the dirt on them. Drain the water and repeat with 2 more changes of water. You can omit this step if using shelled peanuts. Just rinse peanuts once in water is enough.
2. Now place in a container, pour enough water to cover all the peanuts,  scatter 2 tsp salt over it. Place the rinsed and chopped potatoes also in another container. Place both containers in pressure cooker and pressure cook for 3 whistles.
3. Rinse the lettuce first under tap water, then place in ice water.
4. Peel and dice/slice the red onion. Place in a bowl, add 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar to it and let steep.
5. Meanwhile, whisk the remaining vinegar, EVOO, salt and crushed pepper into an emulsion.
6. Shell the peanuts and peel the potatoes. You can dice the potatoes into smaller size if you wish. Chop the tomato finely. Place all these together in a bowl.
7. Drain the lettuce, use a salad spinner if you have one. Else just drain in a colander and shake it well. Tear up the large leaves into bite size ones by hand. Add to the other vegetables.
8. Combine the onion and dressing from step 4 and 5. Drizzle over the salad vegetables. Mix well.

The salad tastes best if allowed to chill for half an hour before serving. But, if you are in a hurry, just dig in and enjoy! We coupled it with 2 slices of warm toasted baguette for an after school snack.

Technorati Tags: peanut salad,peanut potato salad,kadalekai parishe,seasonal ingredients,high protein,high fibre salad

Chole Kachumber Salad

Hearty, nourishing, vibrant, colourful. These are the descriptions that come to my mind as I think of the salads we make often at our home. And I am talking about vegetarian salads here. No, we do not miss the meat in salads or in anything else for that matter. Actually nobody would.
If we know how to bring together a medley of textures, colours, aromas and flavours, we can create amazing fresh, healthy salads for ourselves with just about as few or as many ingredients.
Salads such as these can be rustled up and forked down with guilt-less relish. At any time of the day. As part of a meal. As a meal in itself. As a filler between meal times. As a post workout snack. As an after school snack. …
Which is why I stock some soaked and cooked beans such as mung, brown or green chana (varieties of chickpeas), rajma (red kidney beans) or lobia (black eyed beans) in my freezer. They come in handy to spruce up a salad like this one.
I am calling this as chole – kachumber salad. It also closely resembles ‘Balilah’, a salad from Middle Eastern or Moroccan cuisine which is centred around chickpeas too. Here is the recipe for my chole – kachumber  salad.

ALLERGY INFORMATION

• Does NOT contain lactose, soya, gluten, nuts.

Preparation Time* – 15-20 minutes + 30 minutes chilling, Cooking Time – nil, Serves – 4-6.
You Need
Cookware – Steel/glass mixing bowl, Knife, Grater
Ingredients

1. 1 cup of cooked chickpeas/kabuli chana
2. 1/4 cup finely diced red onion
3. 1/2 cup chopped tomatoes
4. 1/2 cup diced/grated cucumber**
5. 1/2 cup grated  carrots
6. 1/2 cup pomegranate arils
7. A few lettuce leaves torn by hand (optional)
8. 1 tbsp chopped parsley OR 2 tbsp chopped coriander leaves
9. 1 tbsp lemon juice
10. 1 tsp sesame oil
11. Salt and pepper to season

To Assemble

1. To make the dressing, mix salt, pepper, oil and lemon juice. Whisk well and set aside.
2. Prepare all the vegetables as mentioned for the salad.
3. **Peel and core the cucumber if you find it has big seeds. Then chop or grate as preferred.
4. Mix all the ingredients in a bowl, drizzle the seasoning. Add salt and pepper. Toss well.
5. Chill for half an hour before serving.

* The preparation time is lesser only if you have cooked chana ready. Else, you may have to soak and cook ahead to use for the salad.  In that case, allow for 8 hours Soaking Time + 1 hour Cooking Time.

Technorati Tags: Vegetarian salad,chole,kachumber,chickpea salad,healthy salad,high protein salad

Which Salad Is Really Good For You?

 

Have we not heard this enough times? Eat your vegetables. Have a big bowl of salad for lunch. Feast only on salads at the buffet table. Eat salads, stay healthy, live long. Have a salad daily, a salad for a meal and so on. But are all salads good? Also, are salads always good for you?

In this article, let me attempt answering the first question for you.

Yes, eating enough vegetables is vital to good health. The Food Pyramids of USDA and NIN amply bring home that for us.

Yes, eating salads are a great way to increase variety in routine meals. Salads are low in calories, add colour, zest, fibre, anti oxidants and every other good thing you may find in diet and nutrition books.

Which salad gives you all of this?

A salad that is made from fresh produce, not old.

A  freshly harvested fruit or vegetable is still living and breathing. If harvested when fully formed, the vegetable has the maximum nutrient content. With each passing day after harvest, fruits and vegetables lose moisture and valuable nutrients through surface. Losses can range from 5% for Vitamin B to even 70% for Vitamin C depending on harvest procedure, type of post harvest handling, effective cold storage (or not). Fat soluble vitamins are lost if the produce is exposed to heat / light.

Fresh vegetables, fresh fruits work best in a salad both in terms of flavour and nutrition. If you have ever dug into a salad which had one rotten tomato, you will understand this easily. The reasons we include salads in a meal are the vitamins, minerals, fibre, phytonutrients and anti oxidants that fresh produce has to offer. The real purpose of a salad is defeated if we use shrivelled, nearly dying vegetables.

A salad that is NOT drenched in sugary, creamy, high fat dressings.

Again, if you are stuffing yourself with a salad slathered in gooey, creamy, cheesy dressings, you have just added a few hundreds of calories from sugar and fat, thousands of mg of sodium and thwarted all attempts to ‘eat healthy’. Choose dressings with good fats such as olive oil, skim milk yoghurt or low fat Greek yoghurt. Include dressings such as those with herbs, lemon juice, honey mustard, balsamic vinaigrette, fresh pesto.  Avoid dressings which have ingredients such as sour cream, any type of cheese, maple syrup, high fructose corn syrup.

A salad that does not have deep fried foods as part of it’s ingredients.

Fried chicken salad, lettuce salad topped with deep fried croutons, crispy noodles, deep fried potatoes, potato straws, fried pork or any other deep fried ingredients to add crunch or taste to salad are harming your health and waistline.

Want crunch in your salad without the guilt of excess fat or sodium or calories? Add grilled vegetables or baked croutons. Add healthy nuts and seeds such as toasted walnuts, almonds, toasted melon seeds or pumpkin seeds to add nutty crunch.*

Also, a salad that is assembled in hygienic conditions and stored safely before consumption.

Every single vegetable or fruit used in a salad, (especially raw salads) has to be thoroughly rinsed before peeling/chopping. Rinsing after peeling or chopping increases chances of contamination and nutrient losses. After rinsing, the ingredients have to be drained clean of the wash water too.

Bagged salad, pre cut greens, are all potential sources of bacterial contamination.

No salad ingredient should come in contact with raw meat.

Use clean cutting boards, knives and utensils while assembling salads.

Take care to store the salad as well as the dressings in a cool dark place, preferably covered in the fridge. If dressing is store bought, store as per instructions. Sniff, taste a wee bit before using each time to make sure it is still usable.

Assembling a simple home made salad is often easier than shopping for necessary ingredients and dressings. Enjoy fresh home made salads any time!

Happy, healthy eating.

*Nuts in salads – People who are allergic to tree nuts or all nuts should avoid them in salads too.

 

Black Eyed Bean Salad

A very Happy New Year to all readers of Healthy Slurps. There is something about the air during New Year which is very invigorating and refreshing. Goodwill, cheer, positivity abound in everyone’s heart during this season. Here is my first recipe for this year which has packed in it, all the love and cheer of this season.
To kick start this New Year with more healthy recipes, here is a salad that I assembled today. As I have mentioned earlier, salads are created with available produce at my home without sticking to any recipe. The reason I am documenting them here is to share the recipe with myself as much as with all of you. For I find myself at a loss to remember all ingredients when I want to recreate that last great salad.


You Need

1. Black eyed beans ( Lobia ) – 1 cup, soaked for at least an hour
2. Cucumber – 1
3. Red Onion – 1 medium
4. Roma Tomato – 2 medium
5. Iceberg Lettuce – Roughly torn and measure 2 cups

For Dressing

1. Red Wine Vinegar – 2 tbsp
2. Extra Virgin Olive Oil – 8 tbsp
3. Crushed Black Pepper – 1 tsp
4. Salt – 1 tsp
5. Granulated Sugar – 1 tsp

To Assemble

1. Whisk all ingredients for dressing together in a bowl.( I used a fork to whisk them,) quite simple really. Set aside.
2. Peel the lettuce leaves from the head and immerse in ice cold water.
3. Pressure cook the soaked beans until just done. I pressure cooked them by simmering the flame for 5 minutes after the cooker gave out the first whistle.
4. Peel and chop the other three salad ingredients in the same shapes – go with dice, slice or cubes. The only rule is to be uniform. That does give the salad a good appearance.
5. Drain the water from the cooked beans, if any. Do not discard but use in soup, sambar, or as cooking liquid for any vegetable too.
6. Toss all the ingredients and the dressing together in a suitable large bowl.
7. Chill for half an hour and serve.

Sweet Corn and Pomegranate Salad

Ingredients for a salad are never fixed at my home. Assembling a salad is a flexible exercise, often involving the bringing together of whatever is available in the fridge, and finishing it off with a dressing, which is most often a citrus-y one. This salad too was created similarly with foods present at hand. Sweet corn kernels and juicy pomegranate do a pretty tango here, with some worthy add-ons such as red onion and grated carrot thrown in to merrily add to the colour riot. I’ve noticed quite often that my kids need no coaxing to try a salad that is as vibrant in colour as this one.
Apart from being loaded with Beta Carotene from the vegetables and anti oxidants from the fruit, salads help to increase the dietary fibre of our daily meal.
As per the recommendations of the National Institute of Nutrition, an adult person must have 40 gm. of fibre in a day, which includes soluble and insoluble fibre. Dietary fibre is needed for

1. Proper bowel function,
2. To prevent Haemorrhoids
3. To prevent Coronary heart disease
4. To control diabetes and obesity
5. To reduce plasma cholesterol
6. To protect against colon cancer.

Salads are the tastiest way to consume fibre in a meal. In addition, they provide colour, texture and variety resulting in a satisfying meal experience.
Go ahead and make this salad for yourself and share it with me too!
You Need

1. Sweet corn kernels – 1/2 cup
2. Pomegranate pearls – 1/2 cup
3. Carrot grated – 1/4 cup
4. Roma tomato, diced fine – 1 medium tomato

 For the dressing

1. Salt – 1/4 tsp
2. Pinch of sugar
3. Juice of 1 medium lemon
4. Crushed black pepper – 1/4 tsp OR Green chilli – 1 minced fine
5. Red onion, diced fine – 2 level tbsp

To Assemble

1. Steam the sweet corn kernels for 2 minutes in the microwave at high power. Set aside.
2. Remove the pomegranate pearls from the fruit, keep aside.
3. Combine all ingredients for dressing, mix well with a fork.
4. Bring all ingredients for salad together, toss well with the dressing.
5. Chill for half an hour in the fridge in a covered bowl.
6. Serve along with warm pulkas or freshly grilled garlic bread or as a side with tadka dal and steamed rice.

Spaghetti Kitchen’s Gusto d’Italia ~ Review

Italian cuisine is a hot favourite in our home. Last week, I received an invite to review the new lunch buffet menu at the Spaghetti Kitchen and agreed with great pleasure.
The restaurant has introduced the ‘Gusto d’ Italia’ – a scrumptious lunch and dinner buffet. The festival has come to Bangalore starting September 25th, after seeing great success in Chandigarh where it was first launched. The invite proudly stated that “Spaghetti Kitchen has bagged the Times Food Award in Best Italian Restaurant at Kolkata and Bangalore 2011”. This sounded promising, and I was eager to sample the newly launched buffet menu.
Overview
The buffet menu is exhaustive. With three rotating menus and great options to choose from each, one can truly indulge in plenty more than pizzas and pasta. At prices of Rs. 399 for the vegetarian and Rs. 449 for the non vegetarian lunch buffet, and with slightly higher prices for the dinner buffet, this is a fabulous Value For Money option. I have reviewed only the vegetarian menu.
Non–vegetarians do have ample choices from the menu. I found an equal distribution of vegetarian and non-vegetarian selection


Location and Ambience  10 /10
The Spaghetti Kitchen chain has secured a great location opposite the Forum Mall at Koramangala. Once inside, the large windows, cheerful home-like decor, and airy ambience look very inviting.





Upon Arrival  9 /10
Fresh ciabatta bread with dips and olives set the ball rolling. The smoked tomato soup with basil was just perfect. Diners have the option of custom-assembling fresh salads from the salad bar. I loved the freshness of the salad veggies and the choice of dressings on offer. I also enjoyed the fresh Caprese salad served at the salad counter.




Drinks  7/10
With the on-going Martini Festival, and Millers Time Bonus (ask your server for ongoing offers), tipplers have a choice. There were good mocktail options as well. I sampled the Orange and Peach Virgin Martini – fresh flavours and an unusual combination! Surprisingly, I could not locate a wine list.


 
Antipasti  8/10
Among the starters, I sampled the Parmesan Cream cheese potatoes, the Sicilian Garlic Cottage Cheese and Eggplant Parmiggiana. The Eggplant Parmiggiana was clearly the best. Nothing extraordinary about the potatoes or the garlic cottage cheese. I missed out sampling the risotto; well, reason to visit again!



Entrees  9 /10
I had thin crackling crust pizza served fresh at the table, by the slice – great when we do not want cold pizza slices waiting for their turn!
I was spoilt for choice with Fettuccine Pesto, Penne Arrabiata, Veg Lasagna and the Chef’s signature Penne Vodka (from the special cook-off held on that day), and sampled them all. It was difficult to pick a favourite from these dishes. In this four-way tie, the Fettuccine Pesto would win for the freshness and flavour of the pesto! Spinach and cheese stuffed ravioli in a tomato sauce was delectable too.



Desserts  6 /10
With each course outdoing the previous one, I had great expectations from the dessert menu! Too bad, only the Gelato and the Cassata lived up to my expectations. The Brownie was decent, not the best I’ve had; and I’ve been lucky to sample much better Tiramisu elsewhere.



The Cook-Off
The highlight of the day was the cook off by Chef Bill Marchetti.
Chef Bill Marchetti, previously with the ITC Group, has been the mastermind behind the Italian menus at Spaghetti Kitchen. He has lavished great attention to detail and opened up Italian cuisine far beyond Pizzas and Pasta for the Indian diner.
The Chef livened the scene with his humour, candour and enthusiasm. In what seemed like child’s play, he demonstrated three dishes – Spaghetti Amatriciana with Bacon, Fettuccine con Pesto and his signature Penne Vodka. All through the demo, the Chef was generous with his cooking tips and advice. ”Start with boiling pasta correctly. Use 1 litre water and 10 gm salt for every 100 gm dry pasta. Boil until al dente, drain, and do not rinse the pasta.” And more …
I sampled the Fettuccine and the Penne – both were outstanding! The fresh basil, fragrant extra virgin olive, toasted pine nuts and the Parmesan in the pesto gave the pasta a fresh flavour!




Why Go To Spaghetti Kitchen?

• The spread of Italian Cuisine in Bangalore (or probably in India) cannot get better!
• Unbeatable prices for the awesome buffet spread.
• A great bonus is the wide vegetarian choice in the menu. Nowhere through the meal did I feel deprived of delectable vegetarian options.

Score card – On a scale of 1 to 10
Hygiene  9 / 10
Food  8 / 10
Service  8 / 10
Value for Money  10 / 10
Suggestions

• Please keep the good work going.
• Would love to see dessert choices that live up to other courses in the menu!

Location
Spaghetti Kitchen - At Hosur Road, Opposite Forum Mall at Koramangala.
Also at: 100 ft Road, Indira Nagar in Bangalore.
Special Thanks
Chef Bill Marchetti, for the lively cook off, for spending time with us and answering our queries on Italian cuisine patiently.
Sonia Praveen from PR Pundit for organising the day and helping with pictures too!

Minty Garlic Potatoes

This was a recipe I tried out on a whim ages ago. I did not think much of it then. That is, until my child requested for it again. Isn’t it is true that potatoes are so versatile and can work with any flavours, seasonings and is an all time favourite with kids?

I am particularly fond of this recipe since the flavours taste very fresh if you follow this method of preparation. Of course, I have just made it up the way my family likes it. You could tweak, add, change ingredients to suit your favourite flavours too. After all, what is a dish without improvisations? Useful for last minute lunch prep or when guests land up at mealtimes and you need to rustle up more food. I have used baby potatoes because I had them and because they look cute. Of course, normal potatoes boiled and cubed are fine too. Take it forward anyway you like. This could even be a salad with boiled potatoes, pomegranate, some diced tomatoes and use the pudina as a dressing. The results are sure going to be delicious.
What’s good about potatoes?

• It is popular belief that potatoes are full of starch and fat and offer little else. Potatoes have complex carbohydrates, which are a good source of carbs as opposed to refined flours and refined sugars.
• It may also be surprising to know potatoes are a good source of several minerals like Magnesium, Potassium, Zinc, Copper.
• Potatoes are also fair sources of Iron, Vitamin B complex and Vitamin C. Despite losses during cooking potatoes can deliver 2- 5 % of daily requirement of Vitamin B and C.
• Potatoes are fatty? No way – they are a zero cholesterol food! The total fat in 100 gm. of potatoes is only 0.1 g and that is Omega 3 and Omega 6 fatty acids.
• While the skin does not have any nutrients, it is the layer of potato just below the skin that has them. The best way to harness all these great vitamins and minerals is to cook/ boil them with skin on. This locks the nutrients in. When we peel potatoes after cooking, instead of before, we save a lot of the nutrients.
• A lot of vitamins and minerals ‘leach into’ the cooking water. So it is a good practise to cook/boil in just enough water (instead of excess water) to optimise the maximum value of any vegetable, especially so in this recipe.
• Adding a good bunch of fresh herbs like pudina (mint) and coriander to this recipe enhances it’s iron and fibre content.

I guess we need no more incentive to cook a lovely batch of minty potatoes. So here goes -
You need

1. Baby potatoes – 500 gms
2. Onion – 1 small, diced
3. Mint leaves (Pudina leaves) – packed, 1 cup
4. Coriander leaves – remove roots, clean, chop and measure 1/4 cup (optional)
5. Garlic – 1 medium clove
6. Juice of half a lemon
7. Any vegetable oil – 2 tsp
8. Saunf (fennel seeds) – 1/2 tsp
9. Jeera – !/2 tsp
10. Salt – 3/4 tsp
11. Sugar – a pinch

To Assemble

1. Immerse the baby potatoes in a water bath for half an hour if you have time. Else, leave in for 5 minutes and clean the skin well. You can boil the potatoes in enough water for 20 minutes or just pressure cook it till 1 whistle.
2. Leave the boiled potatoes on the chopping board to cool naturally. Peel when sufficiently cool to handle.
   (Why not dunk in cold water? – Because that lets more minerals and vitamins dissolve into the ‘cooling water’ too.)
3. Make a coarse paste of the following ingredients – half onion, pudina leaves, coriander leaves (if using), juice of half a lemon, sugar and the garlic clove. I used the ‘pulse’ button in my mixer to get the coarse texture.
4. To a pan set on high heat, add the oil, sizzle saunf and jeera. Tip in the other half diced onion, fry until pink.
5. Add the potatoes, salt and toss well. If you wish to get a nice ‘roasted feel’, let them simmer, scraping and tossing occasionally for 10 – 15 minutes.
6. When the potatoes are done, add the coarse ground paste as a final step, toss the pan well to let the paste coat all the potatoes. Switch off flame immediately.
7. Cover and let flavours rest for 10 minutes. Serve warm with steamed rice and sambar or with hot phulkas.

Notes

• Add the crushed garlic to the hot oil instead of adding it to pudina paste if you detest the flavour of raw garlic.
• Toss boiled potato with cherry tomatoes, (or regular tomato diced) and cucumber with the coarse ground pudina paste, chill and serve as salad.

Lauki raita/ Sorakayi pachadi

 

Bottle gourd as it is known in English, was not a favourite at our home too, that is until my yoga teacher shared this recipe with me. Bottle gourd is always paired with a protein such as chana dal or tuvar dal or mung dal in traditional Indian recipes. One reason could be that the vegetable has very low protein levels. Thus creating a dish with the vegetable + protein makes it complete!

Of the several Indian recipes such as using it in koftas, avial, kootu, I took an instant liking to using it in raita. Cooling, refreshing, this extremely simple dish can be paired with any entree, any cuisine. The best part is very few ingredients are required and takes little time to put together. Use it as dip, chutney, raita, or to fill in hunger pangs between meals too.

What’s good about Bottle gourd?

• Bottle gourd has plenty of moisture and dietary fibre. This makes it an ideal summer vegetable to replenish fluids in the body. The fibre keeps constipation, piles, cholesterol and even colon cancer at bay.
• 100 gm of uncooked bottle gourd has only 12 calories. This makes the vegetable an instant pick me up for weight loss diets.
• It has no protein or fat content – the only way to add that would be in a recipe that includes some protein and good fat.
• This humble vegetable is a fair source of Magnesium, Zinc, Potassium and Copper. All minerals needed by teenagers and growing children.
• Also a very low sodium vegetable, this is very suitable for people with high blood pressure or diabetes too.
• Do check out this link too. http://www.thehindu.com/health/policy-and-issues/article2571430.ece

So do try out this super simple and soul satisfying recipe this summer.

You need

1. Bottle gourd/ lauki/ sorakayi – select tender lauki, wash, peel, grate to a medium fineness, measure 3/4 cup.
2. Thick curd – 1 cup ( I used home made skim milk curd) If you use store bought curd, select fresh probiotic skim milk curd.
3. Salt – 1/4 tsp.
4. Sugar – a pinch (optional).
5. Fresh coriander leaves – chopped fine – 1 tbsp

For seasoning

1. Oil – 1/2 tsp
2. Mustard seeds – 1/4 tsp
3. Asafoetida – a teeny pinch
4. Green chilli – 1, finely chopped
5. Curry leaves – 3-4 torn up

To assemble

1. Combine the grated bottle gourd, whipped curd, salt, and sugar.
2. Heat oil in a small tadka pan, add oil and other seasoning ingredients in order.
3. Pour over raita.
4. Top with chopped coriander leaves.
5. Chill for an hour before serving.

Variations

1. Omit seasoning.
2. Add roasted jeera powder and kala namak powder if you like the piquancy.
3. Add one half onion, finely diced, or few chopped stems of spring onion along with bottle gourd in the raita.
4. Add grated carrot for colour!

Cherry tomato Lettuce Salad

Well, this salad does not even need a recipe. It is such a simple combination of veggies and dressing. In fact, I am sure several of you will have tried out some version of this salad. I made this salad to accompany the Low Fat Creamy Pasta. The salad, pasta and fragrant garlic bread comprised dinner last weekend. Quite a combination of textures, colours, flavours and tastes. It was a very satisfying meal.
Taking some time to plan, shop and create good meals is so fulfilling. The happiness I feel when I sit down with loving family members eager to sample the latest creations and finding their faces light up with joy and hearing those happy exclamations – these make all the effort of cooking worthwhile. Well let me also admit that I go through my good share of disasters, and food that no one wants to touch. But thankfully, these happen lesser than the former.
As I said, this salad is a simple combination of dressing, veggies and tossing them together.
You need
For the veggies -

1. Iceberg lettuce – 1 small head
2. Cherry tomatoes – 22-25 numbers
3. Cucumber – 1-2 medium (really, your choice)
4. Ice cold water – enough to dunk the lettuce in (approx. 4 cups)

For the dressing -

1. Balsamic vinegar – 1 tbsp
2. Extra virgin Olive Oil – 4 tbsp
3. Crushed black pepper – 1-2 tsp
4. Salt – 2 pinches
5. Sugar – 1 pinch (optional)

To assemble

1. Wash the lettuce head, tear leaves apart by hand into bite size pieces and keep immersed in ice cold water until needed.
2. Dunk the cherry tomatoes in a bowl of water for 5 minutes, drain, pat dry and cut into halves. Place in a large mixing bowl.
3. Rinse the cucumber thoroughly with the peel on . You can retain the peel on the cucumber or partly peel them too. If there are too many seeds along the middle of the cucumber, you may want to discard them. If so, cut into half lengthwise, remove the ‘seedy’ parts and slice into half circles. Else, if the seeds are tender, you can slice the cucumber into thin disks. Place along with the tomatoes in the mixing bowl.
4. Pour the balsamic vinegar into a bowl. Pour the Olive oil in a thin drizzle whisking with a fork all the while. Continue to whisk well until all the vinegar and oil have blended into an almost homogenous mixture. Add the crushed pepper and salt now, whisk them in too. Dressing is ready.
5. Now is the time to drain the lettuce in a colander – drain it well, shake up the colander and coax the last drops of water out! Add the lettuce to the mixing bowl, pour the salad dressing on top and mix well, toss, shake – do whatever except spilling the contents!
6. Chill the salad for at least half an hour before serving so that it is at the right temperature and the flavours settle well.

Notes

• You can add pitted black olives, walnuts, coloured peppers (capsicum), rocket leaves or any preferred vegetables to the salad. Use dressing in proportion to the vegetables used.
• Using fresh tender vegetables, and chilling well before serving help to enhance the taste of the salad.