Molded Salad to Cucumber Salad: Here are some recipes for easy-to-make healthy salads

Hyderabad: Most restaurant buffets offer an array of interesting-looking salads made of vegetables and fruit. Some include feta cheese, chickpeas, smoked roast chicken, and chicken tikka slices mixed with vegetables and sprouts. Others are oriental salads and Kimchi dishes with shrimp and meat. Still, others have crotons and colorful dressings that will interest everyone. There is no need to skip the salads in favor of the main course. The health benefits of eating salads are well known.

Some salads can be made in a jiffy just by tossing a few vegetables together, tearing some lettuce leaves, and pouring one’s choice of dressing over the whole lot, others are made with great care. The Caesar Salad served at most fine restaurants is made with great fanfare and production. Whisking the dressing and mixing the ingredients seems to be a work of art for the Chef. Many prefer the Waldorf salad made of granny smith apples, walnuts, roasted chicken, and mayonnaise. Or even the grandly named ‘Insalata Caprese’ which only comprises tomato slices, mozzarella cheese, basil, a drizzle of olive oil, salt, and pepper.

A most delicious salad is the easy-to-make Cucumber Salad.

CUCUMBER SALAD:

3 cucumbers, peeled and thinly sliced

1/3 cup white vinegar

1/3 cup water

3 teaspoons sugar

1/2 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. pepper

Put the cucumber slices in a salad bowl. Mix all the ingredients in another bowl and pour over cucumber slices. Cover with cling film and refrigerate for 3 hours. Drain and serve.

BASIC MAYONNAISE recipe:

1 egg yolk and 1 full egg

1/2 teaspoon dry mustard powder

½ teaspoon pepper,

1/2 teaspoon salt

300ml corn/vegetable/olive oil (or a mix of all 3 according to your taste)

2 teaspoons vinegar or lime juice

1 teaspoon sugar

Put the egg, mustard, pepper, and salt in a blender; blend at high speed for about 10 seconds. Gradually add the oil through the top of the blender, blending until all the oil has been blended with the egg and the mayonnaise is thick and creamy. Blend in vinegar/lemon juice just until mixed.

You can also make mayonnaise with a hand blender; just use a deep jug and put in the egg at the bottom with the spices and sugar, then pour in the oil and beat the entire mixture until the mayonnaise is done. It takes less than half a minute.

This mayonnaise can be refrigerated and stored for a month and used for most salads. For those who are counting calories, a little white sauce or thick yogurt can be blended with the mayonnaise for a lighter salad.

Chopped onion or tomato can be added to make flavored mayonnaise. For molded salads, you can use mayonnaise of different colors, for a more decorative look, or even put in a few mint leaves. But all vegetables must be added after the basic mayonnaise is made and one should remember that tomato and onion mayonnaise can only be stored for a day or two at the most.

Molded Salad

Crabmeat, tuna, chicken, or boiled eggs can be added to mayonnaise, half a cup of cream or yogurt, and vegetables like capsicum, corn, spring onions, carrots, and cucumber for a delicious salad. Paneer and celery can be chopped and added to mayonnaise for a vegetarian version of molded salad. A sachet of Gelatin dissolved in half a cup of hot water and cooled can be added to the mayonnaise, meat/ eggs/ boiled, or canned fish and vegetables to make a beautiful molded salad. The ring mold or dish should be slightly wet while pouring in the ingredients so that it unmolds easily. Decorated with cherry tomatoes and olives and served on a bed of grated cabbage or lettuce leaves, a molded salad can be a striking-looking as well as delicious centerpiece on one’s dinner table. On very hot days, this salad should be kept refrigerated until the last minute or it can melt before the guests reach the table!

Potato salad or coleslaw served with cold meats and fried chicken can complete the meal.

COLESLAW:

500 grams of shredded cabbage

2 carrots, shredded,

½ small onion, grated

1 apple, peeled and grated

5 tablespoons basic mayonnaise

1 teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon sugar

1tablespoon vinegar

1 tablespoon cream (optional)

Mix shredded cabbage, carrot, apple, and onion in a salad bowl. Mix the salt, sugar, vinegar, mayonnaise,e, and cream separately; add this to the salad bowl and stir with a spoon. Chill coleslaw before serving.

A cheese slaw can be made by adding grated cheese to grated carrots and mayonnaise. Prawn Cocktail is made by simply arranging boiled prawns on a bed of lettuce after adding mayonnaise, Tabasco, and tomato sauces to it!

Salad Dressings

Several dressings add their unique flavor to vegetables like Balsamic Vinegar dressing, Ranch dressing, Caesar dressing, Honey Dijon dressing, Thousand Island dressing, or Blue Cheese Dressing.

The light Vinaigrette Dressing is very popular as it can be stored in the ‘fridge and used with a combination of fresh vegetables of one’s choice such as cucumber, lettuce,e and tomatoes.

VINAIGRETTE DRESSING:

2 tablespoons vinegar

4 tablespoons oil (salad or olive)

½ teaspoon each of salt, sugar, and dry mustard

Pepper to taste

Whisk or blend all the ingredients.

Indian salads are easy to make and nutritious as well. ‘Kachumber’ goes well with most Indian dishes. Onion, cucumber, coriander, green chilies, and tomatoes are used to make this. A dash of lime, a little salt, vinegar,r or sugar is added according to one’s taste.

Healthy salads

Sprouts make a very nutritious and filling salad. Boiled chickpeas or gram can be tossed with the juice of a lime, salt, and chili powder, cut green chilies, tomatoes, and onions to make a quick salad that can double as a starter or side dish too. These salads are especially useful to those who are counting calories. All these have a high content of vitamins and calcium. Another Oriental favorite is the raw papaya salad.

PAPAYA SALAD:

1 Cup raw papaya

½ cup grated carrot

½ teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon turmeric

1 bunch of Coriander leaves, chopped

A few coarsely ground peanuts

½ tablespoon grated coconut (optional)

1 tsp Oil

1/4 tsp Mustard seeds

1 tbsp Lemon juice

2 Green chilies (slit length-wise)

Add turmeric and salt to the grated raw papaya. Set aside for half an hour. Lightly squeeze the water from the papaya.

Add the grated carrot to the papaya, also coarsely ground peanuts, grated coconut (if you are using this ingredient), and chopped coriander leaves. Combine well. Heat the oil in a pan. Add mustard seeds and green chilies and remove from heat. Add this to the papaya salad, along with lemon juice.

Greek salad makes use of oregano as a seasoning; tabbouleh makes use of cracked wheat; beans, pasta, pita bread croutons, and nuts all add nutrition as well as flavor to salads. Fruit salads are easy-to-make desserts and very delicious when topped with whipped cream, custard sauce, or ice cream.