SALADS | Saute Fry N Bake

Panner summer salad

Preparation time : 10 minutes
Cooking time : nil
Serves : 4 members

Description

A family holiday to pondycherry for a weekend. All my crazy zing bang lot of NRI cousins along. We all being foodies, went crazy over each meal ordered. My last cousin brother’s wife always ordered salads for each meal that we happened to have the classy feta cheese water Melon salad twice. Back home running out of feta cheese in my pantry, I add panner instead. To play around, I just cut the panner and watermelons in to heart shape’s to pep up my regular table. Served it and it sure did bring in a surprise element to the table. The myth of having food hot is so strong at home that any savoury dish served chill is not welcome, so I end up eating the entire salad with the rest just having a taste. This salad is sure the apt dish to be had for a hot summer lunch to keep you cool.

Ingredients	Quantity
Panner / ricotta cheese	200 grams cut into heart shapes
Water melon	200 grams cut into heart shapes
Lettuce	6 leaves
Coriander leaves	few chopped
Olive oil	2 tablespoons
Salt + pepper corns ( crushed )	to taste
Balsamic vinegar	1 tablespoon

Method

Sprinkle salt over lettuce leaves and set aside.
Mix olive oil, balsamic vinegar, salt and pepper together.
Spread the lettuce leaves over the salad plate.
Arrange the panner and watermelon hearts alternately over lapping one another in two rows.
Drizzle dressing over the hearts. Place in the refrigerator until needed to be served.
Sprinkle chopped coriander leaves over the salad and serve chilled.

Banana stem salad

Preparation time : 20 minutes
Cooking time : 8 minutes
Serves : 2 members

Description

I always have this myth of using only English vegetable’s for a salad recipe. I was put to shame when I was served a banana stem salad at a naturopathic clinic. I was like.. gosh why didn’t you think of this before you dumb female. well, we learn more and more only through experience and experimenting. A lesson learnt for sure. I did taste it slowly making sure to take note of all the ingredients added to the salad. Back home gave it a try and it was exactly like what I had there. I made one change to the recipe of boiling the vegetable and sprout used which made the salad more tasty but sure with more calories.I had a clean empty bowl in the lunch table which is a good sign of approval from all at home.

Ingredients

Ingredients	Quantity
Banana stem	50 grams Chopped and boiled
Moong dal sprouts	2 teaspoons boiled
Grated coconut	3 teaspoons
Lime juice	1 teaspoon
Cumin powder	a pinch
Chopped coriander leaves	1/2 teaspoon
Salt	to taste

Method

Mix all the ingredients together. Taste and adjust seasoning and Serve.

Beet’s and avocado salad with orange dressing

Preparation time : 20 minutes
Cooking time : 5 minutes
Serves : 4 members

Description

The minute you think of dieting, the first thing that pops up in your mind are salads. I always end up trying out new combinations of mixed vegetables and fruits to come up with a salad recipe for my dieting and have it as my lunch. This salad also was a similar try. The citrusy orange flavour with the tang helped to break the sweetness of the beetroots and carrots. The avocado gave a creaminess and the crisps with the almonds gave a good crunch. All in all a flavour bomb with all the possible texture’s in one bite. Easy to make, tasty, filling and healthy. Now isn’t this a recipe for keeps ? This is my go to recipe when ever I crave for a healthy option. Don’t miss out on trying it peeps.

Beet’s and avocado salad with orange dressing

Ingredients for the salad

Ingredients	Quantity
Beetroot	1 big peeled , chopped to cubes and boiled
Carrots	1 big peeled , chopped to cubes and boiled
Avocado	1 ripe flesh chopped
Orange rind grated	of 1 orange
Mint leaves	1/4 cup chopped
Coriander leaves	1/4 cup chopped
Crisps	1 cup ( I used deep friend spring roll sheets , you can use potato chips too )

Ingredients for the dressing

Ingredients	Quantity
Olive oil	1 tablespoon
Honey	1 tablespoon
Orange juice	of 1 orange
English mustard	1/4 teaspoon
Almonds	8 peeled and chopped
Salt + pepper powder	to taste

Method

Mix all the salad ingredients together except for the crisps. Place in the refrigerator.
Just before needed to serve. Mix the dressing ingredients together. Taste and adjust seasoning. Pour over the mixed salad and toss well.
Garnish with the crisps and serve immediately.

Notes

Make sure you take the orange juice just when you want to mix it into the salad as it turns bitter if kept for a while.

Raw mango mixture

Preparation time : 8 minutes
Cooking time : nil
Serves : 3 members

Description

Growing up with a lot of cousins, aunt’s and relatives around. We were fed with home made stuff from scratch. No matter what time of the day or night it was. Those days of no access to fast food or dial for take away. The hungry kids ( that’s around 29 of us in all age groups ) were always served with some thing to munch on that was made then and there. Most of the time it was this raw mango mixture recipe that used to be made right in front of our eyes. As it’s being chopped, the un patient us would grab a hand full and have a taste. The mangoes were mostly plucked from the trees by a senior cousin. The minute it’s ready, we all would just want to grab our share. The lucky person who gets hold of the bowl is chased around for a spoon full. All of us would go umm and ahh with it in our mouth. Our eyes would close automatically with the sourness from the raw mangoes hitting at the right spot. Every thing crystal clear till date with in me. Hot summer carefree days with all of us keeping ourselves busy playing around, climbing trees, ludo, snake and ladder, hide and seek, dark room, trade… Making joyous memories out of the little that was left for us to explore. I am so happy I was born in that ear of no wifi, Internet, mobiles and computers. We knew nothing but still felt so content and happy with the little we had. I am sure each one of you reading this who survived the golden ear ( 1978 to 1989 ) I am talking about would agree. My heart is pumped with joy now filled with nostalgia hitting me hard. How I wish, I could just rewind the days and go back to those fun filled cherish able days. Well all I am left to do now is take a deep breath and feel blessed for having gone through such a good childhood.

Raw mango mixture

Ingredients	Quantity
Raw mangoes	2 chopped with skin
Salt	to taste
Red chilly power	1/2 teaspoon or to taste
Coconut oil	1 teaspoon

Method

Mix all the ingredients together and enjoy.

Egg salad

Preparation time : 10 minutes
Cooking time : 5 minutes
Serves : 6 members

Description

Onion raitha / Thayir chutney / vengaya sambal as it’s known with its various names that I know of is the only accomplishment that’s served with biriyani. Me fed up with this wanted to add another salad that would pair up to be served with the biriyani. Broke my head, googled as well but nothing really seemed to be good enough. Then I just dug into what else we have with the biriyani for sides. The boiled egg just flashed in my mind. Why not try and make a salad with boiled eggs was the next question? I did make sure to pair ingredients that would work together and look colourful too. So followed my instincts with a simple flavour combination. Tasted and it was yum. Served along with biryani and it did serve its purpose better than the normal boiled eggs would do. This dish it alert me saying ” there’s no need to cook fancy master pieces just good food from fresh ingredients is all you need to bring a spark at the table. Happy me, another dish added to the regular’s at home.

Ingredients

Ingredients	Quantity
Boiled eggs	3 cut into rounds
Boiled potatoes	2 cubed
Carrot	1 shredded
Capsicum	1 sliced
Tomato	1 chopped
Onion	1 chopped
Salt	to taste
Pepper	to taste
Chat masala powder	1/8 teaspoon
Black salt	1/8 teaspoon
Lime juice	1/2 a lime juice
Cumin powder	1/4 teaspoon
Coriander leaves	few chopped
Potato chips	1 cup crushed

Method

Mix salt, pepper, black salt, chat masala, cumin powder and lime juice together. Taste and adjust seasoning. Dressing is ready.
Mix potatoes, tomato, onion, carrots, capsicum and eggs together.
Pour the dressing over the mixed egg mix. Toss gently. Garnish with crushed potato chips. Serve at room temperature.

Millet Tabbouleh salad

Preparation time : 10 minutes

Cooking time : 15- 20 minutes

Serves : 4 members

Recipe source : Yashu

Description

The second anniversary celebration of sauté, fry n bake. A million doubts in my mind if I will be able to pull this of in style as its not with in my comfort zone (home) but in Coimbatore. Though its where I grew up, the long gap of being else where sure did give me shivers. From how will every one get along, to the spread on the table, to every bit I had imagined it to be like. For all the confusion and cribbing I had with in myself, I felt so much at ease with every one and the entire event. Among the lot present there was yashu who actually had to hit a like to our page as only members of the sauté, fry n bake could attend the anniversary celebrations. This healthy millet tabbouleh salad was brought by her which was the only salad on the table. Very light in taste but filling and healthy. As any thing made with millet’s is so in now a days, I saved the recipe for keeps. To my surprise, I get a call from my cousin noorie that very evening asking me if I have any left overs of this salad as she loved it. I made sure to pack her the entire lot that I had in hand. When on diet (that’s what I say but fail royally always) this salad is had as a meal very often and every time yashu pops up in my mind. I have been wanting to catch up with her but it just did not happen. I Hope at least this post does it for me.

Ingredients	Quantity
Millet	175 grams
Water	600 ml
Tomatoes	3 large
Cucumber	1 big
Spring onions	3 finely chopped
Lemon juice	1/2 a lime
Olive oil	2 tablespoons
Mint leaves	4 tablespoons
Coriander leaves	4 tablespoons
Parsley	4 tablespoons
Salt + pepper	to taste

Method

Cook millet with water covered in a sauce pan. Bring to boil, then simmer for fifteen minutes and cook. Drain if necessary. Cool the cooked millet completely.
Combine all the ingredients together and mix well. Taste and adjust seasoning.
Decorate and serve.

Mecedonia pineapple salad

Preparation time : 15 minutes

Cooking time : nil

Serves : 4 members

Description

Pineapples always reminds me of a silly incident that happened with my brother. My brother was sent over out of station for textile purchase once in a while with a fellow senior sales man from our textile shop to learn the tricks of our family Bussiness. On one such visit to Bangalore, in the middle of the night when asleep the senior sales man (sundhar Ji – that’s how we call him) wakes up my brother. My brother wakes up to see an un – known man in front of him. He jumps out of bed howling.. The person says.. “it’s me sundharam” with his face all swollen up to a level of not identifying him. They go around all the streets in the mid night to consult a docter and finally end up in the government hospital and find out the reason being pineapples.. (God alone knows the real reason though) I know sounds crazy but they both had late night dinner and on their way by walk to the hotel… Sundar Ji had two long slices of pineapple from a road side shop. Till date we bully him asking if he wants pineapple’s.. Well now, coming to the salad. A simple salad that I ended up making with available ingredients at home. Tossed and put together in minutes with great results for sure. A recipe apt for beginners too..

Ingredients for salad

Ingredients	Quantity
Pineapple chopped	1/2 cup
Cucumber	2 chopped
Onion	1 chopped
Carrot	1 small grated
Capsicum	1/4 chopped
Red cabbage	shredded 3 tablespoons
Green chilly	1 chopped
Coriander leaves chopped	few

Ingredients for dressing

Ingredients	Quantity
Garlic paste	1/2 teaspoon
Lime juice	2 tablespoons
Sugar	1 tablespoon or more to taste
Salt	to taste
Soya sauce	1 teaspoon
Olive oil	1 teaspoon

Method

Mix lime juice, sugar, olive oil, garlic paste, soya sauce and salt to taste together. Mix well unlit sugar dissolves. Taste and adjust seasoning. Mix all the salad ingredients together. Pour the dressing over and toss well. Keep in the refrigerator until to be served. Serve chilled.

Vadai kachubar chat

Preparation Time : 20 minutes if using store brought Vadai’s or else
1 hour

Cooking Time : 10 minute if using store brought Vadai’s or else 20 minutes

Serving : 6-8 members

Description

The need for simple and Un complicated recipes are always in demand and if it is during the holy month of Ramadan….. It the more welcome for sure. Here at hubby dear’s place we ladies (cousins, relatives and neighbors) have night prayers at one house. As the prayer lasts for an hour or more. We take turns to bring some thing to munch with a sulaimani tea after the prayers are over while chatting and catching up on that day’s updates. Usually it’s always a home made deep fried snack. Once my friend meera aboo Thamby had got a bhel like salad which was a great hit. All ladies with great enthusiasm got the recipe as well. We were all blown away with the recipe being so easy yet an innovative way to use up the left over paruppu Vadai’s which is a must on the ifthar table every day in all house holds here. From then on wards, It has been added to my Iftar table and is my comfort bowl of goodness to munch around when ever I feel like eating after I break my fast. This salad can be made by ordinary people who like to perform extra ordinary feasts for their tables (like me) and add it to their routine family meals as well. It’s with such spectacular variety and uniqueness with practical simplified methods that let you achieve smiles on the table at home.

Ingredients

Ingredients	Quantity
Paruppu Vadai's	10 to 12
Carrot	1 medium size grated finely
Cabbage	1/4 cup grated finely
Beetroot	1/4 of a whole medium size beetroot grated finely
Onion	1 grated finely
Tomato	1 chopped finely
Boiled peanuts	2 teaspoons ( optional but gives a nice taste . I didn't use as it was not there in my pantry at home )
Green chilly	1 chopped
Coriander leaves	1 teaspoon chopped
Lime juice	1/2 a lime
Salt	to taste
Sev	1/4 cup to garnish
Chat masala	1/4 teaspoon to sprinkle ( optional )

Method

Mix all the ingredients together except for paruppu Vadai’s, sev and chat masala powder.
Mix well. Taste and adjust seasoning. Place in the refrigerator until needed to be served.
Just before serving, crumble the paruppu Vadai’s and toss over the chilled salad.
Sprinkle chat masala powder and sev . serve immediately.

Notes

I add left over samosa sheets cut into bits and deep fried to crisp also instead of paruppu Vadai’s at times.
You can add crushed pepper paped, kakra as well along with the Vadai’s for another variation.

Fennel and orange salad

Preparation Time : 10 minutes

Cooking Time : 3 minutes to blanch the almonds

Serving : 3-4 members

Description

To me a happy good day would be to tour around a place filled with food or food related ingredients. Like wise when ever possible i grab the opportunity for such an experience and make full use of it. on such a day in Coimbatore at a gourmet store, gazing around looking at the fresh exotic new variety veggies on the counter…. Suddenly I get to see fennel bulbs. Garbed two with utter joy as I have longed to experiment with these expensive price tagged beauties. Back home, not knowing head or tail about this mighty fennel bulb on how to clean, cut and cook with it. Googled for a recipe and the process of cleaning as well. Stuck with a simple recipe as complicating my first try might end up in a disaster. Went ahead and made this fresh, bright , crunchy salad. Made sure to have a taste first before it hit the table. My first mouth full of fennel was just with a mild menthol of fennel flavor balanced with the sweetness of the dried cranberries, fresh sourness from the oranges and a good crunch from the almonds. All in all a good day led to a new experience with a lip smacking good healthy salad recipe for keeps and to share.

Ingredients

Ingredients	Quantity
Fennel	1 large bulb trimmed and thinly sliced ( use two sliced cucumbers tossed in 2 tablespoons of fennel powder instead )
Oranges	2 peeled , deseeded and segments alone
Cherry tomatoes	4 cut into half
Olive oil	1 tablespoon
Vinegar	1 tablespoon
Salt + pepper	to taste
Sweetened dried cranberries	2 tablespoons ( can use dried grapes / kismis) 2 tablespoons
Blanched almonds skin peeled	2 tablespoons
Lettuce	6 to 8 leaves

Method

Place the sliced fennel and cherry tomatoes in a salad bowl.
Slice oranges to divide flesh segments and add to the salad bowl.
Drizzle olive oil, vinegar, salt and pepper over and toss well.
Spike the salad with dried cranberries and almonds.
Place in the refrigerator to chill until needed to be served. Spread over a bed of lettuce and Serve chilled.

Creamy fruity – veggie salad

Preparation Time : 15 minutes

Cooking Time : 10 minutes

Serving : 4-5 members

Description

There are times at home when hubby dear is out of station and it’s time for others to relish their favourite treats in his absence as he’s very dominating about his likes to be on the table always. In such an occasion, my gal always asks for a few starters, a salad and a soup to be served for lunch with no main course. This salad also was made on such a day where she was craving about a creamy based salad that she had in a restaurant in Coimbatore with fruits and veggies mixed together . As she was just describing to me about the salad beside me in the kitchen, I started prepping getting an approval at each stage from cutting the fruits and veggies to boiling the veggies to the creamy sauce put together to the finally mixed salad. We do make a great team as the salad was pitch perfect bringing in a lot of cool breeze to the hot summer table and tasted exactly like what she had at the restaurant. Now have to mention about many of my recipes being used in restaurants and leading chefs demonstrating my recipes on the telly…. I know , sounds wired… As I had to pinch myself to check if it was happening in reality. I feel humbled first but it’s a good sign to show that we home chefs are not bad at all isn’t it ???

Ingredients

Ingredients	Quantity
Boiled cubed potatoes	1 cup
Boiled chopped beans	1/4 cup
Boiled peas	1/2 cup
Tinned pineapple	1/2 cup chopped
Green Apple	1/4 cup chopped with skin
Red apple	1/4 cup chopped with skin
Green Grapes	6 cut into half
Boiled carrots cubes	1 cup
Red , green and yellow peppers / capsicum	1 cup together
Mayonnaise	1 cup
Thick Fresh cream	3 tablespoons
Garlic paste	1/2 teaspoon
Pepper + salt	to taste
Sugar	1 teaspoon
Chilly flakes	to taste ( optional)

Method

Mix mayonnaise, cream ,garlic paste, salt, pepper powder, sugar and chilly flakes together. Taste and adjust seasoning.
Mix all the fruits and vegetables together. Top with the mixed creamy dressing. Toss well .
place in the refrigerator to chill until needed to be served. Decorate as you wish and serve chilled.