Salads are an integral part of every international meal as they are ready-to-eat dishes, which can be made with a variety of ingredients of every person’s choice. Salad is usually served cold or at a normal temperature, though there are some salads which are served warm too, like south German potato salad, etc. Salad is something which surely cannot be defined as it has a lot of variety. Earlier people use to denote any light, savory leafy vegetable dishes as salad but the name is no more limited to that. One comes up with a new salad by just improvising the old one which has surely made the list of salads never ending. The time has really changed, earlier salads only used raw ingredients but now some of them even use cooked ingredients; earlier they constituted of vegetables only now fruits, meat, eggs, nuts, etc. are even used in them.
As we already said there are many different types of salads, so let’s first know some of them.
Green Salad or Garden Salad is the one containing lot of leafy vegetables like lettuce, spinach, arugula, etc., which are low on calories and make good diet food.
Vegetable Salad adds more color to the green salad by including variety of other vegetables like, cucumber, tomato, onions, mushroom, carrot, celery, radish, bell pepper, etc.
Bound Salads are put up together with thick sauces like mayonnaise. These are the one which can be prepared early and refrigerated and are also used as sandwich fillings.
Main Course Salads are on pretty heavier side as they usually contain grilled or fried chicken, fishes, sea food, etc.
Fruit Salad surely does not need any introduction; it includes fruit cocktail made of both canned and fresh fruits.
Dessert Salads are usually made of gelatin or whipped cream and most famous of them include snickers salad, glorified rice, cookie salad, etc.
Though we Indians are not much equipped with this salad tradition, yet no middle class family fails to put up a plate filled with cucumber, tomato, onion, etc. for their guests on lunch/dinner. So, why stick to that simple plain salad when we can serve something new and better in the same amount of time. Read more to find out 10 awesome yet simple salad recipes.
10. Bean and Vegetable salad
Why not start with the simplest one. This salad is nothing fancy but when it comes to taste, it surely is a big hit. Made of simple ingredients available in every single Indian house, it is high on nutrients too. It uses soaked and boiled kidney beans (rajma), shredded cabbage, grated carrot, sliced capsicum and cucumber as its main elements. All of these are very easily available in the market and are usually liked by everyone, ranging from kids to adults. A dressing not only binds the salad but gives it a definite taste, distinguishing it from just cut vegetables. For the dressing of this salad, all one need is white vinegar, sugar, salad oil, mustard powder and salt. To proceed, you need boil vinegar along with sugar and then add the remaining ingredients of dressing to it. Keep the dressing aside and place beans and the vegetables which were soaked in cold water to get crisp, in the serving dish and then pour the dressing on ii. Salad is ready to be served chilled.
9. Burnt Corn salad
At present the market is flooded with corns and why not, this is the best food of the rainy seasons. We usually eat the grilled and toasted corn with loads of lemon and salt on it, in the rains. So why not just twist the amazing corn into a salad that is delicious yet healthy. It is no big task to collect the likes of boiled sweet corn, sliced onion, capsicum and tomato for the salad. All you need to do is heat oil in a pan and cook corn in it till slightly burnt. It would be good if you lightly cook onion and capsicum also. Put together corn, onion, capsicum, tomato and salt and spread on top the dressing prepared with salad oil, lemon juice, chili powder and sugar (mix the ingredients for the dressing, previously only in a bottle). Your salad is ready to be served.
8. Rainbow salad
To prepare this bright colored, healthy salad, all you need to do is arrange decoratively boiled cauliflower, boiled French beans, orange pieces, chopped tomatoes, capsicum, carrot and spring onion in a serving dish. Pour French dressing on it and mix it nicely. For those who are unaware of what a French dressing is, it is prepared by mixing together salt, mustard powder, powdered sugar, black pepper powder, salad oil, chopped garlic clove and white vinegar in a jar, by mixing it strongly.
7. Broccoli Bean salad
This salad is a perfect way enjoying the greenery around, it indeed is a very green salad. To add to the salad, you will need broccoli florets, spring onions, sprouted beans and green peas. To proceed, put plenty of water to boil with salt in it. Firstly cook broccoli in this water for a minute, take out and put it in cold water for next 15 minutes. Then, in the same boiling water cook green peas for 3-4 minutes, take out and let it rest in cold water keeping in mind that peas do not lose their crispiness. After washing spring onions and bean sprouts in cold water thoroughly, put all the stuff in a bowl and place the bowl in refrigerator. While serving, add the dressing made of soy sauce, powdered sugar, salad oil, lemon juice and ground pepper; and give it a good toss. Chilled green salad is ready to be served.
6. Cabbage and Grape salad
It would be great to eat something that is crunchy, sweet, sour and spicy all at the same time. Just imagine how amazing will it be to experience all different tastes in one single bite. So, for that we have brought for you Cabbage and Grape salad. A salad as easy as this one, you will like to make again and again. You will just need shredded cabbage, halved green grapes, chopped coriander and chopped green chilies to proceed. Put all these ingredients in a deep dish and place in refrigerator until chilled. At the time of serving pour the dressing made of olive oil, powdered sugar, lemon juice and salt on the cabbage and grape mix. Serve immediately.
5. Crunchy salad with surprise
What could be better than eating a dish full of mayonnaise without worrying about those extra calories? Yes, it is very much possible with this crunchy salad that is folded together in a low calorie bread mayonnaise. Put up some whole wheat bread slices, hung curd, little bit fresh curd, powdered sugar, mustard powder, fresh black pepper powder, olive oil and salt in a mixer and blend it until a smooth dressing is prepared. Add torn lettuce, chopped apple, sliced cucumber and chopped walnuts in a bowl and keep it in refrigerator. When chilled, add mayonnaise and salt, and behold! your delicious guilt free salad is ready to be served.
4. Green with loads of cream salad
Oodles of cream in a salad, is something we surely don’t imagine because what is a salad if it is not healthy. But never mind, that is possible too. A sweet and sour salad covered in a creamy low-fat dressing is all we need to make our days more joyous. To get started with it we need to prepare a creamy dressing by mixing together fresh low fat curds, honey, black pepper powder, mustard powder and salt. Mix cucumber cubes, capsicum cubes and seedless grapes in a bowl, pour the creamy dressing on it and toss gently. After refrigerating for some time, serve it chilled.
3. Fiery cold salad
The name might have confused you, but the dish surely won’t confuse your taste buds and they will definitely like this. We all have once for sure served a salad with slices of tomato, onion and cucumber in it. So, why not just trick the same age old salad and surprise our guests with some fire and ice combination. Put an empty nonstick pan on slow flame until the pan turns really hot. In the hot pan, add vinegar, sugar, mustard seeds and dry red chili flakes. Let the mixture boil. In the serving bowl, mix together tomato wedges, sliced onions and sliced cucumbers; pour the boiled vinegar preparation on top of it. After tossing nicely, refrigerate for 3-4 hours. Serve chilled and relish the cold yet hot garden salad.
2. Horse gram salad
This one is a protein rich salad for all those diet conscious people. All of us very well know that richness and nutrients of pulses increase drastically after they are sprouted. That is the reason we are using here boiled kulith (horse gram) sprouts along with chopped paneer( type of cottage cheese) to make it a nutrient rich dish. Other ingredients include chopped tomato, coriander, green chilies, lemon juice and salt. Mix all the ingredients nicely in a bowl, just before serving. Another good for health yet yummy dish is ready.
1. Indian Italian fusion salad
Who doesn’t love pasta? And, when said that it is good for health too, there could not be anything better on earth. So, this one is for all the past lovers out there. The salad is a perfect combination of Italian and Indian delicacies. This tangy, crunchy salad combined with paneer and sprouts is alone sufficient to satisfy all your health needs of the day. To start, put low fat paneer cubes, boiled pasta, pitted olives, bean sprouts and cherry tomatoes in a bowl, mix it well and refrigerate until chilled. While it is chilling, prepare a dressing by mixing together dried oregano, olive oil, lemon juice, chopped pine nuts, salt, dry chili flakes, chopped garlic and fine chopped basil leaves. Once the salad mix is chilled, toss it with the dressing and it is ready to be served.
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