National Salad Month: Chef Vivek Shares His Favourite Guava And Ice Apple Salad Recipe

I hate to admit it, but my understanding of salads has been skewed for the longest time. Growing up, salad meant a sloppy assortment of cut tomatoes and cucumber. On good days, you could taste some lemon juice drizzled on top. It was only when I grew up did I have a proper induction to the world of salads, only to be hooked on it forever. By definition, salad is an assortment of leafy greens, veggies, salads, meats and dressings. It may contain cheese and croutons too. Salad is a ‘cold food’, that is, it is not prepared on gas or stove, but everything is tossed together in a giant mixing bowl and served fresh, making it one of the easiest, most filling meals you can prepare for yourself, even when you are not dieting. May is celebrated as National Salad Month. Started by Association for Dressing and Sauces in 1992, National Salad Month encourages people to add more salads to their diet, as it is much more healthy and lighter on the tummy. There are so many kinds of salads available around the world from Caeser Salad, Coleslaw, Greek Salad to Tabouleh, that you can never really run out of options..

On the occasion of National Salad Month, Chef Tamhane, Senior Executive Chef, BLVD Club—Bangalore also shared one of his favourite salad recipe the ‘Guava and Ice Apple Salad’. The salad is vegetarian, fruity and exotic. It comes with a chipotle-orange vinaigrette dressing, giving it the right spunk and drama.  

It is so easy to put together that you would be done in less than 20 minutes, and so filling, that you may consider skipping dinner. Now without further ado, here’s the recipe of Guava and Ice Apple Salad. Try it at home and let us know how you liked it. For best results, try to take the pink-fleshed guavas.  

Guava and Ice Apple Salad Recipe:

Ingredients:

• 2-3 nos pink guava
• 4-5 nos ice apples (Clean, skin off)
• 1 tbsp chipotle chili (you can use regular chili powder if not available)
• 1 tbsp lemon juice
• 50 ml fresh orange juice
• 1 no orange ( segments)
• 2 tbsp honey
• 1 tbsp black pepper crushed
• 3-5 tbsp olive oil
• 2 tbsp white wine vinegar
• Black Salt to taste

Method:

1. Wash your guava, and cut them into medium-sized cubes.
2. Peal the ice apples, wash and cut them into small cubes. Keep both the cut fruits in the fridge for at least 10 mins.
3. In a bowl, mix together chipotle chili, lemon juice, fresh orange juice, honey, crushed black pepper, olive oil, white wine vinegar, black salt. Keep this dressing chilled.
4. Just before serving, in a bowl add the cut fruits and prepared dressing, and gently mix it all together. Top with orange segments. Serve chilled.
5. You can serve this on a bed of lettuce as well.