Salads – the healthy food section on a restaurant menu that drives a significant number of us to turn our eyes away to where the French fries are – have become the new-age equivalent of consolation that we’re putting nutritious food into our bodies. As a culture that has witnessed concentric circles of beetroot, cucumbers, tomatoes, onions arranged in colourful ways on trays that accompanied dinner at home or elsewhere, or having the zesty crunch of crunchy shreds of cabbage with juicy chicken tikka accompanying our drinks, it is hard to imagine a salad being the focal source of deliciousness.
While the notion of that is fairly reasonable, access to various ingredients and a shift in cultural perceptions of food have made it possible to be more ingredient-inclusive and created a space where taste and creativity bask in the spotlight. Case in point being a mango-burrata salad or a Caesar salad doused in parmesan cheese – a salad is also a fun snack or sharing plate that is almost as fancy as the meal in question. A plate of salad is not just the much-needed health shot that compensates for all the calories and erratic eating, it has transformed in multiple forms to be edible art. Along with ingredients, salads – at least on restaurant menus – incorporate interesting cooking techniques like pickling and emulsifying, as well as pairing ingredients that we wouldn’t typically imagine seeing in a bowl of ‘leaves.’
The 'Power Up' salad at Fig and Maple: Pearl barley, seasonal veggies, cilantro vinaigrette
While trying to understand the idea of a salad better, chefs Dhruv Oberoi (of Olive Delhi) and Radhika Khandelwal (of Fig and Maple) reminisce about their earliest memories of how they were introduced to it. While Dhruv remembers his mother thinly slicing cucumbers and sprinkling them with rock salt in the summer, Radhika remembers her mother tossing together eggplant and apple ‘chips’ in a tangy dressing made with vinegar, cumin, salt and mustard oil. “The evolution of taste palettes over the years has had a significant impact on the way we approach and enjoy salads today. As our palates have become more diverse and adventurous, we have seen a shift towards incorporating unique flavour combinations and ingredients into our salads,” she says.
On the other hand, Dhruv points out that salads have also evolved from being a medley of leafy greens thrown together and “changed to a chunky vegetable salad” – an aspect that he has consciously made sure to keep separate from the leafy salads he creates for his menus. “It’s a one-bowl meal that is easy-going and comforting, yet healthy at the same time. The problem is that when you talk about healthy eating, people normally do not associate it with taste, a notion I’ve been trying to change. I try to add the health factor with a lot of taste elements in the healthy bowl by emphasising on good flavours and textures,” he says. Dhruv also shares his 4-S philosophy behind incorporating flavours into his salad plates – sweet, sour, salty and spicy – a mandate that all his chefs must stick to as well.
Also Read:
What sets both, Dhruv and Radhika apart in their work on designing a salad plate, is how effortlessly they manage to fuse interesting global ingredients with hyperlocal and sometimes, seasonal ingredients. Radhika quips, “Our approach of using greens such as amaranth, mustard leaves, bamboo spinach, and gongurra, along with dressings made of jamun, coconut water, figs, and homemade vinegars, demonstrates a commitment to exploring local flavours and experimenting with unconventional combinations. This not only creates a distinct and memorable dining experience but also encourages customers to broaden their palates and appreciate the richness of regional ingredients.” She adds that, “Emphasizing regional and local ingredients in salads helps protect agro-biodiversity. By promoting the use of indigenous greens and fruits, we contribute to preserving traditional crops and varieties that may otherwise be marginalized or forgotten. This, in turn, supports local farmers and promotes sustainable agriculture practices.”
Summer Salad at Olive Delhi: Indian gooseberries, green mango, turmeric-mango ginger dressing
Dhruv echoes a similar sentiment about the usage of seasonal and locally available ingredients while sharing an anecdote behind the creation of the summer salad plate with Indian gooseberries and raw green mangoes – one that owner AD Singh was confused about at the beginning, but grew to love once he tasted it. “The story behind our food is that we use local and indigenous ingredients and treat them in a European way, without taking away from its essence. The idea behind the Indian gooseberry salad came about during the COVID phase when there was an insistence on consuming amla, so we came up with a bowl made with gooseberries and green mango and a dressing which included turmeric and an ingredient known as aam adrak from Orissa. AD hated the idea of using amla so I made him try the salad; it’s the time when the world is celebrating local ingredients and I thought it was very interesting to make European food with indigenous produce,” he shares.
As chefs or creators in a kitchen space, the possibility of approaching food changes, even when you’re eating a meal as one naturally begins to notice the nuances and layers on a plate. In the case of salads, where each ingredient is pronounced and visible, we quizzed the chefs about how they derive enjoyment in eating a salad plate themselves. While Radhika says that salads are no longer regarded to be mundane and tasteless, rather vibrant, flavourful and enticing, Dhruv believes that as while eating healthy food is priority, he also makes an effort to experiment with ingredient combinations to make himself servings of ‘alien salads.’
Radhika says, “My ability to make people eat their greens with joy and enthusiasm is a testament to the deliciousness I strive to infuse into every salad plate. In conclusion, as I continue to craft my own salad plates, my perception of salads has evolved from uninspiring and mundane to exciting and delectable. I have realized their immense potential for culinary creativity and the power they hold in capturing the essence of local, sustainable ingredients. Salads have become a medium through which I can showcase my passion for flavor, balance, and innovation, allowing me to redefine the way people experience and appreciate these vibrant dishes.” Dhruv also opines that given the vast diversity of India, many ingredients are yet to be used creatively and illustrates with an example of fermented foods from North East India to be the ones he’s most excited to discover. “I’ve been constantly researching on the cuisine and because we’ve been eating fermented foods for thousands of years, I feel like it has potential to add an umami bomb of flavour to a plate. Their use of indigenous herbs is also something we’re hoping to figure out and highlight eventually,” he signs off.