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Salads sound so boring, don’t they? For most foodies, it’s something you eat when forced to or when it comes as a side with that dish you actually came to the restaurant to eat! Trust me when I say that I was that foodie. Then my non-stop indulgence led to high cholesterol levels, and the doctor recommended that I include salads in my daily diet. Naturally, this spelled doom for my foodie heart—till the moment I realized that salads don’t really have to be boring.
If you are resourceful, and if you are willing to experiment, then transforming homemade salads from a basic affair to a gourmet dish you’ll actually crave is really not that difficult. Don’t believe me? Here are all the ingredients—rather ingredient groups—that you can access as per your choice to give your regular homemade salads the fanciest makeover.
1. The Right Dressing
Believe it or not, no other ingredient matters in a salad as much as the dressing. If you get this one right, then even a three-ingredient salad can work brilliantly. To make a wide range of salad dressings, the very basics you need are olive oil, honey, mustard, mayonnaise, lemon juice, sugar, salt and pepper. If you are prepared to invest in a wider range of ingredients for dressings, then you should stock up on a vinegars like balsamic, red wine, rice wine, chilli vinegar, etc. Brown sugar, demerara sugar, maple syrup and molasses can be gourmet replacements for plain old sugar.
2. Fresh Herbs
While adding a few coriander leaves or mint leaves to a salad may come naturally to you, think beyond these. There are parts of India where herbs like dill, chives, tarragon, oregano, rosemary, etc are easily available in organic markets. Most of these, as well as microgreens like mustard, can also be grown at home—if not on a balcony or garden, then on a window sill or kitchen shelf!
3. Seasonal Veggies & Greens
The best way to figure this one is to step into your local market and ask the vendors for the freshest vegetables and greens. If it’s winter, then you’ll find veggies like beetroot, peas and spinach. Give that red Chinese cabbage a whirl, or pick up that broccoli stem! If it’s summer then you’ll probably find varieties of cucumbers, to say the least. And when it comes to green leafy vegetables, don’t just think iceberg lettuce or regular lettuce. Go for baby spinach, romaine lettuce and rocket leaves too.
4. Seasonal Fruits
Just like in the case of seasonal veggies, figuring out the best seasonal fruits to add to your salad requires you to know what’s best, locally. Given the plethora of supermarkets now, it won’t be difficult for you to source a range of mangoes and watermelons during the summer months. In winters, there are figs, strawberries, blueberries and so many stone fruits to try. Think everything from peaches and plums to avocados, persimmons and cherry tomatoes.
5. Gourmet Cheese, Proteins & Meats
If you regularly visit and drool over the refrigerated section, the cheese aisle or the cold cuts sections of supermarkets, then here’s a little suggestion. Pick one cheese, say halloumi, and one cold cut, say prosciutto, and add bits of both in your savoury salad. Trust me, you’ll be motivated to invest in everything from feta and goat’s cheese to the choicest of sausages and salamis, just so you can watch your salad turn fabulous! If you don’t want to splurge too much then go for paneer, tofu, prawns, boiled eggs or grilled chicken. And never underestimate the transformative power of a perfectly poached egg!
6. Seeds, Nuts & Legumes
Peanuts, cashews, almonds, walnuts, hazelnuts, pecans—is there any dearth of delicious nuts out there? The same goes for the abundance of seeds we have access to in this country. A pro tip: toast the nuts and seeds before adding them to your salads for that extra bit of crunch. When it comes to legumes and lentils, don’t just stick to chickpeas and kidney beans as salad inclusions—though these work brilliantly. Think green peas, roasted chana dal or even sprouted green moong dal!
7. Grains, Breads & Pasta
You might have heard of quinoa and barley in salads, but what’s to stop you from trying some buckwheat, black rice, red rice or even some wild rice? Cook them properly and they won’t just be delicious additions, but also make the salad more filling. The same goes for any variety of small pasta. A bit of penne or fusilli added to your salad can elevate the entire dish. And when it comes to bread, don’t just think croutons. Thin slices of bread, toasted and topped with some olive oil, can help you polish off that bowl of salad quickly indeed.
