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An Easy Indian Salad

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Salads are always a part of an Indian meal, especially during the hot summer months. Most are a medley of fresh vegetables tossed with a splash of lemon juice and a sprinkling of your choice of exotic and aromatic spice powders.

Salads are more elaborate for parties, with vegetables cut in the form of flowers, plants, bird plumes, etc. Indian salads with a simple dressing pair well with curries, dals, sabzis, and rice dishes.

Indian salads include Kachumber (a combination of chopped onions, tomatoes, cucumber, and green chilies), veggies like cucumber and potato mixed with yogurt, and Kachumber Raita (Kachumber mixed with yogurt).

As access to cooking videos via social media has grown exponentially. Salads in urban areas of India have also started to include more Western style salads and dressings. Boiled chickpeas, black beans, sprouted beans, paneer, cheese, and seeds like peanuts, sunflower, cashew nuts, walnuts, almonds, raisins, and pomegranate seeds have found their way into Indian salads.

If you choose to include a salad in an Indian meal you are fixing, there are no hard and fast rules! Use your palate and imagination to create your masterpiece.

Popular vegetables used in Indian salads are onions (red or yellow), boiled beetroot, cucumber, carrots, tomatoes, red radish, daikon radish (long white Japanese radish), green chilies, fresh mint, and coriander, along with a sprinkling of lemon juice

Seasoning spice powders choices for salads are black pepper, chaat masala, black salt, chili powder, and salt.

Since my hubby’s retirement, he has expanded his creative side to fixing us salads. I would be remiss if I did not include pics of some of his creations!

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An Indian Salad

Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Total Time 30 minutes
Servings 4
Indian salads with a simple dressing pair well with curries,dals, sabzis, and rice dishes.

Ingredients

  • ½ medium red onion
  • ½ medium daikon radish (peeled, cut in half, and then into strips)
  • 1 medium carrot (peeled, cut in half, and then into strips)
  • 1 large tomato (sliced into 8 wedges—keep the base intact)
  • 4 red radishes (greens removed, and quartered)
  • 1 medium cucumber (sliced into rounds)
  • ½ lemon or lime

Instructions 

  • On a salad or large plate, arrange the onions at the edge of the plate at spaced intervals.
  • Next, layer your cucumber at the base of the onions rounds.
  • Arrange your carrot and daikon strips between the onions.
  • Now place your tomatoes in the center of the plate and the radish in the center of the tomatoes.
  • Sprinkle lemon juice and your choice of spice powders. 

Notes

My husband Al's special U & A salad for me.
Course: Salad, Vegetarian
Cuisine: Indian
Keyword: cumcumber, fresh vegetables, salad, tomatoes

 

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In Main Dishes

Anda Curry (Egg Curry)

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Egg curry, a tangy blend of onions, tomatoes and spices that are used as a base for boiled eggs, was a good substitute for vegetarian guests at a luncheon or dinner party. My husband, an officer in the Air Force, lived on the base (the Air Force Station). So any party one had invariably numbered over twenty guests. Buffet-style meals were the way to go, and you catered for vegetarian and non-vegetarian guests.

Egg curry was also a quick go-to to stretch the meal for unexpected lunch or dinner guests.

You can make egg curries in several ways, depending on which state in India you live in. This is the Punjabi version of the various recipes out there.

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Anda ki Curry (Egg Curry)

Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Total Time 50 minutes
Servings 4
A tangy blend of onions, tomatoes, and spices is a delicious base for boiled eggs—a good dish for vegetarian guests!

Ingredients

  • 6 eggs
  • 4 tbsp cooking oil
  • 2 medium Bay leaves
  • 2 green cardamom
  • 1 green chili, slit (more or less chili; optional—adjust to your taste)
  • 2 medium yellow or red onion (chopped fine)
  • 1 tbsp ginger-garlic paste
  • 1 tsp turmeric powder
  • 2 tsp coriander powder
  • ¼ tsp red chili powder (more or less chili powder; optional—adjust to your taste)
  • 2 medium tomatoes (pureed or 2 tbsp tomato paste)
  • ¼ tsp cinnamon powder
  • ¼ tsp clove powder
  • ¼ tsp pepper powder
  • 1 tsp salt (or to taste)
  • 2 cups warm water

Optional

  • 2 medium potatoes (quartered )

Garnish

  • ½ tsp garam masala (optional )
  • 2 tbsp fresh cilantro (coriander leaves) (finely chopped)

Instructions 

To Boil Eggs:

  • Lay the eggs at the base of a saucepan large enough to hold them. Add enough water to cover them by about 2 inches.
  • On medium heat, bring the water to a rolling boil. Turn off the heat. Set aside for 10 minutes.
  • After 10 minutes, transfer the eggs to a bowl of ice-cold water. Crack them slightly before immersing them. (It is easier to peel the eggs when they are cool).
  • Peel, rinse and wipe the eggs dry with a paper towel. With a toothpick, carefully poke a few holes around the egg. This allows the gravy to flavor the egg. Set the boiled and peeled eggs aside.

For the Curry

  • Heat the oil in a deep skillet or saucepan on medium heat. The oil should be hot, not smoking, or your spices will burn.
  • Add the Bay leaves, green cardamom, and slit green chilies. Stir it.
  • Add the finely chopped onion and sauté for about 7 minutes until golden.
  • Add the ginger/garlic paste, turmeric, chili powder, coriander powder, and cumin powder. Stir for a minute until the ginger sticks to the pan's bottom. Be careful not to burn the masala.
  • Add the tomatoes, cinnamon, clove, pepper powder, and salt. Cook, occasionally stirring, until the tomatoes are soft and the oil starts to surface—approximately 4-5 minutes.
  • Add 2 cups of water and bring to a boil.
  • Add potatoes to the tomato-onion mixture.
  • Lower heat to medium-high and simmer for about 10 minutes until you get a thick gravy and the potatoes are done. At this point, do a taste test for salt.
  • Add the eggs and let them simmer on low for another 7-10 minutes while gently rolling them around occasionally to absorb the gravy.
  • Add a little more hot water if the gravy gets thicker than you prefer. Be careful not to make the gravy too watery.
  • Spoon into a serving dish. You can leave the eggs whole or carefully split the eggs in half-length wise.
  • Garnish with chopped cilantro.
  • Serve with plain boiled rice or pilaf.
  • Anda Curry also tastes good with parathas or any flatbread. I like to have it with any kind of bread to dip in the gravy. It tastes amazing! 

Notes

The boiled eggs may be sautéed lightly all around to give it a bit of a crust. I prefer not to do so.
You can use whole cinnamon, cloves, and pepper instead of powders.   
If you are using tomato paste, just add it when the recipe calls for you to add the tomatoes. 
Mom would add potatoes to expand the dish because we loved curried potatoes or when we had extra guests (which was always a given!).
Course: Main Course, Vegetarian
Cuisine: Indian
Keyword: curry, eggs
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In Drinks

Watermelon Tea Cooler

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A favorite memory: It is a hot summer’s day. This particular evening, Aunty Sheila has invited us to her place for a party. It is always fun to visit her, as we kids on both sides of the family are around the same age and have a great time together. Aunty has a warm, bubbly personality and throws great parties. Her place is not too far from ours, so, giggling and laughing, we girls walk over, we love walking—even in the heat of the day.

Hot and starting to perspire by the time we get there, our eyes light up as we see that Aunty has already set up an outdoor table of party fare. In the center is a large tray with a giant watermelon propped securely on it. Around the watermelon are other delicious treats. She greets us with her usual big smile and hug and tells us to help ourselves to some watermelon juice. We happily walk across the lawn to the table. The top quarter of the melon has been sliced out, and we peer into the cut melon. The fruit inside has been carefully carved out and then blended with cold black tea and lemonade. Chunks of melon still float around for those who want to eat the fruit. We thirstily gulp down the Watermelon Tea Cooler and help ourselves to more. The drink is so cool and refreshing on that Indian hot summer’s day.

Years later, thinking about some of my fun memories of life in India, I decided to try and duplicate the recipe. I enjoy serving this taste of memory to my family and friends who tell me that I have been successful in duplicating the recipe!

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Watermelon Tea Cooler

Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 5 minutes
Total Time 20 minutes
Servings 8
A cool and refreshing drink on an Indian hot summer’s day.

Ingredients

  • 3 tea bags black tea (your choice of brand, caffeinated or decaffeinated)
  • 4 cups water
  • ½ cup simple syrup (see recipe below)
  • ½ cup lime or lemon juice
  • 2–3 cups watermelon chunks, seeds removed
  • 1 tbsp Chopped mint and lemon or melon wedges for garnish (optional)

Instructions 

  • Put tea bags in a container that will hold the 3 cups of water. Boil the 3 cups of water, and when they come to a boil, pour the boiling water over the teabags. Let the bags steep for at least 3 minutes. Remove the tea bags and let the tea cool.
  • Once cooled, place it in the refrigerator. You can do this a day ahead or a few hours before you are going to make the cooler.
  • Blend the watermelon chunks in until it is like a smoothie. In a pitcher that holds at least 6 cups of water, add the tea, simple syrup, lemon juice, and melon smoothie. Stir it all together until nicely mixed. Add some crushed ice when ready to serve.
  • If it is too tangy, you can add more crushed ice or cold water.

Notes

Notes:
-This is a great drink for summer refreshments served with  cucumber, watercress or tomato sandwiches.
-You can kick it up a notch for adults by adding a splash of gin or vodka! Check out this site. I love the cause.  https://boozeforpaws.org/
-If you want to go the route of scooping out the melon and using it as a container, it makes a wonderful and impressive presentation. Unfortunately, no matter how well I plan, I find myself invariably short on time and scrambling for an easy way out!
-Scooping out the melon and using it as a container makes a wonderful and impressive presentation. 
Simple Syrup
Ingredients:
½ cup fine-granulated sugar
½ cup water
Directions:
1. In a saucepan, on low heat, dissolve ½ cup of sugar with ½ cup of water (approximately 3 minutes).
2. Take the saucepan off the heat and leave the syrup to cool.
3. When cool, pour the syrup into a clean glass bottle that has a tight lid.
4. Rinse the bottle both with boiling water (do not wipe with a cloth as it may leave bacteria).  
5. Refrigerate the syrup until ready to use. It should last a month in the fridge. It should remain a clear liquid. If it turns cloudy, throw it out as that is a sign of bacterial growth! 
6. The ratio for simple syrup is one part sugar and one part water so you can always make more to store.
Course: Drinks
Cuisine: American, Indian
Keyword: lemon, Tea, watermelon
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In Drinks

Nimbu Pani (Lemonade)

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It is a hot summer’s day. I hear Rosy, our cook, fixing lemonade for our son and his friends in the kitchen. The loud spoon clinking against the glass as she vigorously stirs the sugar into the lemon and water mixture reminds me of when we were kids.

Mom homeschooled us elder ones for a short while before we started schooling in a new town. Nanny was left in charge to make sure we did not goof off. Hearing our cook Daniel fixing lemonade the same way for our ‘elevenses’ signaled that a break was coming, which we were ever ready for!

Our lemon tree at home here gives us plenty of lemons. I fix a bunch of lemonade concentrate in 8 oz glass jars and freeze them. These are time savers when needed.

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Nimbu Pani (Lemonade)

Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 3 minutes
Total Time 33 minutes
Servings 8
A refreshing homemade lemonade to beat the summer heat!

Ingredients

For the Lemonade Concentrate

  • ½ cup white sugar
  • ½ cup water
  • 1 cup lemon juice (Remove the seeds, but keep a bit of the pulp)

To Make Lemonade

  • ¼ cup lemonade concentrate
  • ¾ cup water
  • ice cubes (to your preference)

Instructions 

  • In a nonreactive 3-4 quart saucepan, dissolve the sugar and water on medium heat.
  • Remove from the heat and set aside until cool. Approximately 30 minutes.
  • When cool, add the lemon juice, and stir together.
  • Store in an airtight glass bottle in the refrigerator. Suitable for about 10  days.

To Make Lemonade

  • Mix together the lemonade concentrate, water, and ice cubes. Do a taste test! And adjust by adding more lemonade concentrate or iced water.
  • Serve with a wedge of lemon or a few mint leaves.
Course: Drinks
Cuisine: American, Indian
Keyword: juice, lemon
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In Drinks

Jal-jeera (Jeera Pani) (Sweet and Spicy Cumin Water)

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Jal-jeera or Jeera Pani is a drink made with spicy, sweet, and tangy ingredients. Chilled, it is a refreshing drink in hot summers and has many health benefits. I got this recipe from one of the many parties we attended when my husband served in the Indian Air Force. Recipe exchanges were never precise, and you would get, “Just put a little bit of this and a little bit of that.” It was up to one to create their exotic version and adjust it to one’s taste. So, while we may have served the same drink, it always tasted a little different.

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Jal-jeera (Jeera Pani) (Sweet and Spicy Cumin Water)

Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Total Time 35 minutes
Servings 10
Jal-jeera or Jeera Pani is a chilled, refreshing Summer drink made with spicy, sweet, and tangy ingredients.

Ingredients

  • 8 cups water
  • 2 tsp dried ginger powder ("Sonth" in Hindi)
  • 2 tbsp rock salt (kala namak, black salt, so called due to its darker hue—you can buy this at any Indian or health food grocery store)
  • 1 tsp tamarind paste (heaped )
  • 1 tsp mint paste (about 20 fresh mint leaves)
  • ⅛ tsp chili powder (or to your taste)
  • 1 tsp cumin powder
  • 3 tbsp brown sugar or jaggery (or gur, found in Indian grocery stores)
  • 1 tbsp white sugar
  • 2 tsp lemon juice
  • 2 tsp chaat masala (optional—found in Indian grocery stores)
  • Dash of black pepper, roasted cumin, and garam masala

Instructions 

  • Add all the ingredients to a pan and bring to a boil on medium heat while stirring often to dissolve the sugars.
  • Reduce heat to medium-low and let it simmer for 15 minutes.
  • Continue to stir occasionally.
  • Do a taste test. (FYI - Indians don't use the same spoon to taste and cook. It is considered 'jutha,' a word that conveys food contaminated by double dipping).
  • Adjust ingredients to your taste.
  • Strain the mixture into a glass jug (pitcher). Add the lemon juice. Stir and chill.
  • When chilled, pour in glasses, and serve garnished with mint.      
Course: Drinks
Cuisine: Indian
Keyword: jal-jeera, jeera, pani
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In Main Dishes

Khichdi (Rice and Lentil Porridge)

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A tasty one-pot meal that is satisfying, khichdi is one of my comfort foods. It is a porridge or thick soup made of rice and lentils. This was Mama’s go-to meal for us as kids anytime we were sick and had lost our appetite due to the antibiotics. She also gave it to us if we had an upset tummy, as khichdi is easy to digest.

I fix it to take a break after overindulging in too many fatty or fried foods!

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Khichdi (Rice and Lentil Porridge)

Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Total Time 40 minutes
Servings 4
A tasty one-pot satisfying meal, khichdi is a comfort food made of rice and lentils.

Ingredients

  • ¾ cup rice
  • 1 cup yellow lentils (dhuli moong dal)
  • 5 cups water
  • 1 inch ginger (peeled and finely chopped)
  • 1 tsp Turmeric (haldi)
  • 1½ tsp salt

Tadka (Tempering)

  • 1 tbsp desi ghee, butter, or oil
  • ½ tsp cumin (zeera) seeds

Garnish

  • 2 tsp desi ghee or butter
  • 1 tbsp chopped cilantro or parsley leaves (optional)

Instructions 

To Cook

  • Pick and clean the rice and dal of any grit.
  • Wash the rice and dal thoroughly.
  • Soak for 30 minutes to reduce stove-top cooking time.
  • Strain and put the rice and dal into a deep heavy bottomed cooking pot.
  • Add water, ginger, turmeric, and salt.
  • Bring to a boil on medium-high heat.
  • Reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and cook partially covered as rice and lentil expand when cooked, and the broth might overflow.
  • Stir in between to avoid burning.
  • Simmer covered until rice and dal are well blended and tender—approximately 25-30 minutes.
  • The consistency should be like a  porridge or thickish soup. (You can also add less water if you want it on the firmer side).
  • Remove the pot from the heat. Taste and add more salt if needed.

To Tadka (Temper)

  • Heat the desi ghee, butter, or oil in a small frying pan.
  • Add the cumin seeds (be careful of oil splatters).
  • As soon as the cumin starts to splutter (30 seconds), turn the heat off. Pour into the cooked broth.
  • Stir and let it sit for 5 minutes to absorb the flavors of the tadka.
  • Pour into a serving dish or individual bowls.

To Garnish

  • Garnish with the desi ghee or butter and chopped cilantro leaves.
  • Serve with plain yogurt, Indian pickles, or papads (lentil wafers) from your local Indian grocery store.

Notes

1. You can start with the tempering, then add all the other ingredients and cook. This works well when using a manual or electrical pressure cooker. Just follow the cooking times on the manual and reduce the water to 3 cups.
2. If the khichdi gets too thick, you can adjust the broth by adding more hot water.
3. You can also substitute red lentils or split green moong bean lentils for the yellow lentils.
4. Different styles of khichdi involve vegetables and more spicy tempering—recipes I shall share later.
Course: Main Course, Side Dish
Cuisine: Indian
Keyword: lentils, porridge, rice
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