When we pursue happiness, it eludes you. However, when you recognise that happiness is the natural state of the soul, all you need is to eliminate all that comes between your happiness and you.
Come
summer and the first thing the heat does is to diminish your appetite. Food? Yuck!
You long for something cool, fresh and juicy, something with an invigorating zing.
Perhaps a sip from an icy drink, or a succulent bite into a soothing salad of
cucumber and shrimps. Relax, your drooling days are over. Let your imagination
become reality as chefs from the best five-star hotels of India share their favorite
summer salad recipes with you
Hung
yogurt: 75 ml Chopped garlic: 10 gm Fresh cream: 5 ml Salt/pepper:
To taste
For Garnish Tomato cut into the shape of a flower Carrot leaf
Asparagus tip Parsley sprigs
Method Cut broccoli into
florets, dice mushrooms and baby corn. Toss them with seasoning. Arrange fresh
lettuce in a salad bowl. Put the tossed mix on the bed of lettuce. Garnish with
tomato flower, carrot leaf, asparagus tips and parsley sprigs. Mix the dressing
ingredients into a smooth consistency. Sprinkle chopped parsley over the dressing
and serve separately over the salad. (Serves 2)
COTTAGE CHEESE, MANGO AND PINEAPPLE WITH GINGER
VINAIGRETTE
Ingredients
Cottage
cheese: 250 gm Mango: 350 gm Pineapple: 250 gm Dressing
Ginger juice: 30 ml Lemon juice: 30 ml Honey: 25 ml Oil:
60 ml Salt/pepper: To taste Method Cut the cottage cheese,
peeled mango and pineapple into cubes. Put them in a bowl and refrigerate. Now
take the dressing ingredients, except the oil, and mix thoroughly. Pour the oil
in a gentle stream whisking simultaneously till it is completely blended. Toss
the salad with the dressing and serve in a bowl garnished with ginger juliennes.
(Serves 4)
Method
Melt the butter in a pan till the solids separate and it becomes nutty brown in
color. Cook, skim and pour in a blender. Add the olive oil and balsamic vinaigrette.
Whisk in the salt, pepper and chopped shallot. Peel, core and chop the avocado.
Add juice of lime, chopped chicken breast and cajun spice and blend to a fine
paste in a blender. Fold in the whipped cream, melt the gelatin and add to the
mix. Pour it into a bowl and cool. Scoop out the parfait from the bowl and place
on a plate. Top it with a mound of lettuce and drizzle with brown butter vinaigrette.
Garnish with puff pastry abstracts
GREEK SALAD
Ingredients
Feta
cheese: 70 gm Black olives: 15 gm Tomato: 35 gm Onions: 20 gm (sliced finely)
Mixed lettuce: 1 00 gm Seasoning Fresh oregano:
10 gm Extra virgin olive oil: 35 ml Balsamic vinegar:
15 ml
Method Dice the feta cheese. Slice black olives and
tomatoes. Clean the lettuce and tear it into bite-size pieces. Make the herb dressing
with balsamic vinegar, olive oil and chopped fresh oregano. Toss the lettuce with
all the above mentioned ingredients and the balsemic vinegar-oregano-olive oil
dressing. Serve the salad after tossing.
MIXED NON-VEG SALAD
Ingredients
Chicken
breast: 1 Prawns: 2 Air-dried ham: 3 rashers Fresh basil: 1 sprig
Lettuce: few leaves Black olives: 2 Cherry tomatoes: 2 Grain
mustard: ½ tsp Vinaigrette: 10 ml
Method Roast the
chicken breast and slice it into 4-5 pieces. Set sliced sliced chicken while you
boil the prawns. Season the boiled prawns with salt, pepper and lemon juice. Then,
arrange the boiled chicken, seasoned prawn and ham with lettuce and basil. Garnish
with olives and cherry tomatoes. Mix the grain mustard with vinaigrette and drizzle
the mixture over the non-vegetarian salad. Serve on lettuce leaves.
Dressing French
mustard: 10 gm, Extra virgin olive oil: 10 ml
Method Toss
all ingredients together in French mustard and olive oil. Decorate a plate with
the remaining mustard. Arrange the salad neatly in a heap. Serve chilled.
Ingredients
Ingredients
