‘Super Grains’ for a Super Summer Breakfast!Nagli Ambil/Ragi Kanji Recipe

Nagli Ambil (Ragi Kanji) is a quick,rustic porridge made from Nagli/Ragi/Finger Millet flour, usually served for breakfast in many parts of Maharashtra. The nutritive benefits of Nagli are well known since ancient times. In fact these are our very own ‘Super Grains’,making a fashionable comeback of sorts, with smart colourful boxes labelled ‘Millets’ , sitting fashionably on the health food aisle in supermarkets! 🙂 A bowl of Ragi Kanji in the morning serves as a calcium+protein rich, power packed breakfast and also helps to keep the body cool (nugget of my Grandma’s wisdom J). This is one of my most…

‘Super Grain’ for a Super Summer Breakfast!Nagli Ambil/Ragi Kanji

Nagli Ambil (Ragi Kanji) is a quick,rustic porridge made from Nagli/Ragi/Finger Millet flour, usually served for breakfast in many parts of Maharashtra.

The nutritive benefits of Nagli are well known since ancient times. In fact these are our very own ‘Super Grains’,making a fashionable comeback of sorts, with smart colourful boxes labelled ‘Millets’ , sitting fashionably on the health food aisle in supermarkets! 🙂

A bowl of Ragi Kanji in the morning serves as a calcium+protein rich, power packed breakfast and also helps to keep the body cool (nugget of my Grandma’s wisdom J). This is one of my most favourite Summer breakfast and takes me back to my childhood, each time I have it!

Try to use Nagli flour made with the skin on for best results. I prefer this savoury version of the porridge over the sweet version, since I am not very fond of sweets. You can adjust the water- flour ratio to make a porridge consistency to your liking. For a refreshing kick you can top it with homemade curd or buttermilk. When I posted the Ambil photo on FB, I got a few new ideas of adding garlic/onion tadka to the Ambil. Will do that next time and update here. Till then here’s the recipe for Nagli Ambil/Ragi Kanji .

Nagli Ambil/Ragi Kanji recipe

Serves: 2

Cooking time: 10 Minutes

Ingredients

2 ½ Cups water

3 tablespoon Ragi Flour

1 teaspoon cumin seeds

½ teaspoon Ajwain

¼ teaspoon Hing (Asafoetida)

Salt to taste

2-3 tablespoon Curd/Buttermilk for topping (optional)

Pinch of Cumin powder for garnish (optional)

Method

Heat 2 cups of water in a saucepan. To the leftover ½ cup of water add the Nagli flour and stir to dissolve it completely till no lumps remain.

Add the cumin seeds, ajwain, hing and salt.

Once the water starts boiling, slowly add the ragi-water mixture, stirring constantly to ensure that no lumps are formed. Cook and stir for 1-2 minutes.

Serve hot with a dollop of Ghee or cool completely and serve topped with curd/buttermilk. Sprinkle some cumin powder if you like.

Desi Health Bites- Multigrain Daliya Hot Pot

I am back with another recipe showcasing my love for multi-grains again for the #Fortunehealthbites – Multigrain Daliya Hot Pot . It’s a Hot Pot alright – but a quick, no meat and no bake kind of Hot Pot- unlike the ‘Lancashire Hot Pot’ which inspired me for the basic idea and presentation for this recipe.

Daliya or the broken grains/Lapsi of wheat is the most commonly used in Indian cuisine for making savoury as well as sweet preparations. Jowar and Bajra groats are traditionally used to make ‘Khichada’, a spicy version of the Khichdi.

With the appearance of organic stores in town/online there is a now a variety of Daliyas easily available. My pantry now hosts an array of these nutritious, relatively quick to cook Daliyas .

I have flavoured this Hot Pot with Allspice, just because I have these flavourful leaves growing abundantly in my kitchen garden. The grilled sweet potato garnish adds some crunch to the Multigrain Hot Potmaking it look like a ‘gourmet’ makeover of the humble Khichdi, while still maintaining its ‘Comfort Food’ status.

I had recently switched over from Sunflower to Ricebran oil as per suggestion from my all knowing elder brother 🙂  and then as if on cue, Fortune Foods sent over their Rice Bran Health oil.

Fortune rice bran health oil has a key micronutrient called “oryzanol”, an antioxidant found only in the bran of rice. It helps reduce bad cholesterol,increase good cholesterol and keeps your heart healthy, making it a healthier choice.

Squalene is an organic compound naturally produced by human skin cells and is a natural moisturizer. Fortune Rice Bran Health Oil contains good amounts of it which prevent the ageing of skin.

Antioxidants improve health by fighting free radicals that harm the immune system. Fortune Rice Bran Health oil has natural antioxidants that help build strong immunity.”

“Also I learned that it is a myth that colourless or transparent oils are healthier than dark oils. FRBH is refined optimally to keep all the essential micronutrients intact. It has a darker appearance primarily due to Oryzanol.

It is a myth that colourless or transparent oils are healthier than dark oils. FRBH is refined optimally to keep all the essential micronutrients intact. It has a darker appearance primarily due to Oryzanol.

It is enriched with a gamut of nutrients and is good for heart, immunity, skin and hormones. It is appropriate for people of all ages”

Here’s the recipe for my recipe for the Multigrain Daliya Hot Pot

Multigrain Daliya Hot Pot

Serves 4-5

Ingredients

1 ¾ Cups mixed Daliya (Broken :wheat,jowar,barley,Buckwheat,corn,rice- any or all of these)

¼ cup green moong dal

¾ cup chopped veggies ( Beans,carrots,peas,beetroot,beetgreens,red pumpkin etc..)

1 small onion finely chopped

1 small Tomato chopped

½ tsp grated ginger

2-3 garlic pods crushed (optional)

1-2 Allspice leaves of Bay leaves

Handful of mint leaves torn into pieces or you can use coriander leaves

5-6 cups of vegetable stock/water (for porridge like consistency)

Salt to taste

For the tempering

3 tsp Fortune Rice bran Health oil

2 tsp cumene seeds

2 tsp mustard seeds

½ tsp turmeric powder

½ sp Asafoetida

3-4 dried red chillies torn into pieces

2-3 tbsp peanuts (optional)

For the Hot Pot Topping

2 large Sweet Potatoes sliced

½ tsp crushed black pepper

1 tsp Rock Salt or to taste

7-8 mint leaves torn into pieces

2 tsp Fortune Rice bran Health oil

Juice of ½ a lime

Method

In a bowl Mix the crushed black pepper,rock salt,lime juice,mint leaves & oil.

Pour over the sliced sweet potatoes and rub all over.Keep aside.

Wash the Multigrain Daliya and the green moong dal with water.

In a pressure pan, heat the oil.

Add the mustard seeds and once they crackle add the cumene seeds.

Add the turmeric powder,asafoetida,dry red chillies and peanuts .Stir for minute.

Now add the Allspice/bayleaf and the chopped onion, crushed garlic and grated ginger. Sauté for a minute.

Add the chopped tomato and cook for a few seconds.

Add the veggies next and mix well.

Now add the multigrain Daliya along with the green moong dal. Mix again.

Add ~ 5-6 cups of Vegetable stock or water (for porridge like consistency).

Add salt.Cover and cook for 1 whistle+10-12 mins on SIM or till the Daliya is cooked.

Meanwhile, grill the Sweet potatoes on a griddle pan on the stove top or in the oven ~ 10 minutes on each side- till they are just cooked.

Take out the Hot Multigrain Daliya in a flat bottom serving bowl.

Garnish with the mint leaves.

Top all over with the grilled sweet potatoes and serve hot immediately.

Pomegranate + green onion Raita and roasted Nagli/Ragi papad make great accompaniments for the Multigrain Daliya Hot Pot.

Notes:

If you have the time, soak the mix Daliya and the green moong dal in water for about half an hour. This can reduce the cooking time.

The veggies can be chopped in advance and refrigerated in airtight containers.

Fresh Basil is also a good option as a garnish for the Hot pot instead of Mint or coriander.

This blogpost is in association with Fortune Foods as a part of their Desi Health Bites activity– The Hunt for the Best Rice Bran Oil Recipes. For more updates and healthy recipes using Fortune Rice Bran Health Oil, follow Fortune Foods on Facebook and on Twitter at @fortunefoods 

Check out more Desi Health Bites by all the awesome Food Bloggers here at Fortune Food

Desi Health Bites – Mini Thalipeeth Tostadas

I love experimenting with different grains and flours. Jowar, Nagli/Ragi,Amaranth, Corn etc.. are pantry staples in my house. Most of the times,I use a blend of these grains for our day-to-day food in the form of khichdis, upmas,dosas.

One such multipurpose, wholesome flour mix is the ‘Thalipeeth Bhajani. This is a pantry staple in every Maharashtrian household.

Bhajani Thalipeeth basically is a quick flat bread made using this multigrain Bhajani mix along with chopped onions,sometimes some chopped fresh or leftover vegetables, fresh coriander, sesame seeds and spices.It is usually served for breakfast with fresh homemade Curd/Yogurt, homemade white butter and/or sweet lime pickle.

My Mom makes her own Thalipeeth Bhajani by roasting – Jowar, Bajra, wheat, Nagli,Rice,Gram dal,Urad dal and cumene , coriander seeds and then milling them together. Needless to say I get my Thalipeeth Bhajani mix  readymade from her as and when I am out of stock :). Most supermarkets, grocery stores, health food shops now stock Thalipeeth flour, so it is easily available or see the Quick Mix version given below.

Another favourite item from the Maharashtrian cuisine is ‘Khamang Kakdi’ – cucumber salad tempered with spices and topped with crushed peanuts. I love to add Tomatoes and onion to my Khamang Kakdi.

Both these Classic Maharashtrian favourites, I have combined in a quick modern Appetizer Avatar- Mini Thalipeeth Tostadas, akin to the Mexican Tostadas.

It seems to be a long winded recipe but it uses simple day-to-day ingredients found in most Indian kitchens.With some advance preparation it can be easily put together in under 30 minutes.

I have used Fortune Rice Bran Health Oil for making my  Mini Thalipeeth Tostadas.

“Fortune rice bran health oil has a key micronutrient called “oryzanol”, an antioxidant found only in the bran of rice. It helps reduce bad cholesterol,increase good cholesterol and keeps your heart healthy, making it a healthier choice.

Squalene is an organic compound naturally produced by human skin cells and is a natural moisturizer. Fortune Rice Bran Health Oil contains good amounts of it which prevent the ageing of skin.

Antioxidants improve health by fighting free radicals that harm the immune system. Fortune Rice Bran Health oil has natural antioxidants that help build strong immunity”.

“It is a myth that colourless or transparent oils are healthier than dark oils. FRBH is refined optimally to keep all the essential micronutrients intact. It has a darker appearance primarily due to Oryzanol.

It is enriched with a gamut of nutrients and is good for heart, immunity, skin and hormones. It is appropriate for people of all ages”

Here’s the recipe for my Mini Thalipeeth Tostadas

Mini Thalipeeth Tostadas

Makes about 18-19, 3” round Tostadas

Prep time: 20 mins

Cooking time: ~30 mins including baking time

Ingredients

For the Tostados

2 Cups Thalipeeth flour/Multigrain flour *

1 tsp Ajwain/Carom seeds

2 tsp Sesame seeds

½ tsp Dry red chilli powder (or to taste)

2 tsp Fortune Rice Bran Health Oil

2 Tbsp chopped fresh coriander leaves

¼ tsp garlic paste

½ tsp Asafoetida/hing

Warm water as required (~ ¾-1 cup)

For the topping

1 large cucumber peeled finely chopped

1 large Tomato ,seeds removed & finely chopped

½ onion finely chopped

3 tsp roasted peanuts crushed

2 tsp chopped fresh coriander leaves

½ tsp brown sugar

Salt to taste

For tempering

2 tsp Fortune Rice Bran Health Oil

½ tsp mustard seeds

½ tsp Cumene seeds

5-6 Curry leaves

½ tsp powdered Asafoetida

1-2 green chillies chopped

For the herbed Yogurt/Curd

¾  cup thick Yogurt/curd

2 tsp chopped mint leaves

2 tsp chopped coriander leaves

Rock salt to taste

Method

For the Tostados

Preheat the oven to 170 deg C.

Line a baking sheet with Parchment paper.

Add the flour or flours to a mixing bowl.

Add all the other ingredients except the water.Mix well.

Slowly add the warm water and knead the flours into a stiff but pliable dough.

Transfer the dough to a lightly floured work surface.

Roll out into a thin layer. The layer should be as thin as possible while still workable.

Cut rounds using a 3” cookie cutter/ sharp edge of a small steel Dabba.

Transfer to the prepared baking sheet and bake till they turn golden around the edges – ~15-20 minutes. (Keep an eye on them after about 12 minutes as they burn easily.)

Cool completely on a wire rack.

Note: These can be made well in advance. Can be stored in an air tight container for about 2 weeks.

For the topping-Koshimbir

Mix the cucumber, tomatoes, onions in a bowl.

Add the crushed peanuts, salt,sugar and mix

In a small Kadhai/pan add the oil.

Once hot, add the mustard seeds.

Once the mustard seeds crackle, add the cumene seeds, Asafoetida, curry leaves and green chillies.

Pour this over the Cucumber-tomato-onion mixture in the bowl.

Add the chopped coriander and mix again.

Note: The veggies can be chopped in advance but mix everything just before serving and use immediately

For the Herbed Yogurt/Curd

In a small bowl mix together the Yogurt and the herbs.

Season with Rock salt and mix well.

To Assemble the Mini Thalipeeth Tostadas

Keep the crispy Thalipeeth Tostadas on a large serving plate.

Add 1½- 2 spoonfuls of the Koshimbir Topping.

Top with a dollop of the herbed Yogurt

Serve immediately

Other serving suggestions:

You can use Sweet Lime pickle along with the juice, or a coriander-mint chutney or the Marathi Red/Green Chilly Thecha instead of the herbed Yogurt

*Make your own multigrain Quick Thalipeeth flour mix:  ½ cup Wheat flour+ ¼ cup Rice flour+ ¼ cup Ragi/Nagli flour+ ¼ cup Jowar flour+1/4 cup Bajra flour+ ¼ Besan/chickpea/Gram flour+ ¼ cup Urad Dal/Black lentil flour + ½ tsp roasted cumene powder+ ½ tsp coriander seed powder

This blogpost is in association with Fortune Foods as a part of their Desi Health Bites activity– The Hunt for the Best Rice Bran Oil Recipes. For more updates and healthy recipes using Fortune Rice Bran Health Oil, follow Fortune Foods on Facebook and on Twitter at @fortunefoods

Ambe Dal

The Mango Mania refuses to leave us. First the tangy green raw mangoes and now the luscious ripe ones. I am still hooked on to the raw mangoes and have been using them in every way I can.

Ambe Dal is a traditional Maharashtrian preparation, specially made during these hot summer days when green Mangoes are abundant. It’s super quick and easy to make (with the exception that you need to soak the dal in advance) and requires just a few easily available ingredients.

The tart raw mangoes are grated and added to coarsely ground soaked chana dal (split Bengal gram). This mixture is then flavoured with a spicy tadka (tempering) of Red chillies, curry leaves and asafoetida . I personally love the flavor of asafoetida .

This cool,tangy-spicy Ambe Dal is served on a banana leaf along with Aam Panha (recipe here)

Here’s the recipe for Ambe Dal

Ingredients

1 cup Chana dal (split Bengal gram) soaked in water for 5-6 hours

½ raw mango, peeled and grated (depending on the tartness the amount can be adjusted)

½ tsp sugar

Salt to taste

For the tadka (tempering)

3tsp oil

½ tsp mustard seeds

½ tsp cumene seeds

5-6 curry leaves

Pinch of asafoetida

1-2 dry Red chillies broken into pieces

Method

Rinse and Drain the soaked Chana dal.

Grind the dal coarsely .

Add the grated mango, salt and sugar .

In a small wok/pan heat the oil.

Add the mustard seeds and once they splutter add the cumene seeds.

Add the curry leaves, asafoetida and the red chillies.

Add this tadka over the Mango Dal mixture and mix nicely .

Cool and serve on a banana leaf along with Aam Panha. I love to ‘cool this dal in the refrigerator for half an hour and then serve.

A Festive Tea party

Last One month we having been celebrating one festival or the other and the festivities still continue with the Ganesh festival. I am not a typical ‘rituals person’ but enjoy the festive food that is prepared during the festivals. We have been indulging in all kinds of traditional feasts and still continuing with it maybe for another month! As my grandmother would say ‘you do not think of the calories during these feasts’. Homemade fresh sweets and savories (majority made with homemade ghee (brown butter) are stored in steel containers luring you with their delectable aromas each time you pass by! I have decided to give up concern for my growing waistline till the festivities last and indulge in the feasts without any guilt! 🙂

Last week we celebrated the festive season with some family friends over to our house for high tea. Usually this is referred to here in the local language as Faraal (snacks) instead of tea party. A variety of Indian savories and sweets are served along with tea or coffee. Given our guests’ festive diet restrictions we decided to have dishes without onion and garlic, which was really difficult for an onion-garlic addict like me.

Apart from some fried crispies we had Tamarind Poha and Sweet Corn Appe (recipe below) as the main snacks along with some Mint-lemon Tea for the tea party. I do not have the photos of the actual party since I was very busy making and serving hot Corn Appe , so these are all ‘after’ photos with whatever leftovers I had.

As I mentioned in my earlier post, I had some 2 kgs of corn to be used up, I made a no onion- sweet corn version of Appe. Appe are small round savoury steamed cakes usually made with the Idli batter and spices to enhance the flavor. An Appe mould or tava as it is called (Aebleskiver pan) is a must for making these delightful little balls of goodness.

The Sweet corn added a lovely crunch to the spicy appe and I did not miss the onions at all. Infact, everyone asked me for the recipe. A simple sweet corn twist in the recipe changed the taste of the humble appe!

I served mint-lemon tea along with the snacks. This was a welcome change from the traditional double boiled, tannin loaded dark brown tea that is normally served with Faraal.

My small high tea party is going to be a part of the Big Tea Party at A Mad Tea Party hosted by the wonderful Anita. I love her yearly parties and thanks Anita once again for a lovely theme!

 

Here’s the recipe for the Sweet Corn Appe:

For about 10 Appe

Ingredients:

1 cup Idli batter (I used readymade)

½ cup Sweet corn kernels

3-4 tbsp chopped fresh coriander leaves

2-3 tsp green chilli paste (adjust to your taste)

Salt to taste

1 tsp mustard seeds

2 tsp oil for the tadka(tempering)

more Oil for shallow frying the Appe.

Method

Mix together the idli batter, sweetcorn, coriander leaves, chilli paste and salt.

In a small pan heat 2 tsp oil and add the mustard seeds and heat till they crackle.

Add the mustard seeds+oil to the above batter.

Mixwell.

Heat the Appe pan/tava.

Drop spoonfuls of the batter into each round mould in the pan.

Drizzle little oil from the sides of the batter.

Cover and cook for 5-6 minutes on low heat or till the lower part of the Appe turns golden.

Turn each Appe with a wooden skewer (if using non stick pan) and cook on the other side for another 5 minutes.

Insert the skewer and test the Appe for doneness. (The batter should not stick to the skewer).

Serve hot with chutney or sauce.

Note:

I used readymade Idli batter since I had to make ~ 50 Appe’s.

My mom makes a version of Appe with a mixture of daals and rice for the batter. So you can also add a mixture of Daals instead of just Urad daal to the batter.

Pickled Beets

I love Beets, so whenever I see fresh juicy Beets in the farmers market I cannot resist the temptation to buy them. The Beets that are usually available locally are quite big in size. I just love to boil them, chop and sprinkle some salt and pepper and eat it right away, when they are still warm. My other favourite Beet recipe is beet+Yoghurt- Raita/Koshimbir.

I saw these cute little baby Beets the other day in the market and couldn’t resist buying them. Even as I was buying them, this recipe for Pickled Beets from Elise @Simply Recipes was on my mind. The Beets were scrubbed clean the moment I reached home- Boiled (I did that in a pressure cooker), cooled, cut and dressed with the mustard vinaigrette -all done in no time. I have changed the proportion of ingredients to suit our taste.

These delicious Pickled beets are now a favourite in our house and we add them to everything from salads to wraps!

Thanks Elise for this simple yet delicious Pickled Beets recipe, my family loves it!

Here’s the recipe:

Ingredients:

6-7 Baby Beets

 For the vinaigrette:

2 tsp split mustard seeds (or you can use dry mustard)

~2 tbsp Cider Vinegar

~1/2 tbsp sugar

1 tsp black pepper crushed

1 tbsp olive oil

Salt to taste

 Method:

Clean and boil the Baby Beets (I used a pressure cooker). Peel off the skin and halve them (If you do not have baby Beets, use the big ones and chop them into cubes after boiling)

Whisk together the ingredients for the Vinaigrette in a mixing bowl. Adjust the sugar or pepper/salt if required.

Add the boiled beets.

Mix nicely for all the beets to coat.

Keep covered at room temperature for ~ 1 hour.

Serve as a side dish or add to salads or wraps.

These Pickled beets recipes are being sent just in time for Blog Bites #6 @One Hot Stove

Pepper away the Monsoon blues with this quick and simple Black pepper Rasam/soup

The medicinal uses of Black pepper are well known. It is one of the trusted home remedies for cold and cough. We have been surviving the Monsoon bug by adding this ‘natural antibiotic‘ to our day-to -day meals.

We are having this hot spicy Pepper Rasam/ soup almost every day to soothe our itchy throats; a soothing balm to ‘shoo’ away the Monsoon blues.

This is of course my Mother-in-law’s recipe and uses very few day-to-day ingredients; Black pepper-cumene seeds –some dried coconut and curry leaves. You can make a ready spice mix and store in an airtight container. Whenever you want to make the rasam just boil some lentils add the ready spice mix and viola! your ‘magic potion’ is ready in minutes

Here’s the recipe for Pepper Rasam/Soup

Things required:

¼ cup Toovar Dal (pigeon pea lentils)

8-10 Black pepprcorns

~2 tsp Cumene seeds

~ 1 tbsp dried coconut grated

4-5 curry leaves

Pinch of turmeric and few drops of oil to cook the Lentils

Salt to taste

1 tsp homemade ghee

Method:

Pressure cook the dal with ~ 2 ½ cups  of water, a pinch of turmeric and 3-4 drops of oil.

In a pan dry roast black peppercorns, cumene seeds, dried coconut and curry leaves one by one.

Cool and coarsely grind the spices in a mortar and pestle.

Heat ghee in a deep pan.

Add the spice mix.

Add the cooked dal along with the water. Adjust the consistency of water to your liking.

Season with salt and boil for few minutes.

Serve piping hot.

Notes:

You can adjust the spices to your taste, it is a very forgiving recipe.

You can skip the ghee if you don’t want it, just mix the spices and the dal and boil together.

If you plan to serve this as a clear soup, let the soup stand for a few minutes and then just pour out the liquid. You can use the leftover dal to make some dal parathas or sambar

You can zest up the soup with a dash of lime juice

Power Breakfast for these ‘under the weather’ days

The monsoon bug does not seem to leave our house; it’s been almost like a hospital for the past few days! The wet sultry days are no help for recovery. The coughing and sneezing seems to have affected the palate as well as the appetite. Quick, wholesome food is helping us sustain these depressing days.

Here’s a recipe for a quick and wholesome Cracked wheat (Dalia) Upma dressed up with corn, moong bean sprouts and a few spices. Corn was added for the little ‘corn fan’ in the house. To pep up our appetites I added some kasuri Methi and a hint of Pav Bhaji masala to the cracked wheat, and that’s what is did-jazzed up our meal!

Here’s the recipe:

2 cups Cracked wheat, washed and pressure cooked (with salt and 3 ½ cups water)

1 cup Sweet corn

1 cup moog bean sprouts

1 small onion chopped

~ 2-3 tsp kasuri methi

½ tsp Pav Bhaji Masala (I used Everest)

3-4 dry red chillies broken into pieces

~2 tsp roasted peanut powder

½ tsp ginger-garlic paste

½ tsp turmeric powder

½ tsp cumene seeds

½ tsp mustard seeds

Salt to taste

~2-3 tsp oil

Lemon juice, coriander/mint leaves for garnish

Heat oil in a pan. Add the tadka ingredient; mustards seeds-cumene seeds-turmeric- redchillies.

Add the onion and ginger garlic paste and sauté for 1-2 minutes.

Add the corn and moong beans.

Add salt and mix nicely (the cooked Cracked wheat also contains salt.)

Cook covered for ~5-6 minutes. (Don’t overcook, the corn and moong sprouts should be crunchy)

Add the Pav Bahji masala.

Crush and sprinkle the Kasuri Methi.

Add the cooked Cracked wheat and peanut powder, mix well.

Cook covered for 1-2 minutes more.

Garnish with Lime juice/coriander/mint leaves and serve hot.

 Note: You can use any fresh vegetables of your choice along with the corn and Moong sprouts.

Summer salad

Summer is here and as I have mentioned earlier several times this is not one of my favourite months. The soaring temperatures and longer days are not for me; but I look forward to the grapes and mangoes that this season offers!

Summer is also the season to enjoy some delicious fruity salads!

This salad was accidentally discovered when I wanted to put together some leftover fruits.

The Green color of the apples (Granny Smith Apples) is very soothing in this heat. All similar coloured fruits and veggies are thrown together in this Salad with a dash of Mint, salt and pepper and some lime if you don’t mind the extra tartness.

Summer Salad recipe

Ingredients:

2 Green apples washed and grated (I did not peel them)

1cucumber peeled and grated

½ Raw mango peeled and grated (adjust the amount depending on the tartness)

8-10 mint leaves

Black salt to taste

Black Peppercorns crushed

Lime juice (optional)

 Method:

Mix the grated Apples, Cucumber and raw Mango.

Tear and mix the mint leaves.

Sprinkle the black  salt. (I added salt to as soon as the apples were grated)

Add pepper.

Add a dash of lime juice. (Depending on the tartness of the mango)

Mix once again and serve.