Snake Cucumber Salad (Khamang Kakdi)

Snake Cucumbers

 

I am not sure how many of you are aware of this snake-like variety of cucumber. People in the north of India are familiar with it and they call it “Kakdi “ or “Kakri”. I later on found out from the net that it is also known as “Armenian Cucumber”.  Frankly speaking, I was totally clueless about this vegetable. Lately, I used to see a vendor selling these (snake-like, light green coloured vegetables) in a cart, from our balcony and used to wonder what they were. Then, one fine day, I saw it on a TV channel and the host was explaining the nutritive value of this wonderful vegetable.

Apparently, unlike other cucumbers this particular variety can be eaten even by those who are prone to cold and cough. (My spouse avoids cucumbers as he immediately catches cold after eating them.) When I heard this on TV, at the first opportunity, I bought a small quantity (4-5) for a trial basis and believe me it was crisp, tender and delicious. It can be eaten raw without removing the skin. And, my spouse had no problem even after eating it. We were both delighted!

This is a typical Maharashtrian dish known as “Khamang Kakdi”. The only change I made in this dish is the use of Snake cucumber instead of the normal one that is available.

 

 

Ingredients:

Snake Cucumber	4-5
Grated coconut	½ cup
Roasted peanuts	½ cup
Green chilies	2-3 or more
Lemon juice	2 tsps
Chopped coriander leaves	2 tbsps
Sugar	½ tsp
Salt	As per taste
Seasoning ingredients
Oil	1 tsp
Mustard seeds	1 tsp
Curry leaves	1 sprig

Method:

1. Roughly crush the roasted peanuts and keep aside.
2. Chop green chilies and lightly crush them and keep aside.
3. Wash the snake cucumbers, cut them into cubes and place them in a bowl.
4. Now add the crushed roasted peanuts, green chilies, grated coconut, chopped coriander leaves, lime juice, salt and sugar into the bowl.

For seasoning: Heat a small seasoning pan, add oil in it and when the oil is heated, add mustard seeds and when it starts spluttering, add the curry leaves. Remove from flame and add the contents into the above prepared mixture.

Mix well and serve immediately.

Snake (cucumbers) in the basket

Ingredients

Snake cucumber being cut into cubes

All the ingredients being combined in a bowl

Getting ready to serve

 

Preparation time:15-20 mins

Seasoning time : 5 mins

Serves: 4

Note:

• This is generally served as a side dish.
• In case you want to serve this at a later stage, then add salt just before serving.
• Any type of cucumber can be used in making this salad. English cucumbers that are currently available in most of the supermarkets are another option.

Kiwi, Melon & Ginger Salad

Well, we all had our fill of sweets, lights, meeting family and friends and last but not the least the noise too (of firecrackers) this Diwali!  Now, it’s back to routine and I am sure most of you are trying to lose the excess calories gained by gulping those yummy sweets and savouries.

You can however, indulge in this refreshing dessert without having to worry about any weight gain! 

Ingredients:

Musk melon	1 (halved & seeded)
Kiwi Fruit	2 (peeled & sliced)
Ginger (tender) grated	½ inch piece
Ginger (extract juice)	½ inch piece
Apple juice	3-4 tbsps

Method:

Melon - cut into cubes

Kiwi - cut into slices

1. You can either cut the melon (after removing the skin) into cubes or you can scoop the flesh from the melon with a melon ball scoop and place them in a bowl.
2. In the same bowl, add the peeled and sliced kiwis and the grated ginger.
3. In another small bowl, mix the ginger extract/juice with the apple juice and pour this over the cut fruits (melon & kiwi).
4. Serve in individual serving bowls.

Serves: 4

Note:

• For the apple juice, I used Tropicana apple juice.
• This is a very colourful and refreshing dessert.

Purple Cabbage, Radish & Carrot Salad

This is a very healthy, colourful and tasty salad. Now-a-days, salad has become an integral part of our diet in most homes and my home is no exception to this.

Salads when eaten raw is highly beneficial but during the monsoon season it is advisable to refrain from eating them raw instead stir-frying them on a high flame is a better option as it destroys the bacteria that maybe present and at the same time retains its texture and freshness.

The preparation of salad is quite an art. I am learning this by watching various food shows on TV.  Cutting of vegetables is of utmost important especially those like radish, carrots, beetroots etc.

So here is a quick stir-fry salad with the Indian touch to it. In the original recipe, it required a dressing which was poured over the thinly cut raw vegetables.

Purple Cabbage, Radish & Carrot Salad

Vegetables sliced and ready for Stir-Frying

Ingredients:

Red Cabbage	1/8 pc
Radish (Mooli)	1
Carrot	1
Capsicum	¼ pc
Onion	1 small
Red chilly flakes	1-2 tsps ( or as per taste)
Fresh curry leaves	1 sprig ( you can add more)
Salt	To taste
Olive oil	2 tsps
Lime juice	1 tsp
Corriander leaves (chopped)	1 tbsp

Method:

Peeling the carrot into ribbon shape

1. Wash all the vegetables and peel the skins of the radish, carrot and onion. Deseed the capsicum.
2. Slice the onion and the cabbage thinly. Cut the capsicum into thin strips.
3. With the help of the peeler, peel the carrot and radish (just as you peeled the skin) so that you get thin peels of ribbon and continue doing so till you get the desired quantity.
4. Heat olive oil (you can use any other cooking oil too) in a wok/kadai. Keep the flame high.
5. Add the sliced onions, curry leaves and red chilly flakes. Stir constantly till the onions are translucent.
6. Add capsicum and red cabbage. Give it a good stir for a minute or two.
7. Then add the thin peels of radish and carrot. Mix well. Add salt and give it another quick stir and remove from flame.
8. Finally garnish it with chopped coriander leaves and lime juice.

Cooking time : 5-7 mins

Serves: 2

Note:

• You can substitute ginger or garlic for onions. OR  you can  use all three i.e. onion, ginger and garlic. The choice is yours.
• This salad goes well with chapattis.
• For yet another purple cabbage salad, see here

Purple Cabbage Salad

This tasty salad is very quick and easy to prepare and is very healthy too. It is said that cabbage should be eaten raw i.e. in the form of salad rather than cooking, as it loses some of its valuable nutrients. Moreover, no cooking means less work too !

Earlier, I used to prepare this salad in a different way but I found that nothing beats our "desi" type of salad with "desi" ingredients. I learnt this recipe from one of my nieces (from my husband's side). You can spice it up adding more chilies if you so desire. She prepared this once at our place with the green cabbage. I used the same method for the purple one and the result is the same except that the leaves of the purple cabbage are slightly tougher than the green ones - tastewise, they are similar. Try it out and see for yourself.

Ingredients:

250 gms - Purple Cabbage

1 (large) - Onion

Salt to taste

For Seasoning:

2 tsps - Oil

1 tsp - Mustard seeds

1 tsp - Jeera (cumin) seeds

a pinch - Asafetida

1 or 2 - Green chilly (slit)

1 sprig - Curry leaves

For Garnishing

2 tbsps - Coriander leaves (chopped)

2 tsps - Lime juice

Method

1. Wash the cabbage and chop it finely. (If you have a food processor, this can be done in a few seconds).
2. Chop the onions too finely.
3. In a bowl, mix the chopped cabbage and onion and keep aside.
4. Heat oil in a small pan and add the seasoning ingredients - mustard seeds, cumin seeds and when they start spluttering add the split green chilly, asafetida and curry leaves.
5. Fry it for a while and then pour the seasoning onto the cabbage and onion mix.
6. Mix it thoroughly and garnish it with chopped coriander leaves and lime juice.
7. Add salt just before serving and mix well.

Serves: 4

Note:

This salad goes well with chapatis or puris.

Cabbage & Tomato Salad

This is a colourful, tasty and crunchy salad and very easy to prepare. It not only looks good to eat but also looks good on the dining table ! It is noteworthy that cabbage when eaten raw is healthier as it is easy on the digestion.

Ingredients

Cabbage finely chopped	About 2 cups
Tomatoes (chopped)	1 large
Ginger (chopped)	1’ piece
Green chilies (chopped)	1
Salt	To taste
Lime juice	2 tsps
Coriander leaves (chopped)	2 tbsps

Method

1. In a bowl, crush chopped green chilies & chopped ginger along with salt.
2. Add to it the chopped tomatoes and lime juice. Mix well and keep it aside.
3. Place the finely chopped cabbage in another bowl and just before serving, combine the tomatoes, green chilies, and ginger etc mixture. Mix well.
4. Finally garnish it with chopped coriander leaves.
5. Serve immediately.

Serves: 3

Note:

• Cabbage should be finely chopped. A food processor will do the job quickly.
• It goes well with chapattis.
• The decoration (rose) is made from tomato peel.
  

For nutritional benefits of cabbage see here:

http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=foodspice&dbid=19

Bitter Gourd “Kismuri” (salad)

“Kismuri” in Konkani language, or “kosambari” in kannada language means a sort of salad or a side dish.

Bitter gourd as you all know and as the name suggests is quite bitter in taste and generally not liked by children (or even some adults) - though right from childhood it is being constantly drilled into our heads that this vegetable has great health benefits and should not be avoided.

However, I have observed that this “Kismuri” is quite a hit with all those who hate this vegetable and that include my daughter too. !

Generally the pieces are deep fried but for a healthier version, I follow my Mom’s example by shallow frying it (though it takes a bit longer time to fry).

Ingredients :

Bitter Gourd (medium size)	3
Salt	1 tsp or as per taste
Tomato (chopped)	1
Onion (chopped)	1
Green chilly (halved)	1 or 2
Corriander leaves (chopped)	A small bunch
Grated coconut (optional)	1 tbsp
Oil	11/2tbsp.
Mustard seeds	1 tsp

Method:

1. Wash Bitter gourd. Discard the seeds if not tender. Chop it finely, sprinkle salt over it and keep aside for about 15-20 minutes and then squeeze out the water*.
2. Heat a pan. Add to it oil and mustard seeds. When the mustard seeds start spluttering, add the chopped bitter gourd (from which all the water has been squeezed out) and the halved green chilies.
3. Fry this on a low flame till the bitter gourd has turned crisp and dark brown in colour – this will take quite a while.
4. Remove from flame and allow it to cool. Do not cover the pan as it will turn soggy.
5. In a serving bowl, add the cooled & fried biter-gourd pieces.
6. To it add the chopped tomatoes, onions & grated coconut. Mix well.
7. Garnish with coriander leaves and serve immediately.

Serves: 3

Note:

• *Do not throw away the water that has been squeezed out of the chopped bitter gourd. You can use this water in soups or in any gravy.
• If the salad is to be served at a later time, then the fried and cooled bitter gourd is to be stored in an airtight container to preserve its crispiness.
• It goes well with rice and dal or even with curd rice.

For bitter gourd health benefits, see here :http://www.juicing-for-health.com/bitter-gourd-benefits.html

Avocado Salad

Avocado is also known as Butter Fruit. It is known for its highly nutritive value.

This fruit needs to be cut in a particular way. Since I had messed it up the first time I cut this fruit, I thought I shall let you in the secret .

First check that the Avocado fruit is slightly ripe – When you shake the fruit, you can actually feel the seed ( a big one) rattling inside or, the fruit when pressed gently will be slightly soft and not as hard as stone. Also note that the outer green skin is not black. You are now ready to cut the fruit.

Take a sharp knife and run it around the fruit making very light contact and complete the circle. Now hold the fruit in such a way that the lower half of the fruit is in your left palm and cover the upper half of the fruit with your right palm and gently twist the fruit( if the upper palm is turned clockwise, then the lower palm should be turned anti-clockwise) in the opposite direction. In this way, the fruit will be cut into half but not the seed. You can easily see the seed inside and remove it with your hand or with the knife. Discard the seed.

Now take a spoon and scoop out the flesh of the avocado and discard the skin. This way it is less messy. Now you are ready for the preparation of the salad.

Ingredients :

Avocado	1
Tomatoes	2
Onions	2
Lime	1
Green Chilies	2
Salt	to taste
Pepper	to taste
Corriander leaves	A small bunch chopped

Method :

• Mash the avocado pulp.
  
• Wash and chop tomatoes, onions and green chillies.
• In a bowl, crush the green chillies and salt.
• Add to it chopped tomatoes, onions, coriander leaves, pepper and the juice of one lime.
• Mix well and serve.

Preparation time: 20 minutes

Serves : 4

Note :

It tastes well with chappatis. In Mexico, it is used as a dip and they have it with tortilla or any chips.

I have adapted this recipe to cater to the Indian palate.

In Hindi this fruit is known as Makhanphal.

Source :http://www.fatfreekitchen.com/hindiname-pictures.html

For health benefits refer to the source below:

http://healthmad.com/nutrition/11-health-benefits-of-avocado/

Raw Papaya Salad (Som Tam)

This is a Thai Salad – very colourful easy to prepare, tasty and healthy too. I make this often as raw papayas are available here throughout the year. I have slightly modified the ingredients to suit our Indian taste.

Ingredients:

Raw Papaya (small)	¼ pc
Tomato	1
Crushed roasted peanuts	2 tbsps
Chopped long beans (chowli)	1 tbsp
Dry red chilly (Kashmiri)	1
Jaggery (palm sugar)	2 tbsps
Lime juice	1 tbsp
Chopped corriander leaves	for garnishing

Method:

• Peel and grate the raw papaya & cut tomatoes lengthwise.
• In a mortar, pound red chilly, long beans and jaggery.
• Put the above ingredients (papaya, tomatoes and the pounded mixture) in a bowl.
• Now add to it the crushed roasted peanuts and the lime juice. Mix well
• Garnish with chopped coriander leaves and serve.

Note :

While making this salad, long beans was not at hand so I had to omit it. It still tasted good!

This is one salad in which no salt is added.

Tabouleh

My close (Lebanese) friend Ms. Nana Turk introduced me to this wonderful tasty salad. I owe this recipe to her. Since I enjoy Lebanese cuisine, I have learnt quite a few recipes from her.

Ingredients :

Bulghur wheat	1/2 cup
Parsley	1 small bunch
Fresh mint	1 small bunch
Tomatoes	3-4
Spring onions	1 small bunch
Capsicum	1
Lemon	1 (juice of 1 Lime )
Black pepper	1 tsp
Salt	1 tsp or as per taste
Olive oil	1 tsp

Method :

• Wash & soak the Bulgur wheat in a bowl for half an hour.
• Then drain it completely and keep it aside.
• Wash parsley, mint and tomatoes and chop them finely.
• Finely chop the onions.
• Add all the finely chopped vegetables to the drained bulgur wheat and mix it well.
• Sprinkle black pepper and salt and add the olive oil.
• Toss this gently.
• Decorate it with a sliver of Green Pepper.
• Serves 4

Note :

This is an Arabic/Lebanese salad. As you can see it is very colourful and tasty (take my word for it !) too.

In this recipe, I have slightly Indianised it. Instead of Bulgur wheat, spring onion & parsley, I used broken wheat, onion and coriander leaves.

Romaine Lettuce leaves are also used for decorating this salad.

Info :

Tabbūle is a Levantine Arabic word meaning literally "little spicy".

Source:

Wikipedia