Radish Salad with Dried Mint

I make variations of this simple salad all summer. You can tweak the recipe with whatever fresh produce is available. Even the dried mint can be substituted with fresh cilantro or parsley. It is a staple recipe that is a terrific complement to any grilled meat or fish dish.

Ingredients 

10–12 Radishes, trimmed, cut in half, and thinly sliced*
2 medium Yellow Peppers, diced
1 large Cucumber, peeled and diced
1½ tbsp Dried Mint, crushed
1 tsp Ground Coriander
1/8 tsp freshly ground Black Pepper
2–3 fresh Green Chillies, minced
Juice of ½ lemon
Sea Salt (to taste)

1. In a large bowl, mix radish, peppers, and cucumber with dried mint, coriander, black pepper, green chillies, and lemon juice, and mix well. Store in a fridge for 30 mins to chill. 
2. Remove from fridge, add salt, toss well and serve immediately. 

 *TIP: Do not throw away the lovely green tops of the radishes! Reserve them for a bonus side dish—served raw as a salad (dressed simply with lemon juice, olive oil, sea salt and black pepper), or as a warm side dish.

Heirloom Tomato Bonanza

The farmer's market is overflowing with the season's final crop of heirloom tomatoes. They are best served in all their jewel-toned glory with fresh mozzarella and roughly torn basil leaves, and drizzled with sea salt, black pepper and extra virgin olive oil. Summer in a mouthful!

Pineapple Salad with Cilantro and Sea Salt

I hate to call this a recipe—it really is just an excuse to use leftover fruit and herbs. But after marinating in the fridge for a couple hours, simple pineapple miraculously transforms into a fragrant salad or side dish, perfect as an accompaniment to grilled meat or fish, or just as delicious served as dessert.

Ingredients 

2 lbs [1 kg] Pineapple, cut into 1” cubes
¼ cup fresh Cilantro, chopped
2 tsp Sea Salt
1/8 tsp freshly ground Black Pepper
Pinch of Paprika
4 tbsp extra virgin Olive Oil

1. Combine pineapple, cilantro and sea salt in a large bowl. Let sit for 10 mins.
2. Add the remaining ingredients and toss gently. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 2 hours to allow the flavours to steep. Serve cold.

Watermelon, Red Onion, and Feta Salad

Nothing says summer more than watermelon. But three months into the season, I’ve over-dosed on the fruit and am constantly thinking of fresh, new ways of serving it. Pairing perfectly ripe watermelon with pungent red onion and creamy feta is unexpected, but utterly delicious. And the fragrance of mint takes this salad to the next level of happiness and contentment.

Ingredients
3 lbs [1½ kg] Watermelon, cut into 1” cubes
1 medium Red Onion, thinly sliced
Juice of 1 lime
16 oz. [½ kg] Feta cheese, cut into ½” cubes
½ cup Mint leaves, finely chopped
¼ cup Parsley, finely chopped
1/8 tsp freshly ground Black Pepper
¼ cup extra virgin Olive Oil

1. Combine watermelon, red onion and lime juice in a large bowl. Let sit for 10 mins.
2. Add the remaining ingredients and toss gently. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour to allow the flavours to steep. Serve cold.

Tomato Chickpea Feta Salad

This is one of my favourite, year-round salads, even more delicious when made with sweet, ripe, summer tomatoes. Once the prep-work is done, the salad comes together in a jiffy, and is best made a day ahead to allow the flavours to steep.

Ingredients 

1 lbs [½ kg] grape or cherry Tomatoes, cut in half
1 can [16 oz / ½ kg] Chickpeas, drained and thoroughly washed
16 oz. [½ kg] Feta cheese, cut into ½” cubes
4 cloves Garlic, finely minced
½ cup Parsley, finely chopped
1/8 tsp freshly ground Black Pepper
Salt (to taste)
1/3 cup extra virgin Olive Oil

1. In a large bowl, gently mix tomatoes, chickpeas and feta with a spatula or wooden spoon, taking care not to bruise the tomatoes. 
2. Add the rest of the ingredients, and toss well. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 3–4 hours, and preferably up to a day. 
3. Remove from fridge and serve at room temperature.

Seared Ginger Prawns with Jicama-Mango Salad

This dish exemplifies, probably more than anything else that I’ve posted, the hybrid, culinary experimentation that I’m so fond of. Some of you may recognise Vietnamese influences in the pairing of lime and ginger, while others might point out the Latin overtones of the salsa-like jicama-mango salad. In fact, all these are commonly found Indian ingredients that fuse together into an easy, pan-continental style.

For my Indian readers—jicama is the Spanish name for the lowly root vegetable that we call shankhaloo in Bengali. It’s crunchy freshness, coupled with the sweetness of mango, unexpectedly balances the briny-ness of the prawns. Together, they are a perfect dish for a warm and muggy summer evening.

Ingredients

1¼ lbs [½ kg] Prawns, peeled, de-veined, and washed
1-inch piece Ginger, peeled and finely minced
1 tsp Garlic, finely minced
½ tsp Sriracha chilli sauce (or any Asian chilli sauce of choice)
2 tbsp Ponzu sauce (or Soy sauce)
1/8 tsp freshly ground Black Pepper
Pinch of Salt
2 tbsp Vegetable Oil

For the Salad: 

½ lb [225 gms] Jicama, peeled and diced
½ lb [225 gms] Mango, peeled and diced
2 Shallots, finely sliced
3–4 fresh Green Chillis, finely minced
½ cup Cilantro, finely chopped
Juice of 1 Lime
Salt (to taste)

1. Mix the prawns with ginger, garlic, chilli sauce, ponzu sauce, black pepper and salt in a bowl. Cover with plastic-wrap and let marinate in the fridge for 30 mins. 
2. Mix all the salad ingredients together in a large bowl and set aside for 15 mins to let the flavours steep. 
3. Remove prawns from fridge. Heat oil in a large skillet or frying pan over high heat until it is smoking. Add prawns to the skillet and sear on one side for 2 mins. Then flip the prawns and sear on the other side for another 2 mins until golden brown. [Alternately, you can cook the prawns on a gas or charcoal grill over indirect heat.] 
4. Serve warm, plated with the jicama-mango salad.

Cucumber Radish Salad with Ginger and Green Chillis

This is a wonderfully fresh and colourful salad that complements a lot of roasted and grilled meats and kebabs. I dished out my mandoline and sliced the cucumber and radish super-thin with the skin on. The resulting translucent discs ringed with jewel-toned red and green, showcased the bright note of the ginger and heat of the green chilli beautifully. The recipe works equally well as a crunchy relish if you finely dice the cucumber and radish instead of slicing it. I add the salt just before serving to prevent the water in the vegetables from being leached.

Ingredients 

1 large Cucumber
8–10 small Radishes
1-inch piece Ginger, peeled and grated
4–6 Green Chillis, finely chopped
1/8 cup Parsley, finely chopped
Juice of ½ lemon
1/8 tsp freshly ground Black Pepper
Salt (to taste)

1. Slice the cucumbers and radishes as thin as possible with the skin on, preferably with a mandoline. Alternately, you can finely dice the vegetables.
2. In a large bowl, mix cucumber and radishes with the rest of the ingredients, except salt, and toss well. Store in a fridge for 30 mins to chill. 
3. Remove from fridge, add salt, toss well and serve immediately.