Raw, cooked, sweet, chatpat—there are so many dimensions to a good salad, and adding different ingredients improves its health quotient too. Here are five creative ways to make your salad more interesting in flavour and texture.
You already know that eating salad is good for health. But does the word ‘boring’ come to mind when you think of these nutritious nibbles? For that special nudge towards your wellness path, we let you in on 5 ways you can make them interesting. In other words, a win-win situation for your taste buds as well as health.
Add something cooked
Does salad make you feel like you are eating ghas-pus? A great idea is to add something cooked. It can be anything from sweet potato, quinoa, grilled paneer, pasta or even rice for that matter. Not only will it give you a feeling of a complete meal but will also keep you full for a longer time. And not to mention the enhanced taste!
The nuttier the better
As we already know by now, dry fruits are packed with nutrients. One of the ways to jazz up your salad and up your health quotient is to sprinkle in some dry fruits. Cashew, almonds, walnuts are perfect to bring in that extra crunch whereas dates and raisins lend an irresistible sweet taste.
Make it a chaat treat
This especially comes handy during that evening hunger when you are craving something chatpata from the roadside. Instead of reaching for the street food, take your regular veggies and load on the coriander, chaat masala, lemon, onions, roasted papad and boiled pulses. You can even douse some tamarind and jaggery chutney. A treat for your taste buds (and health)!
Throw in some diced fruits
Another option to make your salad more interesting is to add some fresh fruits. Firstly, they will take the flavour of the dish to a whole another level. And secondly, your sweet cravings will be satiated too to some level. Apples, pomegranate, strawberries, orange, sweet lime all make great accompaniments to raw vegetables.
Sprout to get your diet right everyday
No salad storm is complete without a sprinkling of sprouts. While nuts, fruits, berries, and leaves have their own special place, sprouts amplify your salad’s taste and nutrition abundantly. More on how to sprout or where to find them in this next piece.
Fresh sprouts off the bowl
The natural growth process of seeds, grains, and pulses gives us sprouts, delicious and super healthy plant shoots. Sprouting augments the grains’ benefits, thus numerous essential nutrients such as folate, phosphorous, magnesium, and vitamin C &K to your diet. The natural germinating process is also known to up its protein content. Soak moong dal, chana dal, millet, barley, kala chana, or anything you want overnight and you are good to go the next day.
Soaking it up
Rinse your choice of grains/legumes/beans. Then place them in a bowl filled with water. Ensure that the bowl is large enough for the sprouts to swell once they germinate. Similarly, ensure that there is more than enough water as the grains absorb some water while sprouting.
The next day they would have germinated with young shoots blossoming. Throw away any skin or debris. If you want to germinate them more then wrap them in a muslin cloth for a day. With a nutty, alluring aroma these sprouts taste nice and different.
Germination is also the process of fermentation. It makes sprouts rich in bioflavonoids, antioxidants, and phytochemicals.
Add it to your daily meals.
Getting incredible mileage from sprouts
Having a bowl of sprouts adds to the nutritional value of your diet. Rekindle your interest by knowing that sprouts will alleviate your digestion concerns. Fresh sprouts have enzymes that prevent cancer. The antioxidants increase the chlorophyll activity which helps in cleansing the body by increasing the oxygen levels.
Other hidden greats about this master-blaster dish:
- Builds our immunity
- Boosts Digestion
- Improves Blood circulation
- Protects heart health, eye health
- Reduces acidity
- And happy to note, it triggers weight loss
Another interesting phenomenon is that soaking pulses for sprouting can help remove gas. Even a short while of soaking will do. It also decreases the cooking time.
Enjoy your chatpata salads, uspsal, sprouts curry, Sprout ka chilla, and many such delicacies. If you cannot go out to buy your fresh sprouts, click on these bag basket links to buy them.
Different range of sprouts and more:
- Fresh Sprouts – Mixed Gram: Get your rich supply of proteins and vitamins. It has green moong, chavali, Kabuli channa making your salad tastier.
- Fresh Sprouts – Channa Brown common in the Indian Kitchen can be used to make any dish protein-rich.
- Fresh Sprouts – Moong Green/Modache – Moog that makes for tasty 4 pm munchies. Bean sprouts with a high water content offer a crunchy and subtle nutty flavour.
And yes, sprouts can be a part of your meal. Be healthy, be strong, and live longer.
All about the dressing
Here is a simple truth, one of the reasons why the salad you eat outside tastes so much better than the home is the dressing. It’s just like how the masala you put in your food makes the difference. So, think about the kind of dressing you want, hummus, peanut butter with soya sauce, honey with vinegar, yoghurt, all are great options. And if you do not mind a bit of indulgence whip up fresh cream, olive oil, and sugar together for a creamy and delicious dressing!
Go creative with your salads and be amazed at the results! #KhabarLive #hydnews