THE SALAD BAR

An appetiser,a side dish,or a main course by itselfno dining experience is complete without a good salad.

An appetiser,a side dish,or a main course by itselfno dining experience is complete without a good salad. Chefs from across the country tell you how you can toss up a colourful bowl of health in your kitchen

FRUITY FEAST
For Chef Jaydeep Mukherjee of Indigo Delicatessen,Mumbai,the seasons tangy fruits are the best bet for your salad bowl.
Baby lettuce with citrus fruits and feta salad
250 gm of assorted baby lettuce (a mix of romaine,cos,curly endive) cleaned thoroughly and chilled.
250 gm assorted citrus fruits (pomello,grape fruit,a Malta orange,sweet lime and lemon). Peel the skin and slice the fruit into wedges.
½ cup citrus juice
1 cup onions thinly sliced
1 cup olives green and black (avoid stuffed olives)
½ cup capers with the salt washed off
½ cup cherry tomato
200 gm of feta cheese
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 tsp sea salt or to taste
Crushed pepper to taste
Except feta cheese,citrus juice and oil,mix all the ingredients together in a large salad bowl. Whisk the oil and citrus juice together,season with the salt and pepper. Pour the dressing over the salad and toss well. Sprinkle the feta cheese over the salad. Serve immediately in a large white salad bowl.

HAM ACT
Spanish chef Jonay Amras Amras of The Lodhi at Aman,New Delhi,gives his recipe for a popular pick in his kitchen,the Jamon and melon salad. The chef says you could substitute the ham with thin slices of chicken breast. The salad will taste just the same.
Jamon and melon salad
20gm Jamon (ham) or slices of chicken breast
90 gm lettuce leaves
40gm purple lettuce leaves
2 gm mint leaves
2gm basil
2gm parsley
5gm honey
10ml mustard dressing
1gm black pepper
30 gm dry plums
50gm melon
Mix the lettuce,herbs,melon and plums. Put the salad mix with the ham or roasted chicken slices. Finish with honey and a pinch of pepper.

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CRAB TIME
Chef Thomas Figovc at The Leela Kempinski in Gurgaon puts together a crab meat salad with avocado mousse. But the Austrian chef insists that the salad should not end up in a bowl. Instead,he prefers to neatly craft the dish on a plate. Spare a few extra minutes and the hors d’uvre rolls out like a main course.
Crab meat salad with avocado mousse
150gm crab meat (no bones,no shells)
10 gm French mayonnaise
20 gm Mesclun salad mix: you can try a combination of romaine,cos or curly endive lettuce leaves
50 gm Avocado guacamole (scoop the fruit and grind it to a paste)
6 gm asparagus
0.5 ml Balsamic dressing
0.2 ml olive oil
Salt and pepper
Wash and dry salad leaves. Blanch or steam the crab meat. When it cools down,mix it with mayonnaise. Add lemon to the fresh avocado puree. Pour avocado mousse on the crab meat. Blanch the asparagus sticks and give it an ice bath for four minutes and use it for garnish along with the salad mix. Drizzle the dressing before serving.

PORK STOP
Chef Hitoshi Shigaki supervises the kitchen at Sakura,The Japanese specialty diner at The Metropolitan Hotel,Delhi. One of his favourite evening snacks,which is popular in his hometown Kanto in Japan,is a quick pork salad.
Buta salad
100 gm pork belly
20gm carrot
20gm sliced onion
20gm radish
20gm cucumber
1 sprig parsley
25 ml Shoyu dressing
15 gm mayonnaise
Slice pork belly and saute it with salt and pepper. You can also use the processed pork belly available in the market. Leave it aside for cooling. Slice all the other ingredients into juliennes and mix well. Serve in a deep hollow bowl with Shoyu dressing and mayonnaise on the side.