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5 Easy Salad Recipes For Indian Taste Buds

Dr. Sreelekha Daruvuri

4 Min Read

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Seriously speaking, most of us would opt for fries and a burger over a salad even though we know the health benefits of it. But what if we told you that there are some easy and delicious Indian salads that could satisfy your taste buds? It can be hard to choose a salad over the other many foods available, and this is largely because salads are seen as boring and bland. Most people see salads as a diet food and choose to not include foods just as meats or other vegetarian proteins. There are many healthy ways to spice up your salads, and eating it for one meal a day at least can positively affect your health. Here are some Indian salad recipes for Indian taste buds that won’t only help you with weight loss, but will also keep your major organs happy.

Tuna salad

– Add onion to a pan with olive oil (a healthy option compared to other oils available in the market) and cook them till they are translucent or brown (depending on how you like it)
– Add in some tuna, preferably fresh.
– Add in some turmeric, salad and pepper to season the tuna and onions
– For some spice, you can also add in some chilli or paprika powder
– Transfer the yummy tuna into a bowl
– Add some cucumber, and lettuce along with some coriander as garnish and you’re good to go! You can also add some lemon juice for some zing!
– Tuna salads are usually made with mayonnaise, but it can be skipped as well. That’s up to you

Grilled chicken salad

– Wash your fresh (always better) or frozen chicken thoroughly with lemon juice. If not already cut into small pieces, make sure to do so.
– Marinate the chicken with: olive oil, paprika powder, garlic powder and some ginger powder. You can also add salt and pepper here, depending on how much you want. Keep the marinated chicken in the fridge with a closed lid for at least 30 minutes.
– Grill the chicken on a hot pan with some olive oil. Grilling chicken is the best and healthiest way to consume it because it has less amount of fat content. It will take about 15 minutes to cook the chicken on both sides.
– Transfer the chicken to a bowl and add additional olive oil, chilli flakes, coriander, lemon juice and parsley and mix them well.
– Add some crunch in with lettuce, cherry tomatoes, sunflower seeds and cucumber and done

Corn salad

– You can use fresh corn for this recipe. Boil the corn kernels until they are soft and tender, yet a bit firm for the crunch.
– After the boiled kernels have cooled down, add them to a bowl along with some cut up onion, cucumber, tomatoes, capisicum and coriander.
– Add in the following spices to the mix: chilli flakes, parsely, cumin powder, and lemon juice and mix well and done.
– This salad can also be kept in the fridge and eaten later

Sprouts and pasta salad

– Yes, pasta works in a salad, it’s not always a bad carb. For one serving of salad, 2 cups of pasta can be used. Boil the pasta with some salt and olive oil under it’s tender. Drain the pasta and keep aside a bit of the pasta water. You can add some more olive oil to the cooked pasta so they don’t stick together and keep aside
– In a bowl add some chopped capsicums, onions, corn, carrots, coriander and sprouts. Keep aside.
– For the dressing, mix up some mayonnaise, add some vinegar, chilli flakes, lemon juice, olive oil and mustard and mix. Then, for the spices add some pepper, salt, and a bit of sugar.
– In a bowl, add the pasta and mix with the chopped veggies and yummy dressing and done!

Potato salad

– Cut up some potatoes and boil them in water for about 10 minutes or upto the point where they are tender. Drain them.
– In a pan, heat up some olive oil and add in turmeric, cumin seeds and onions. Cook till the onions are translucent or golden brown (whichever you prefer)
– Add some fresh coriander leaves
– Add the boiled potatoes into the pan, and you’re done!

All these recipes of course can have any protein you choose to put in it. The main idea is to make sure there are the right amount of greens in it which will not only satisfy your hunger but keep unhealthy cravings at bay. Salads can be enjoyable and are not just “diet food”, not to mention they are easy to make at home as well. Indian salad recipes are also very delicious and are very beneficial to health. Most of the spices and greens such as turmeric and coriander have great nutritional value as well. Choosing to have a salad for at least one meal, can also significantly help in weight loss due to the limited calorie intake and increased fiber present in the meal. The best part of salads is that there are many different variations, and combos that can be done, making the meal less boring as well. Not to mention they can be customized to meet the diet requirements of vegans, vegetarians, pescatarian, non-vegetarians and more. It’s time Indian salad recipes get the hype they deserve!

Always consult to a dietician before you make any changes to you diet. They are better able to let you know how much of what you need with each meal.