Grilled Corn Tricolor Salad for the Independence Day

Happy Independence Day!




I am back into action! I really sorry for disappearing into the thin air without any notice. Thanks to all my blogger buddies and friends for convincing me to get back soon. Special thanks to all my dear anonymous readers who broke their silence and wrote to me. Today as I am posting this, I realize how dearly I like to blog! I had almost given up on blogging. So here I go again..

Today, I have a Simple and delicious Grilled Corn Salad with Carrots. It tastes as good as it looks.

Karate Kismuri (Bitter Gourd Kosumbari)

Many of us hate Bitter Gourd, Karate in Konkani. But there are many recipes that hide the very bitter taste of it and turn it into an appetizing tasty dish.

I often make this Kosumbari with Bitter Gourd and coconut. Another recipe is the Bitter Gourd Rings which I posted in the past. I often make either of these for lunch along with rice and dal.

Chana Chaat

Chana Chaat is one of my hubbys favorite. He has childhood memories of eating chana chat from the street vendors in India. He was able to recollect how the street vendors made it and we tried it at home. The results were wonderful. Now I make it very often.

1/2 cup black chana/kaDLe
1 cucumber
1 medium potato
1 medium onion
2 green chillies
1 tomato
1 lime/lemon
3 tsp chat masala
cilantro

The chat is made from sprouted chana. Hence you need to plan it a day or two in advance. To sprout chana, soak chana overnight or for 12 hrs in water. Drain the chana and let it rest in a colander. You can also tie it in a thin wet cloth. Rest it for another day and you can see nice long sprouts.

Now to make the chat, boil potatoes, peel and chop. Chop cucumber, onion, tomatoes, green chillies and mix together with the chana. Sprinkle chat masala. Squeeze the lime juice. Mix well.

Garnish with cilantro. Serve as an appetizer/salad or like a snack.

Batate Gojju (Konkani Style Potato Salad)

Batate Gojju is a classic Konkani Potato Salad. The blandness of the potatoes is well spiced with chillies, tamarind and a dash of hing. The hing rules the flavor in this dish.

2-3 medium size potatoes
4 green chillies
small piece tamarind
1/4 tsp hing powder or small piece solid hing

for seasoning
1 tsp oil
1 sprig curry leaves
1/2 tsp mustard seeds
1/2 tsp urad dal, optional
2 dry red chillies

Boil potatoes in enough water. Peel the skin and mash it. Leave some small lumps of potatoes. Microwaved potatoes do not yield good results, so I recommend you to cook the potatoes in a pressure cooker with enough water.

Soak tamarind and extract pulp. Add to the potatoes.

Finely chop green chillies. In a mortar and pestle, crush together green chillies and a tsp of salt. Add to the mashed potatoes. Dissolve hing in a tsp of water and mix well. Add little water and bring it to the semi solid consistency.

Make a seasoning of mustard seeds, urad dal, curry leaves and broken red chillies, add to the potatoes.

Serve with rice and dal or chapathi.

Lettuce salad with Homemade vinaigrette

To make homemade Balsamic vinaigrette you need
3 tsp extra virgin olive oil
3 tsp balsamic vinegar or any other vinegar
3 cloves garlic finely minced
1 tsp salt
Mix all the ingredients in a glass bottle and refrigerate for 24 hrs before using. This will stay upto 2-3 weeks.



To make salad, I used 3 leaves of romaine lettuce and 4 leaves of iceberg lettuce. You may use any leaves of your choice. Wash the leaves under water. Use plenty of water and float the leaves. Then transfer the leaves to a bowl and let them drain. Its easier to drain till the last drop in a salad spinner. If you do not have one just let the leaves drain for 30 mins. Chop the leaves into tiny ribbons or strips. Pour the vinaigrette onto the leaves and gently mix them.