Much as romantic as it may be, the Monsoon is NOT an easy season. If not taken seriously, the saavan ka mahina can rain on your parade, and I mean that very literally. 

Close your eyes for a second and remember the dreadful and weird food swings.

WHY?

Because the tummy does not want hot food (soup), neither does it want cold food (ice-cream).

What it wants is a nice warm salad.

Which is why we got on the phone with chefs of some of the best hotels in the city and voila! Here’s presenting the ultimate and choicest Warm Salad recipe collection.

But hey! I’ve got a condition here before I give away this treasure. You guys gotta drag your lazy bums to the kitchen and try these recipes because they’re super easy and super quick. Like, seriously. These wouldn’t take more than 5 minutes each. Pinky swear!

Vikash Prasad, Executive Chef of Crowne Plaza 

Panzanella Salad

Ingredients

3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

1 small Italian rustic bread, cut into 1-inch cubes (2 cups)

1 teaspoon sea salt

Sundried tomatoes ½ cup

Cherry tomato cut in half ½ cup

1 cucumber, peeled, seeded, and sliced 1/2-inch thick

1 red bell pepper, seeded and cut into 1-inch cubes

1 yellow bell pepper, seeded and cut into 1-inch cubes

1/2 red onion, cut in 1/2 and thinly sliced

20 large basil leaves, coarsely chopped

20 olives cut in half

Rocket leaves or green lettuce 50 gm

Whole garlic cloves 4 pc

Fresh thyme herb 1 sprig

For the vinaigrette:

1 teaspoon finely minced garlic

1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard

3 tablespoons Champagne vinegar

1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil

1/2 teaspoon sea salt

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Method

Heat the oil in a large sauté pan. Add the garlic, thyme, bread and salt; cook over low to medium heat, tossing frequently, for 10 minutes, or until nicely browned. Add more oil as needed. Keep warm

For the vinaigrette, whisk all the ingredients together.

In a large bowl, mix the tomatoes, cucumber, red pepper, yellow pepper, red onion, basil, lettuce, and olives. Add the warm bread cubes and toss with the vinaigrette. Season liberally with salt and pepper. Serve immediately.

Here’s what the Panzanella Salad will look like:

 

Chef Sunil Jajoria (Sous Chef – 24/7 Multi Cuisine All Day Dining) at The Lalit, Jaipur

Monsoon Salad Vaganza

Ingredients:

Brie Cheese – 20 gm

Red bell pepper – 15 gm

Red Cabbage – 20 gm

Asparagus – 20 gm

Tomato – 20 gm

Baby spinach – 5 gm

Orange segment (any citrus fruit) – 20 gm

Yellow Bell Pepper – 15 gm

Baby Spring Onion – 10 gm

Avocado Fresh (ripen) – 15 gm

Pommery Mustard (moutarde de meaux) – 10 gm

Fish Cubes (optional) – 30 gm

Black Pepper – 2 gm

Fresh Corn Nibbles (boiled) – 20 gm

Balsmic Vinegar – 5 ml

Olive Oil – 5 ml

Orange Juice Reduction – 30 ml

Honey – 5 ml

Lemon Juice – 3 ml

Seasoning – as per taste

Method:

1. Pluck and thoroughly clean all the green leafy vegetables (like baby spinach, red cabbage, asparagus) and add rest of the vegetables in a salad bowl.

2. Braise all the vegetables except leafy greens on a griddle and mix with rest of the ingredients.

3. For the dressing – mix mustard, vinegar, reduced orange juice, honey and seasoning in a bowl.

4. Toss all the vegetables with the dressing and serve warm on a salad plate.

Pradipt Sinha, Executive Chef, Jaipur Marriott

Poach Pears Salad (Red wine poached pears, orange segments, rocket leaves, and feta cheese with lemon vinaigrette)

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 15 minutes

Total Time: 30 minutes

Yield: 4 servings

Ingredients

• Red wine 50 ml
• Salt 10 gm
• Sugar 20 gm
• Red wine vinegar 20 ml
• Water 30 ml
• Orange 3 no.
• Feta 25 gm
• Rocket leaves 280 gm
• Pear 4 no

Dressing

• Lemon juice 10 ml
• Olive oil 30 ml
• Dijon mustard 5 gm
• Salt to taste

Dressing

• Take a mixing bowl add lemon juice, mustard, salt, and pepper mix together well, gradually add olive oil to the mix for emulsification, check the seasoning.

Method

• Peel the pears, slice them and make poaching liquor for pears by boiling red wine, red wine vinegar, salt and sugar.
• Once poaching liquor is ready poach the pears for about 15 minutes.
• Wash the rocket leaves in ice cold water.
• Peel orange and take out the segments.
• Arrange warm pears on plate, dress the rocket lettuce with lemon vinaigrette and finish salad by assembling orange segments and feta cheese.

Daniel Rao, Master Chef, Dragon House, Country Inn

Som Tom Salad

Ingredients:

Shredded raw papaya – 300 gms

Shredded carrot – 50 gms

Chopped coriander – 10 gms

Chopped garlic – 5 gms

Chopped green chili –5 gms

Cherry tomato – 4 pcs

Peanuts – 15 gms

Lemon juice – 1 pc

Salt – to taste

Jaggery molasses – 5 gms

Sugar syrup – 1.5 tsp

Method:

Peel the papaya and shred it properly. Add shredded carrot. Take cherry tomatoes in a bowl, and add jaggery, sugar syrup, chopped chilly, chopped garlic, and mix all of them properly. Now, add salt (to taste), sugar syrup, lemon juice, and again mix them all well. Before you serve, garnish the salad with chopped coriander leaves.

Biswajit Lahon, Chef, Holiday Inn, Jaipur

Thai Vegetable Yum Salad

Ingredients:

Carrot – 20 gm

Broccoli – 20 gm

Zucchini (green) – 10 gm

Zucchini (yellow) – 10 gm

Pockchoy – 10  gm

Chinese cabbage – 10  gm

Capsicum (green) – 10 gm

Capsicum (yellow) – 10 gm

Capsicum (red) – 10 gm

Beans – 10 gm

Lemongrass – 5 gm

Galangal – 5 gm

Kaffir lime leaf – 5 gm

Thai red chili – 5 gm

Garlic -10 gm

Coriander roots – 10 gm

Lemon – 2 no.

Cherry tomato – 5 no

Soya sauce (light) – 10 ml

Vinegar (white) – 10 ml

Jaggery – 20 gm

Tamarind – 20 gm

Aromate seasoning powder – 1 tbs

Salt to taste

Sugar – 2 tbs

Refined oil – 20 ml

Method:

Slice carrot, broccoli, zucchini, capsicum, pockchoy, chinese cabbage, and beans in the shape of a diamond or dice, and grill them in a pan heated with refined oil. Next, prepare the dressing by coarsely blending lemongrass, lime leaf, galangal, garlic, coriander roots, red chili, tamarind juice, jaggery, salt, sugar, aromate powder, soya sauce, vinegar, and lemon juice in a mixer. Next, mix grilled vegetables and the dressing followed by garnishing with cherry tomatoes and lemon wedges.

What are you waiting for? Go on, try these recipes and let me know how the cookery experiment goes! (And if they turn out delicious, send me some.) #KThanksBye