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| The Summer of Happiness salad |
We had a party at our place many summers
back. I was about to cook for our guests that evening when I was told that one
of the people coming over was vegetarian!
back. I was about to cook for our guests that evening when I was told that one
of the people coming over was vegetarian!
I was tempted to call in for some paneer
dish from the local restaurant as the menu I was cooking was non-vegetarian.
Then I decided to be fair to him and created a layered Mediterranean
inspired salad with aubergines, hung curd, zucchini, pine nuts, sumac and
zatar. The dish turned out to be a great hit, the non-vegetarians liked it too
and I had to make it for many subsequent parties at our place. You will find the recipe to that salad in the link here
dish from the local restaurant as the menu I was cooking was non-vegetarian.
Then I decided to be fair to him and created a layered Mediterranean
inspired salad with aubergines, hung curd, zucchini, pine nuts, sumac and
zatar. The dish turned out to be a great hit, the non-vegetarians liked it too
and I had to make it for many subsequent parties at our place. You will find the recipe to that salad in the link here
I remembered the salad when I recently received
a box of Mother Dairy products to cook with.
a box of Mother Dairy products to cook with.
I finished the rather authentic
mishit doi and flavourful and light raspberry yogurt while thinking of ideas.
Which is when I thought of this mushroom, hung curd and paneer layered salad
that I will share in the post. I decided to use some balsamic vinegar to give it an
Italian inspired touch and the paneer could step in as an Indian cheese!
mishit doi and flavourful and light raspberry yogurt while thinking of ideas.
Which is when I thought of this mushroom, hung curd and paneer layered salad
that I will share in the post. I decided to use some balsamic vinegar to give it an
Italian inspired touch and the paneer could step in as an Indian cheese!
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| The Summer of Happiness range |
Here’s what I came up with.
Summer
of happiness salad (for 2)
of happiness salad (for 2)
Ingredients
1.
100 g Mother Dairy dahi
100 g Mother Dairy dahi
2.
100 g Mother Dairy paneer cut
into cubes
100 g Mother Dairy paneer cut
into cubes
3.
1 teaspoon chilli infused extra virgin olive
oil
1 teaspoon chilli infused extra virgin olive
oil
4.
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon salt
5.
50 g mushrooms, finely sliced
50 g mushrooms, finely sliced
6.
2 teaspoons balsamic vinegar
2 teaspoons balsamic vinegar
7.
5 olives, finely chopped
5 olives, finely chopped
8. 1/4 teaspoon oregano
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| Summer of Happiness salad ingredients. See how the hung curd is made |
Cook
Step 1: Hung curd
·
Place a strainer on
a vessel and place 75 to 100 g of the curd on the strainer. Keep overnight in
the fridge. The waiter will drain out and the resultant hung curd will have a
tight, pasty texture
Place a strainer on
a vessel and place 75 to 100 g of the curd on the strainer. Keep overnight in
the fridge. The waiter will drain out and the resultant hung curd will have a
tight, pasty texture
Step 2: Paneer
·
Coat the paneer cubes with a
thin film of chilli infused extra virgin oil and sprinkle some salt. If you
don’t have chilli infused oil, then sprinkle some paprika or crushed black
pepper powder. The salad has three layers and this layer will give a heaty
after taste.
Coat the paneer cubes with a
thin film of chilli infused extra virgin oil and sprinkle some salt. If you
don’t have chilli infused oil, then sprinkle some paprika or crushed black
pepper powder. The salad has three layers and this layer will give a heaty
after taste.
·
Heat a saucepan and place the
paneer on it. After a minute turn the cubes over and let them rest for another
minute or so on the hot pan. You want it to brown on both ends. The texture
becomes tight then and it adds a nice colour to the dish
Heat a saucepan and place the
paneer on it. After a minute turn the cubes over and let them rest for another
minute or so on the hot pan. You want it to brown on both ends. The texture
becomes tight then and it adds a nice colour to the dish
·
Set aside
Set aside
Step 3: Mushrooms
- ·
Heat 1 teaspoon of regular olive
oil (not extra virgin) on a pan - ·
Add the sliced button mushrooms. - Add
in two teaspoons of balsamic vinegar (which gives a sweet taste to this layer),
some salt and the olives (I had ones stuffed with chilli peppers) and stir for about
3,4 minutes in which time it will cook
·
Step 4: Assemble the salad
·
- ·
Place the hung curd on the base
of the vessel. Add a pinch of salt and some oregano flakes and gently mix it - ·
Layer on the mushrooms over the
curd - ·
Then add the paneer cubes over
the mushrooms - ·
Put the vessel in the fridge
for 2,3 hours and your chilled, summer of happiness salad is ready to serve
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| Layer 1 |
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| Layer 2 |
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| Layer 3 |
Step 5: Eating it
- Take all three layers in each bite.
- The paneer will give a heaty taste, the
mushrooms sweetness and the hung card a tangy feel leading to a nice balance of
contrasting tastes. You can add some toasted walnut pieces on the top for a
textural contrast and crunch.
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| My mom in law acted as my shoot help and held the spoon! |
Disclaimer: This
post was done in association with Mother Dairy
post was done in association with Mother Dairy
Click on this link to see some recipes done by Chef Vikas Khanna with the Summer of Happiness range of Mother Dairy products
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