Sunday, May 24, 2009

Maushi's Summer Salad

Hello from sunny India! After some travel adventures including missed connections, 10 hours spent in Heathrow airport, 2 consecutive nights on long-haul flights and a lost bag, we are finally here. Bombay feels more like the inside of an pressure cooker than anything else, but Southern Maharashtra is quite nice with pleasant mornings and breezy evenings. And the food, oh the food! Ever since we landed, life has just been a series of delicious meals, punctuated with platters of ripe mangoes.

A couple of days ago, my aunt ("maushi" is aunt in Marathi, specifically the term used for your mom's sister) made us a fantastic dinner. One of the things she made was an unusual salad of fruit and veggies mixed together. As I watched her make it, I admit being a little skeptical of how the flavors would work together. In the end, this salad was a tasty and refreshing counterpoint to the rest of the rich dishes served that night- spinach-mint pulao, paneer-peas curry and okra masala. I had to share this easy recipe in this space.

It could not be simpler. Peel and cut the following into small neat dice and mix together:
1 apple (don't need to peel this)
1 orange
1 sweet lime (mosambi)
1 cup canteloupe melon
2 cucumbers
2 bell peppers (any colors...yellow/red/orange peppers look beautiful but she used green this time)
Toss with salt, freshly ground pepper and a dash of cinnamon powder. Eat!

Salad

This sounds like a fruit salad but is actually very crunchy and savory and wonderful with a meal. My maushi is a superb cook and loves to garnish her creations beautifully. She planned to carve some elaborate decorations that evening for the salad. But we dragged her off for some shopping and she was left with very little time. She managed to grab a pair of kitchen scissors and use the orange and sweet lime peels from the salad-making to make these quick flowers and leaves that you see in the picture.

I managed to write this post through a rather uncooperative dial-up connection. I'll keep posting as and when I can. Bye for now!

34 comments:

  1. Hope you have time for Phadtare Misal if you are in Kolhapur. It is a must-do for all my trips home.

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  2. Hi Nupur! This sounds delicious - not sure if I'll be able to find a sweet lime, but I think I remember seeing them once. I'll have to hunt around, because I do want to try this. Sorry to hear of your travel troubles!

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  3. That looks great :-)

    I would love to meet your aunt... those decorations are what she made in a hurry... I'd love to see what she does when she does have the time.

    And here I am... I skip adding coriander for garnish!

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  4. That salad looks very tempting. Decoration is superb. Are you in Kolhapur by any chance?

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  5. that looks so pretty! yum, I have all those ingredients.......try it tomorrow =)

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  6. Mix salad is looking very refreshing and yummyyyy....and the fab your mausi has done with the epicarp is really commendable...stay cool in summer..

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  7. I can imagine from the time you landed in indian the taste buds have been haveing a realy feast.
    The salade looks refreshing.

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  8. Reva Garde- I'll be eating home-made misal, which is also fantastic and expertly made :)

    Cathy- go ahead and skip the sweet lime or add another citrus fruit instead. You'll love this salad. Travel troubles are all part of the game :)

    Raaga- she makes incredible carvings...I'm sad that I did not get more time with her to have her demonstrate and teach me some more.

    Mints!- Yes, I am :) just got here yesterday.

    Thanks for the comments everyone- will reply if/when I get a chance :)

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  9. ah, so jealous of you eating all that amazing food!! the salad is beautiful and tempting. your maushi is an artist!
    may your visit be full of joy and adventure. thank you for taking the time to share even when now!

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  10. Have a great time Nupur - I am sure after you get back you will try some of the creations you had while in India. Please also try and get some ways to make the authentic 'Goda' masala used in numerous curries in Bombay..

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  11. Amazing recipe - enjoy your time in India.

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  12. Welcome To India..u had been to Mumbai too? Seems it was a very short trip...Nevermind..Hope u enjoy ur stay to ur heart's content..and the salad looks and sounds superb...and so are the carvings
    Warm Regards To Maushi Ji, and thnks for sharing this

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  13. enjoy your vacation in India and the delicious food and the mangoes... :) Salad looks great

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  14. Thank goodness for RSS! Thank goodness for One Hot Stove's return! Thank goodness for Maushis! Thank goodness for fruit & vegetable salads!

    Traveling mercies ...

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  15. Hi there, Nupur! Sweet Lime. Remember those now. Simple yet tasty salad. I can imagine the fun you are having.

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  16. Hope u have a wonderful time! Enjoy the mangoes and the awesome Mom cooked food!!!

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  17. ooooh...*jealous (about the ripe mangoes)*..Enjoy your stay!! And you should do a post about your favorite places to eat in Bombay- I'd love to read that! (Ofcourse, nothing compares to home food)
    The salad looks refreshing and yummy and the decorations are lovely!!

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  18. salad looks so yum...lovely carvin

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  19. hi, nupur have a lovely time..., the salad is so very tempting.., and is new to me and sounds quite interesting with different flavours when eating....

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  20. This salad sounds and looks fabulous Nupur. And those flowers and leaves don't look at all like they were made in a hurry - so pretty. Sorry to hear about your travel ordeal, glad to know that that's all behind you and that you're having a lovely time with your family. I must make this salad the next time we entertain friends.

    Mamatha

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  21. Nothing better when you're traveling than having a series of delicious meals, unless it might be a series of delicious meals with your family!

    The salad looks amazing. What an intereting combination.

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  22. That looks colorful. Love the carvings she made!

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  23. You have a very talented aunt, Nupur. Have fun with all that food. :)

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  24. Lovely salad..love the cute vegetable carvings :)

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  25. That salad sounds fabulous - lovely idea to mix fruits and veggies. Enjoy your trip home Nupur :)

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  26. Okay so I just couldn't get this salad out of my head and it kind of made itself -- with the addition of ribbons of sweet basil. Twas my own lunch today and will be part of supper when my dad arrives tonight! Hugs to you both, Nupur!

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  27. I love those flowers and leaves - must try this some time - and all while pushed for time is impressive - just such an interesting meal says to me that you are having a wonderful time

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  28. Glad you're having fun! The salad looks great and pretty carvings.

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  29. No wonder you are such a great and adeventurous cook.. look at what heritage you come from! Your Aunt seems like a genius.

    Are you eating Hapus or not? Hope you have a great time in India.. I am waiting for my August trip to both mumbai and kolhapur too.Not to mention the yummy scrummy delicious food i have already started dreaming about.

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  30. I love the presentation! And have fun in India!

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  31. I imagine how good ur aunt should cook! I will be in India in 10 days... Have a great time!

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  32. Beautiful creation by ur aunt!

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  33. Lovely and looks exotic. I had eaten sliced apples sprinkled with freshly ground black pepper. So could imagine the flavors. Hats of to your MAushi :)

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  34. Hi there! I am a big fan of your blog, reading it just brings me closer to my home, Kolhapur. And your recipes are simple, yummy and may I say, stunning to look at, makes my mouth water instantly and makes me want to try it out the very same day! And thanks for your vacation blog too, I hope u didn't miss the Rankala bhel and Bawda Misal! I almost got virtually transported there :)-

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