I don’t dislike all things about summer.Going for a long jog in wee hours of the morning,opportunity to go for a beach vacation and gulping on all sorts of beverages all through the day are few of my favorite things to do during summers.I love to go to the ocean to swim,wet my feet against slashing waves,scrub them with sands,read a book and gaze at faraway ships that are passing by.I love summer best because you can do so much outside- go to the park after a long day’s work, go for camping on the weekends and put up your tent next to a running stream of water or lake,have a drink by the side and appreciate the crisp scenic beauty.The way morning light lightens the leaves of plants is so enticing.Being near to California, most of our weekends are spent enjoying road trips to the state.Once you hit the border and beyond,it’s just so relaxing- fresh air and greenery all around – a short & welcome escape from quite sunny but dry weather here in Vegas.
On the food front, summer has its own bounty – stone fruits, melons,tropical fruits,corn,tomatoes, not to forget berries.With temperatures already in the 100s,we are on a salad kick lately.Mainly coz they are a healthier meal unless you mix in loads of creamy dressing [which by the way I like to do quite often],its definitely the best way to get lots of veggies inside your system & makes you feel super energetic & fresh.Blah Blah ! Well, all of those reasons I have mentioned in the past sentence are overrated, the actual reason being I don’t want to cook elaborate meals half of the time nowadays.
I went to another location of farmer’s market this weekend, nothing worth mentioning about it other than it was a lesser “disappointment” than the first one.P tells me that my expectations are way too high when it comes to “useless” things in life – like quality of vegetables at farmers market or print on gift wrapping paper or color of the wax in a candle etc. That is what he think but I think it’s a female problem [ or quality?] .What say? I m super finicky about freshness of produce & meats I buy.If you ever see a crazy woman talking to the store manager to find out days of the week when they get their produce supply,how they store it, which day of the day they arrange it for sale etc, you know whom I m talking about..dont you?
I got loads of fresh veggies & fruits from the farmers market. Just for a change and to avoid combining them with meat, this time I chose starchy, buttery lima beans.This recipe is inspired by a black gram [ kala chana] salad which my mom used to make with loads and loads of garam masala.It was spicy and just tingling perfect for the taste buds. That is exactly what I was aiming at when making this dressing.For the uninitiated, garam masala is a ground blend of spices like peppercorns, cloves, mace, cumin, coriander, cinnamon, nutmeg, star anise, cardamom etc in varying proportions to make a powder.Its a common seasoning in curries & meats particularly in northern india.It is quite pungent & aromatic but not too high on the heat level.You can make it at home or buy it from grocery stores.Maybe I ll share my recipe some time.
Garam Masala Dressing- Not very pretty looking but tastes awesome
This dressing is bursting with hints of indian spices, garlic,ginger & chillies.The lemon cuts the spice levels beautifully and olive oil combined with a dollop of sour cream bato give it a luscious taste.It is oozing with just the kind of flavors you would want in an spiced salad.Add this dressing to any of your meat salads,mix it with your dips, pour it over your pasta or drizzle some of it over your soups, it is extremely tasty & works awesome with almost everything I can think of.Below goes the recipe:-
Ingredients [Serves 2-3]
- 1.5 cups dried white lima beans [ Substitute with precooked beans]
- 4 cups of water for soaking the beans
- 2 cups water mixed with 1 tsp [each of] salt & oil for cooking the beans
- 1/2 cup cherry tomatoes, halved or quartered
- 1/2 cup fresh white corn from 1 pc grilled fresh corn [substitute with frozen corn, slightly steamed]
- Any variety of lettuce leaves you like, shredded [Mix in ready-made salad mix, I m not giving a quantity here coz it's totally your call]
- 2 scallions, finely chopped
- 3 tbsp fresh lime juice [ Adjust the lime juice, I like my dressing slightly on the sour side]
- 4 tbsp extra virgin Olive Oil
- 1 tsp garam masala
- 2 tbsp finely chopped red onions [ or shallots]
- 1 Thai green chilli, finely chopped
- 2 garlic cloves , minced
- 1/2 tsp fresh ginger, minced
- 1 tbsp sour cream
- 1.5 tsp red pepper flakes [ adjust to taste]
- 3-4 leaves of fresh mint,minced
- Salt to taste
- If using raw beans, soak them in a big bowl in 4 cups of water for at least 6 hours or overnight.Once soaked, drain the water & discard it.
- Cooking the beans:- Use any one of the following:-
- [This is what I do] Pressure cook the beans until tender in 2 cups of water mixed with 1 tsp each of oil & salt for 10 minutes on high or 2 whistles. Once you hear the second whistle, remove from stove top and wait till the cooker releases all the steam.Note: Since each pressure cooker is different, adjust time as per your appliance.
- Without the pressure cooker : In a heavy bottomed pot with lid, add the soaked beans along with salt and oil.Cover & let the water come to boil.About 5 minutes.Reduce the heat to minimum and let simmer for 20 minutes or so until tender.
- Once beans are cooked,drain and let cool.You can reserve the water for adding to curries, rice pilaf or stews etc.
- In a big bowl, toss the cooked, cooled & cooked beans with all the vegetables and combine gently.Refrigerate till ready to serve.
now, that is an unusual dressing and but looks promising
Mmmm this is a GREAT summer recipe
mmmm this looks fabulous and healthy!!! white beans make it look soo pretty too
. i actually think the dressing looks great! love the colorful specs inside it!
I agree with Junia – the dressing actually looks awesome. Such a different, colorful and refreshing salad. Lima beans are one of my favorite. Love how buttery they are and I bet its great with garam masala.
Hey,I’m your blog’s die hard fan but a silents follower.Never thought to comment before but your very interesting unusual dressing made me so.I love the sound of garam masala in it.A great combo,must try recipe and thanks for sharing..especially those pics are indeed awesome.
Very interesting dressing and I must taste it
Oh I love this dressing! Totally summery with all the spices you used. You really are one of bloggers who know how to style food. Really original and I get inspired by your photos every time. All the things you use, the way you shoot food, it’s just amazing. I have to say, your food must be so happy being photographed by you! Seriously!
Love that desi touch in dressing, never thought of making dressing with garam masala, wonderful bowl of nutritious salad..
Love the dressing recipe!! I often sprinkle just a bit of Indian spices over non-Indian food for a kick…this seems like a great balance of flavors and must be given a try!
I love the freshness of this salad and being a bean salad, i bet it is quite filling! I think i will try with yogurt instead of sour cream though. Me and sour cream dont get along well!
Gorgeous salad and love this spiced up dressing….wonderful!
Nothing better that a freshly made salad from a farmers market trip
Ooh! I just bought a package of garam masala and have been looking for fun recipes to use it in! This dressing looks delicious.
Oh I totally think it is a qulaity not a problem..and that woman in thee store could easily be me…I drive my husband crazy all the time with how picky I am when it comes to food supplies lol
This salad looks amazing but what is really interesting is the dressing..
Stiunning photography as always
Thank you everyone for stopping by
I am totally in love with this salad tanvi. It looks so colourful and refreshing. You have captured the salad and the ingredients to perfection
OMG, what a yummy and original salad! I really like that garam massala salad dressing. A wonderful idea.
Cheers,
Rosa
I ‘d love to make this recipe. It’s perefect for summer Tanvi. I love the dressing
Great job.
Have a great weekend.
Lovely dressing…. excellent salad recipe!
women and expectation are quite inseparable, i would say i never stop day dreaming thought i get disappointed at time that never stops me from it and i’m unable to get out of salad these days got bored of normal dressing should try soon on sunday!
I would say we have quality .. ‘eye for details’
I can relate so much whenever I read your post ! As for that garam masala dressing .. are you kidding when you say it’s not looking pretty. I am drooling at it my dear.
What a perfect combination of flavors!!! I just love those cute little cherry tomatoes
They look so gorgeous and delicious in your salad.
Beautiful post, Tanvi.
Hugs,
Aldy.
I love those silky buttery beans and I bet they are even better with that spicy sour dressing. Can’t wait to try this and congrats on Top 9!!
I’ve been loving salads like these lately…beans mixed in with oodles and oodles of veggies. And that dressing…to die for!
Very interesting recipe! Love the idea of using gharam masala in salad dressing
buttery lima beans with juicy tomatoes and corn… ummmm… i can almost taste it!!
This dressing sounds so interesting and I like the combination of beans and corn.
Love the refreshing and healthy salad! Those yellow cherry tomatoes look so cute.
This is such a healthy looking and delicious sounding recipe! This one is definitely on my list to try! Thanks
Lovely flavours and colours, perfect summer dish!
Heavenly! I’m not the biggest fan of beans, but with all those spices and aromas….irresistible.
Lovely, Tanvi! I’ve been wondering what else I can do with white beans other than cooking them with kale or making them into a soup. So refreshing, this salad!
the garam masala dressing sounds soo good and refreshing!
Beautiful dressing, it looks so tasty and lovely. Gotta have a crack at it ASAP.
That’s a terrific looking salad! I feel your pain over the 100+ degree days. It’s ungodly hot in Austin and we have a few months of unbearable weather to go still. Stay cool!
Oh my gosh, this salad sounds amazing. I’m loving the homemade dressing with the ginger. Great post Tanvi!
love love this idea! I am trying out soon!
I like the ingredients in salad dressing. They are indeed flavorful. You are making me J with your weekend getaways. Have fun and enjoy the rest of the summer.
Hey Tanvi, congrats on Top 9, that’s great! I laughed when you said you were the crazy woman talking to the store manager about getting the freshest ingredients… I do the same thing, especially at the market.
I love the garam masala dressing here, and white beans are among my favorite. Great recipe!
The salad looks delicious, but it is on the dressing that I have the biggest crush
sounds wonderful!
Congrats on being featured on FoodBuzz Top 9. YAY!
This salad looks like the perfect summer dish. Your dressing sounds so addicting!
What a lovely salad, and that salad dressing sounds positively awesome!
*kisses* HH
That looks really good – very healthy and light but still flavorful. Yum…