No treasure hunts, no hidden jewels , just a plain old but pretty & colorful salad. Since our lunch consists of quick wholesome salads most of the time, I try to incorporate different things at different times.
This was just another lunch time menu, except I got inspired by the dressing Heidi of 101 Cookbooks used in her Pea Salad. Her mint & date dressing immediately made me think of the Mint & Coriander/Cilantro Chutney, I always keep some in my freezer for emergencies, & believe me it’s a very very handy thing. It has saved me innumerable times, when unexpected guests arrive or for a quick backyard picnic ( smear some in bread slices for sandwiches), or to make parathas/flatbreads or khandvis…& many more. What makes this salad taste so special is the use of the spicy chutney as the dressing for it.
Again like any other salad there are no do & don’t in making this. Throw in whatever you want & need in desired amount. I would have seriously wanted to use some Pomegranates here, but it is not the season now. I have added some craisins instead.
Ingredients: (Serves 2)
- 1 Cup shelled Peas
- 1/2 Red Bell Pepper
- 1/2 Yellow Bell Pepper
- 3/4 Cup Cooked Barley ( I used Pearl Barley)
- 1/4 Cup Craisins
- 1/2 Cup Nuts
- 1/4 Cup Mint Coriander/Cilantro Chutney (more or less to taste)
- 1 Medium Green Apple. chopped into small pieces
- Salt
- 1/2 Teaspoon Cumin Seeds
- 1 Teaspoon Oil
- 1/2 Cup Scallions (Green part), chopped fine
- 1 Cup finely shredded Romaine Lettuce
Note: This salad may also be served on a bed of lettuce. If you want to do that, there is no need to shred the lettuce.
Preparation:
Wash & Strain Barley. Soak Barley for a 4 – 5 hours. Boil about 2 cups of water & add the drained barley to it. Cook for about 15 – 20 minutes till done. ( If you do not pre soak the barley, you might have to cook it for about 40 minutes) . Drain & set aside.
Lightly coat the peppers with Olive Oil. Roast the bell peppers in the Oven till the skin blackens or roast them directly on the stove top fire like I do sometimes. Cool them, & peel the blackened peel. Chop them & set them aside.
Heat oil. Add cumin seeds, & when they sizzle add the peas & the scallions & saute till just barely cooked. They should still be bright green. Set aside.
Combine the sauteed peas & scallions, barley, roasted peppers, craisins, apples, nuts & lettuce. Toss them
Spoon the chutney over it & toss to combine. I did not add any extra salt or pepper as the chutney had the salt & the pepper in it.
Serve cold or at room temperature.
Crunchy, Munchy, Nutty, Chewy, Sweet, Sour, Spicy everything.. & Really Really good! All I can say is it was good & filling. What can go wrong in a simple salad like this? This is going to FIC RED & GREEN, originally started by Sunshinemom of Tongue Ticklers.
Related Posts:
Barley Salad
Chickpea Salad with Roasted Tomatoes
Potato Salad with Herbs & Tomatoes – A Fresh Moroccan Taste
oh wow !! What a nutritious salad !!! looks lovely !!
I raided Heidi’s blog for my no carb diet and I wasn’t disappointed at all. Jewel salad looks beautiful
And those bunnies – OMG, aren’t your kids going crazy? 🙂 Lovely garden there, Soma!
What a name Soma, interesting name… I love the choice of ingredients for this dish… REfreshing… send this to http://indiankhanna.blogspot.com/2009/04/festive-food-summer-splash.html – FF: Summer Treat too, will make a great entry…
wwoww… thats a yummy looking salad… love the mix of colours 🙂
Thats superb Soma..really jewels they are..:)
love the adjectives that you used to describe this salad.
this is such a healthy salad… unfortunately i m not a salad person 🙂
bookmarked! i’m always on the lookout for salad ideas.
Sure is precious, looking at the color I cannot deny salad!
We eat lots of salads too. Thanks for helping me keep it interesting. The chutney sounds lovely and I have saved the recipe.
That looks delicious and so colorful, lovely salad and i love the addition of cilantro chutney 🙂
Barley’s an interesting twist to the salad. I too like mint chutney as a quick fix option.
Wow beautiful and so delicous.
Oh wow very colorful….Delight to eyes and feast to tongue…Yum.
Very exotic, Soma…a nice alternative to bring to a picnic.
Not all salads look very exciting, but this one does! Who could resist?
Oh what a beauty! It says Spring like nothing else can.
What a great idea to use mint – cilantro chutney as dressing. I have a beef with the store bought dressings.
Very lovely spring salad – I love the nuts and apples here!
I have heared of Navratna salad..This salad remind’s of jewel’s too, with great color combi..
Colorful, delicious and healthy salad…
Oh I like this Soma…indeed pretty & colourful!
A chutney dressing? Oh, yes please. What a delightful creation.
Very cool recipe, espcially since this is with the Mint corriander chutney. I will try this maybe minus the apple. Not sure why, but I love eating vegetables and fruit separately.
I have looked at your chutney recipe and it is just fantastic.
What a beautiful meal. It sings freshness.
Soma, that salad is just bursting with fresh flavours! Fantastic stuff! 🙂
Very nice refreshing, colorful and healthy salad. Very filling.
mmm… I can imagine the flavour combination here… Lovely with meat.
Creative name- ‘Jewel salad’ ..it looks colorful and I’m sure it tastes awesome!
Oh my,Soma,thats perfect jewels there..love to have some.
Woo hoo another use for pearl barley. Stupid co-op and their bulk food section causing me to buy way more of everything.
Great contrast of flavors and always fan of apples in salads.
That sure looks very appetising! Never tried barley in a salad before, got to try this one!
lovely name,…;-)
Wow….what a colourful salad!
Thanks all of you!
Hey Soma,
Befitting name for a classic salad 🙂 This one is an absolute filler…could live on this one for days… 🙂
My favorite kind of Salad is none other Potato Salad. it really taste yummy.;,,
whenever my sister makes potato salad, i always eat them in less than a minute or so he he. i just love all sorts of salad. ;,”
i like potato salad and also mixed fruit salads. they are tasty and so yummy`~’
Lunch Menu…
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