Indian Green Salad with Mango Chutney Dressing

If your calendar is anything like ours, we are pretty booked up between now and Christmas. Our weekdays are filled with school, ballet classes, swim lessons, and gymnastics classes – oh and work, of course. While our weekends are filled with lots of dinners, parties, festivities and fun. Yes the silly season has arrived – bringing with it lots of good times and, inevitably, an abundance of good food!

Last weekend was no different. We took a whirlwind trip to Sydney for a work dinner for the hubs. Then we headed out for a fantastic degustation dinner to celebrate our 10 year wedding anniversary on the Saturday, followed by an afternoon indulging in an Indian feast superbly put together by my mother-in-law.  Having eaten an abundance of rich foods the days before, I decided to bring an Indian-inspired salad to the dinner, with a view to balancing out the hearty curries and chapatis with a little green.

The salad itself, was rather simple – just crunchy cos lettuce, cucumbers and sliced radishes – surrounded by some pappadums that I had cooked in the microwave.  But the real star of the show was the mango chutney dressing – made with mango chutney (of course), mayonnaise,  lime, olive oil and ginger. Blended to perfection – and serving as not only a salad dressing – but a tasty little dip for the pappadums too.

Indian-inspired, and rather refreshing after a weekend of great food!

Print Recipe
Indian Green Salad with Mango Chutney Dressing
Course Salad
Cuisine Salad
Keyword salad
Prep Time 10 minutes
Servings
people as a side dish
Ingredients
Course Salad
Cuisine Salad
Keyword salad
Prep Time 10 minutes
Servings
people as a side dish
Ingredients
Instructions
  1. To make the dressing - blend the olive oil, lime juice, mango chutney, mayonnaise and ginger until well combined. Pour into a small bowl, and place in the middle of a large salad platter.
  2. Place the lettuce, cucumber and radish around the platter. Arrange the pappadums around the outside.
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Easy Pineapple and Ginger Salsa

So now that Spring has, at least officially, “sprung” – I am already dreaming of all the gatherings that will soon appear on our calendar. Morning lake walks and bike rides, followed by milkshakes and ice-cream treats. Lunches with friends, while the kids play on the trampoline and splash around the wading pool. Afternoon teas, that more often than not turn into impromptu dinners, as we chat and laugh our way into the evening.

Our BBQ is inevitably a star of the warmer months – allowing for dinners to be thrown together easily and with minimal fuss (not to mention avoiding a hot kitchen with the oven turned on).  But what BBQ dinner would be complete without a few tasty side dishes to serve alongside.  These too ought to be fuss-free and quick to prepare – for who wants to be trapped in the kitchen when all the fun is happening outside.

One of my favourite side dishes would have to be this easy pineapple and ginger salsa. I often serve it alongside grilled pork, but it would easily work with chicken or fish too.

Packed with fresh pineapple and herbs, balanced with lime juice and given a hit of heat with some red chilli – it really is a  versatile addition to the dinner table.  The added bonus being that you can make it in advance before guests arrive – leaving more time for fun!

 

Print Recipe
Easy Pineapple and Ginger Salsa
Course Side dish
Servings
people as a side dish
Ingredients
Course Side dish
Servings
people as a side dish
Ingredients
Instructions
  1. Combine all ingredients in a bowl. Season to taste.
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