Warm North Indian Salad

Photos by Katherine Rasmussen Polovina | Luna Light Media

This is a terrific and quick warm salad that is downright addictive. I really like it with cooked adzuki beans, but just about any legume would work.

It’s so versatile that you can serve it over a bed of lettuce, over rice, with Indian bread, or stuffed in a pita.

• 1 tbsp. vegetable oil
  

• 1 tsp. cumin seeds
  

• ½ tsp. turmeric powder
  

• 1 medium yellow or red onion, minced
  

• 1 (1-in.) piece ginger, peeled and sliced into matchsticks
  

• 2 cloves garlic, minced or grated
  

• 1–2 fresh Thai, serrano, or cayenne chiles, stems removed, chopped
  

• 2 c. cooked whole beans, lentils, or peas
  

• 1 tsp. coarse sea salt
  

• ½ tsp. red chile powder or cayenne pepper
  

• ½ tsp. kala namak (black salt)
  

• ¼ c. chopped fresh cilantro
  

Instructions:

1. In a deep, heavy pan, heat the oil over medium-high heat.
2. Add the cumin and turmeric. Cook until the seeds sizzle, about 30 seconds.
3. Add the onion, ginger, garlic, and fresh chiles. Cook until browned, about 2 minutes.
4. Add the beans, lentils, or peas. Cook another 2 minutes.
5. Add the sea salt, chile powder, kala namak, and cilantro. Mix well and serve.

TRY THIS!
I love mixing in freshly sprouted lentils or beans toward the end. You don’t want to kill the nutritional properties of the sprouts by cooking them, but adding them at the end will give you just enough flavor. We love eating the sprout concoction as a breakfast with a side of toast.

Recipes excerpted from Instant Pot Indian by Anupy Singla. Agate Publishing, 2023.
Cover photo © Andrew Miller | Andrew Miller Photography.