From Lord Krishna’s Cuisine:
“You won’t find this salad on a menu in Calcutta, Bombay, or Delhi. It is a dish that fell into the salad bowl while I was working in Southern California. The greengrocers there seem to offer a limitless variety of salad fare, and a long hot spell spurred on this crisp vegetable salad.”
Prep: 1 minute | Cook: 5 minutes
Serves 5-6 | Gluten free; Dairy free
Ingredients
- For the Dressing:
- ¼ cup chopped fresh parsley or cilantro
- 2 tablespoons chopped watercress
- 2 tablespoons chopped walnuts
- 3 tablespoons fresh lime juice
- ¼ avocado, peeled and chopped
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon honey or maple syrup
- Scant ½ teaspoon dry mustard
- ¼ teaspoon paprika (optional)
- ⅔ cup fruity olive oil
- For the Salad:
- 1 medium-sized jicama (about 14 oz./400 g), peeled and cut into fine julienne
- 24 medium-sized snow peas (about 5 oz./140 g), trimmed and cut on the diagonal into thin slices
- 1 small yellow or red bell pepper (about 4 oz./115 g), cored, seeded, and diced (optional)
- 2 bunches fresh watercress (about 6 oz./170 g), rinsed, dried, and stemmed
- ¼ avocado, peeled, seeded, and diced and sprinkled with lemon juice
- Boston or bibb lettuce leaves
- 6 sprigs cilantro
- Freshly ground black pepper
- Salt
Instructions
Combine the parsley or cilantro, watercress, walnuts, lime juice, the first ¼ avocado, salt, sweetener, mustard, and paprika in a blender or food processor fitted with a metal blade. Process until smooth. With the machine running, gradually add the oil in a slow stream until the dressing is thick and creamy. Transfer to a bowl and refrigerate, covered, until serving time.
Combine the jicama, snow peas, and bell pepper in a bowl and toss until blended. Reserve a few watercress leaves, and tear the rest into small pieces. Add them and the second ¼ avocado to the bowl and gently toss.
Arrange the lettuce leaves on a salad platter or on 6 individual plates and mound with the salad. Top with the reserved watercress leaves and the cilantro and pour on the dressing. Serve with freshly ground black pepper and salt.
