Indian salad with a green chutney dressing

The green chutney dressing turns this salad from the ordinary to the extraordinary and is a great use of cauliflower leaves! Bursting with Indian flavours, it is a delicious and refreshing side to accompany curries and dahl. Chopping the tomatoes and cucumbers into random bite sized pieces allows the whole vegetables to be used, no wasted ends!

INGREDIENTS

• 4 large ripe tomatoes, randomly chopped

• 1 large continental cucumber, randomly chopped

• ½ red onion, finely sliced

• ½ tsp cumin seeds

• ½ tsp chili flakes

Green Chutney Dressing

• 1 cup mint leaves

• ½ cup coriander

• ½ cup cauliflower leaves, tough stalks removed

• 1 clove garlic

• 1⁄4 cup lime juice

• 1 tbsp maple syrup

• ¼ tsp chili flakes

• ½ cup cashews

• 1 tsp garam masala

• 1 tsp sea salt

• ¼ cup water

Garnishes

• ⅓ cup peanuts, lightly roasted and chopped coarsely

• ¼ cup fresh coriander leaves

METHOD

1. To make the dressing, place all of the dressing ingredients in a high speed blender. Blend until smooth, pushing down with a tamper so that all of the ingredients are incorporated. Taste for seasoning and adjust with salt or more lime juice.

2. To assemble the salad, spread half of the green chutney dressing onto a large serving plate. Arrange the tomato, cucumber and onion over the chutney and then sprinkle with cumin seeds and chili flakes. Splash on more of the chutney and garnish with toasted peanuts and fresh coriander leaves.

Serves 6 as a side

Zero waste tips:

1. Don’t cut off and throw away the ends of the tomatoes and cucumbers! These are perfectly edible.

2. Reserve the garlic and onion skins to use later in a vegetable stock. These have the highest antioxidant content of the vegetable!

3. Keep the mint stems after you have removed the leaves. They can be placed in a glass of water on a sunny window sill. They will sprout roots and you can grow new plants from them!

4. Don’t throw away the roots of the coriander, these can be washed and used in the chutney or reserved to be used in a Thai green curry paste!

5. Buy spices in bulk at Adelaide's Finest Supermarkets spice bars and reuse your paper bags for zero waste shopping!