Recipe of prawn salad with plum tomatoes and fresh salad leaves
Take the humble salad to a different level with this healthy, delicious and easy to put together a recipe. It is a salad that is good enough to be had as a meal. Enjoy the flavours and the benefits that come with eating healthy.
I often serve just salad for dinner, yes that's right. They are light and nutritious and make a wonderful meal. Salad is not just something to be served on the side, along with the main dish. A salad can be more than an accompaniment or an appetizer. And, it is definitely not a mere collection of raw vegetables drizzled with salt, pepper and a dash of fresh lemon juice or perhaps another suitable dressing. Salads are one of the most versatile food groups and can even be a meal on their own.
In India, salads are probably one of the most underrated foods, most won't think of serving them as a main meal. However, a salad with the right balance of ingredients can be quite a hearty meal option, one that is refreshing and exciting and at the same time packed with nutrition. You just need to balance the ingredients right and voila, you'll have a classy meal on your plate.
I put together this prawns and cherry tomato salad, layered with some fresh salad leaves and roasted white onions, sesame seeds, and a red wine vinegar dressing, for a piquant and tangy flavour. The salad is not as light as it appears, it is quite filling. It is hearty, crunchy and bursting with flavours.
Check out the recipe below.
Prawn and plum tomato salad with salad leaves – Serves 2Ingredients for the salad
As far as possible use fresh and organically grown produce. Grow your own veggies, in fact, greens can be grown in containers.Method for the salad
Shell, clean and devein the prawns. Make sure they are properly cleaned. Tip 1 tbsp. of olive oil into the pan and add the prawns into the pan. Add cumin and Worcestershire sauce and stir-fry the prawns until they begin to curl. That's a sign that the prawns are almost done.
Prawns cook very quickly, and you know that they are done when they curl up. They remain succulent while overcooking them will make them chewy.
Add the soy sauce and salt the prawns. Remember that soy sauce is salty, so go easy on the salt. Put less than you normally would. I sprinkle around one generous pinch of salt to avoid it getting over salty.
Continue to stir the prawns and fry them till they take on a rich golden hue. Remove just the prawns from the pan, leaving behind the oil and the juices.
Dice the onion into big chunks and separate the layers. Fry the onions in the oil and juices, until they caramelise. You can use red onions too, but I prefer the white ones for the sweet flavour that they impart.
Wash the salad leaves. I have used baby leaves so there is no need of tearing them. Baby leaves are tender and much more flavourful. Mature leaves might not be palatable, eaten raw.
Arrange the salad leaves on a serving plate and mix in the caramelised onions, prawns and cherry tomatoes. If you don't like raw cherry tomatoes then you can lightly fry them along with the onions. 
Preparing the salad dressing
I kept the dressing light and simple. Mix together the red wine vinegar, black pepper powder, freshly crushed is best and sesame seeds and the remaining olive oil and pour it over the salad. Give the salad a toss and it is ready to be devoured.
You can use fresh lemon juice instead of the red wine vinegar and add a bit of honey to the dressing. The idea should be to make it tasty without compromising on nutrition.
A plateful of this scrumptious salad will keep you satiated through the night. It is quite filling, despite being just a salad. The colourful palette on the plate is what the doctor recommend. Variations to the ingredients
There is always scope to experiment, and you can play around with the flavours. Sautéed baby potatoes go well, as does goat cheese, beetroot and baby corn, they add a whole new spectrum of flavours, to the salad. You can substitute the prawns with ham or chunks of boiled chicken or leftover shredded meats or maybe even sausages work well. Just keep it simple and work with readily available ingredients. I would swap the prawns with meat balls. Through in some crushed roasted peanuts for an extra crunch or maybe some melon and pumpkin seeds. Toss in some croutons if you can't do without your dose of high carbohydrates, but make sure to use whole grain bread. Know your food
Try this amazingly healthy salad, with its array of flavours and textures and let me know what you feel about it, in the comments section below.