ne of the most convenient and tasty ways to add more nutrition to your diet is by enjoying salads. Salads, whether eaten in summer or winter, allow you to incorporate several seasonal fruits and vegetables, making it easy to pack your meals with minerals and vitamins. The best part about salads is the flexibility to add dressings of your choice, especially those who prefer low-fat, to enhance the flavour without compromising on health benefits. During summer, markets bustle with vibrant yellow mangoes. This peak season also allows us to experiment with different ingredients and create delicious, nutrient-dense recipes. Are you a fan of mango? Then you would definitely love this recipe!
Also Read: Mango Mania All Over! Try This Spicy Mango Drink And Relish The Summer
Chef and digital creator Simone Kathuria (@simonekathuria) shared an easy recipe for a summer salad that combines the juiciness of mangoes with paneer and other pantry staples. This salad recipe has 22 grams of protein per meal and is loaded with fibre and healthy fats, as per the chef.
Watch the full video of the paneer mango salad bowl below:
How To Make Paneer Mango Salad Bowl | Paneer Mango Salad Bowl Recipe
Chef Simone Kathuria (@simonekathuria) shared an easy recipe for paneer mango salad that can help make your summers delightful. To make this, start by taking some paneer and cutting them into small rectangles. Now prepare the dressing for paneer marination using a mix of peanut butter, garlic, soy sauce, peri peri masala, yoghurt, lemon juice, water, salt, and pepper. Coat the paneer in the marination and let it sit for at least 15 minutes. Save some marination for later.
Once done, fry the paneer pieces until golden. In the meantime, take a cucumber, carrot, lettuce, mango, and watermelon, and chop them into small cubes. You can also julienne them if you want. After the paneer pieces are fried and golden brown, combine the ingredients together. On top of it, add lemon juice, salt, pepper and the leftover dressing. Mix all the ingredients well and enjoy!
Bonus Tip:
Chef Simone Kathuria also suggested to layer the salad bowl. When you are about to eat, layer the salad, add the dressing and then top it with paneer. The reason behind this, as per the chef, is that your salad won't become soggy.
Mango, and other seasonal fruits, should be consumed in summer.
Photo Credit: iStock
Why You Should Eat Seasonal Fruits
Since mango is in season, we have brought you a mango-based salad recipe. But have you ever wondered why it is recommended to eat seasonal and not off-season fruits? If you are still confused, here are 4 reasons:
1. Tastier
Who wants to eat fruits that don't taste good and fresh? With off-season fruits, that need to be transported in most cases, it becomes necessary that the harvesting process gets done earlier than expected. These fruits are then refrigerated while being transported. All of this results in the fruits losing their freshness and flavour, and not tasting as good as you expect them to be.
2. Cost Effective
Aside from the nutritional benefits, seasonal fruits are preferred since they are cost-effective. When fruits are produced in a local or nearby area during their season, the cost of the fruit will automatically go down since the farmer does not spend much money on storage and transportation. The opposite becomes the case with off-season fruits.
3. Less Risk Of Contamination
Transporting fruits not only reduces their taste and freshness but also increases their chances of contracting contamination. Several countries lack strict rules on pesticides, which might make some fruits grown in agricultural areas suffer from heavy metal and toxic contamination due to proximity. These factors can pose some serious health risks.
4. Natural Nutritional Needs
Seasonal fruits fulfil our nutritional requirements according to each season. In summer, the fruits are usually more watery to keep our bodies hydrated and rejuvenated. Similarly, in winter, the fruits produced are rich in vitamin C and citrus to protect us from infections and cold.
Also Read: Do The Mangoes You Eat Contain Carbide? 4 Easy Tips To Find Out
Which is your seasonal favourite fruit? Let us know in the comments below!