This salad marries sweetness and bitterness to excellent effect. It works best with a firm, slightly green mango, and bitter leaves, such as chicory, bull’s blood and Treviso. Be generous when seasoning the paneer, since it can otherwise be bland. For a satisfying lunch, serve the salad with crispy sesame and onion seed naans. You can swap the mango for pomelo or pink grapefruit segments, and the paneer for juicy, garlicky grilled prawns if you like.
Ingredients
Serves 2 people
- 150g paneer
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 medium mango, peeled and flesh cut from the stone (200g prepared weight)
- 60g assorted bitter salad leaves
- 60ml lime and chilli dressing
- 20g fried crispy onions or shallots
- Flaky sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Method
1. Slice the paneer into long, thin slices, about 5mm thick. Add the olive oil and season generously with flaky salt and black pepper.
2. Slice the mango flesh into long strips.
3. Combine the paneer, mango and salad leaves in a bowl. Add the lime and chilli dressing and toss gently.
4. Transfer the salad to a serving bowl and sprinkle with the crispy onions or shallots.
5. Serve with a slice or two of crispy naan bread, and enjoy.
Recipe taken from: Dishoom: From Bombay With Love by Shamil & Kavi Thakrar and Naved Nasir. (Bloomsbury Publishing, £26).
Photography by Haarala Hamilton.
