Salad 101 - The Basic Salad Dressing

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Fresh Salads tossed with various Salad Dressings

By now you should have bought, washed & mixed your salad together. The next step is deciding on the dressing and with most salad greens this is usually a type of Vinaigrette.

A vinaigrette consists three things - a good oil, acid (vinegar or lemon/lime juice) and seasonings which is combined with a chemical process known as emulsification to form a beautiful creamy dressing.

Following are basic dressings, with a few variations based on the type of salad greens that you decide to use. The standard ratio of oil to acid for a dressing is three parts oil to one part acid. For mild salad greens, a basic dressing of oil, acid & seasoning will work, however, for spicier salad greens like rocket or baby spinach, stronger flavors like mustard, garlic, onions along with some cream/yoghurt are required to complement the taste of the greens. 

But again, I will repeat the same thing - adjust the dressing based on your own preferences, and what is available in the fridge. I will be posting some recipes for salads in the future, and in almost all the recipes, I have used less oil and more yoghurt because I think the taste of extra virgin olive oil can be strong, so I would reduce from the basic recipe. Similarly, there are a number of additions and substitutions that can be made. Have included a list of basic recipes along with a list of simple additions in the end for experimenting with. 

Basic Vinaigrette for Mild Salad Greens

(Makes about 3/4 cup)

 1/2 cup olive oil (preferably extra-virgin)

3 tbsp vinegar (or lemon juice); or use 1.5 tbsp lemon juice and 1.5 tbsp vinegar

Salt & freshly ground black pepper

Sugar/Honey - 1 tsp (optional)

Method:

1. Depending on type of greens used, combine all ingredients in a blender for about 30 seconds till a creamy emulsion results. You can also add all the ingredients in a bottle, and then shake vigorously or add the ingredients in a bowl and use a wire whisk to mix. 

2. Taste the dressing and adjust vinegar/lemon juice or seasonings if required.

3. Use 1 tbsp of dressing for about 2 cups of salad greens.

Basic Vinaigrette for Spicy Salad Greens

1/2 cup olive oil (preferably extra-virgin)

3 tbsp vinegar (or lemon juice); or use 1.5 tbsp lemon juice and 1.5 tbsp vinegar

Salt & freshly ground black pepper

Mustard - 1 tsp

Sugar/Honey - 1 tsp

Minced Garlic - 1/2 tsp (optional)

Method:

1. Depending on type of greens used, combine all ingredients in a blender for about 30 seconds till a creamy emulsion results. You can also add all the ingredients in a bottle, and then shake vigorously or add the ingredients in a bowl and use a wire whisk to mix. 

2. Taste the dressing and adjust vinegar/lemon juice or seasonings if required.

3. Use 1 tbsp of dressing for about 2 cups of salad greens.

Basic Vinaigrette for Bitter Salad Greens

1/2 cup olive oil (preferably extra-virgin)

3 tbsp vinegar (or lemon juice); or use 1.5 tbsp lemon juice and 1.5 tbsp vinegar

1 tbsp yoghurt or cream

Salt & freshly ground black pepper

Mustard - 1 tsp

Sugar/Honey - 1 tsp

Minced Garlic - 1/2 tsp (optional)

Method:

1. Depending on type of greens used, combine all ingredients in a blender for about 30 seconds till a creamy emulsion results. You can also add all the ingredients in a bottle, and then shake vigorously or add the ingredients in a bowl and use a wire whisk to mix. 

2. Taste the dressing and adjust vinegar/lemon juice or seasonings if required.

3. Use 1 tbsp of dressing for about 2 cups of salad greens.

Other Simple Additions to Vinaigrettes:
The above dressings are base recipes, but you can always make additions/substitutions to them based on ingredient availability & your own taste. Sometimes I would add some lemon zest, or fresh herbs, or minced roasted garlic to leftover dressing just to change the taste. 

1. Herbs: Herbs can be added either fresh or dried to the dressing. If using fresh, then you can add about 1/4 cup of finely chopped mild herbs like parsley, basil or oregano for 1/2 cup of olive oil. If using stronger herbs like rosemary, tarragon or thyme then use about 1 teaspoon. If using dried herbs, then start with adding 1/8 teaspoon, and then add more if required. 
2. Fresh Garlic: Garlic flavor can be incorporated in three different ways depending on how strong you want it to be. If you want a stronger flavor, then you can mince/finely chop fresh garlic and add it in the dressing. Secondly, you can roast garlic in the oven which turns the flavor mild and sweeter. Thirdly, you can rub a mashed garlic clove around your salad bowl which will just give you a mild garlic flavor. 
3. Honey, maple syrup or sugar: If you want the dressing to be a bit sweet, you can add sweetener of your sugar. Start off small, 1-2 teaspoon for sugar & 1 tablespoon for honey, and then adjust more based on taste.
4. Mustard: 1 teaspoon of good quality mustard, or 1/2 teaspoon of dry mustard can be added.
5. Lemon Zest/Orange Zest: Zest of 1 lemon can be added for a lemon vinaigrette, making sure that you use lemon or lime juice for the dressing as well. Orange zest combined with fresh orange juice can also be used.
6. Creamy Vinaigrette: Fresh or sour cream, yoghurt or mayonnaise can be used (about 3 tablespoon). Fresh cream is preferred over packaged as that has a much better flavor. 
7. Soy Sauce: Add 1 tablespoon of soy sauce to give an Asian flavor to salads; best if used with Asian vegetables like spring onions, Bak Choi etc. 

Read up on my other Salad 101 blog posts below:

Salad 101 - Cleaning & Storing Greens

Salad 101 -Tossing Greens & Adding the Salad Dressing
Salad 101 - Types of Salad Greens
Salad 101 - The Basic Salad Dressing

Where to get Salad Greens in Karachi:

Sungold Organic – Home delivery of Organic Vegetables

Email at Sungoldorganic@gmail.com

Sungold number, 0342-2382731, 0345-2008247:
Growing your Own – Seeds available from Crops in Pots & available from Mom’s Garden

Gardening Help – SWOT’s Guide to House and Gardens & My Kitchen Garden Project

Shops – Assortment of vegetables can be found from Agha’s, Farids, Hyperstar, Empress Market, Defence Sunday Bazaar, & a ‘Sabzi Wala’ near French Bakery at Khadda Market

Reference Books:

How to Cook Everything (Completely Revised 10th Anniversary Edition
The New Best Recipe by Cooks Illustrated Magazine

Salad 101 - Types of Salad Greens

Please 'like' me on Facebook to keep updated with new posts, tips & tricks, or to ask me any questions: Kay's House of Treats 

Experimenting with Fresh Salads

Continuing on with my salad how-to, the next part is about the different kind of salad greens available, and a general idea on how they taste (mild, bitter, spicy) & look. Lettuce is the most salad green available, however, it does tend to have a one-dimensional taste. Hence, the best kind of salad is made with a mixture of different salad greens which complement each other. My personal favourite is to either use a bag of mesclun lettuce (mixture of salad greens) and then add fruits or other ingredients as per my taste. Alternatively, I use one type of lettuce as the base of my salad and then I add some baby spinach and rocket for contrast. 

Once again I will quote myself 'it's your house and you can adjust as much as you want to!'. Taste the vegetables, then start on making the salad, and keep on getting feedback from your family till you figure out the balance. 

Do remember that the addition of salt & dressing dramatically changes the flavor of the green, so taste raw, then add dressing and taste again. For example, I found rocket/arugula to be quite spicy, but it provides a wonderful contrast to mild tasting lettuce. On the other hand, ice-berg lettuce tastes great when eaten raw because of its mild flavor, but when its mixed in a salad, it falls flat unless you add some spicy greens for contrast. 

I know that it is quite easy to find the majority of salad greens mentioned below abroad, be it through supermarkets or farmer markets, but this is not so simple in Karachi. I have posted a few resources below on finding salad greens locally.

Salad 101: Types of Salad Greens

Rocket/Arugula: Leaves are dark green and tender, with the taste being peppery and slightly bitter.

Butterhead (or Boston/Bib) Lettuce: Mild-tasting round-shaped lettuce with extremely tender leaves.

Cabbage: Available in green and red (aka purple cabbage) varieties with crisp & crunchy leaves and bitter and sharp taste.

Chard/Swiss Chard: Large, deep green leaves which are always cooked before eating.

Dandelion Greens: Leaves are tender, with the shape being long and having jagged edges – young leaves can be used in salads but the older ones need should be cooked before eating. The flavor is bitter and similar to rocket.

Belgian Endive: The endive has a smooth oval shape, with the yellow tips having a mild flavor and the white thick leaf bases being crisp but tasting bitter. The spoon like shape makes them great for dips and stuffing.

Escarole: Mild tasting green with wide & frilly leaves that are good for adding volume & texture to salads.

Frisee: Usually having green leaves, which can sometimes be edged in red, which are long & curly. The taste is slightly peppery.

Kale: Kale has become quite a popular vegetable recently due to its health benefits, and its many uses ranging from kale chips to steamed kale to chopped up kale in salads. It is part of the cabbage family & has a similar taste, with two common varieties – kale having smooth leaves, and curly kale with crinkly leaves. The leaves themselves are broad & ruffled, and range from deep green to purple.

Iceberg Lettuce: One of the most common types of lettuce available, with tender & pale green leaves. The taste is mild & crunchy, making it great for both salads and for use to wrap as a container for fillings.

Looseleaf Lettuce: Red leaf & green are the most common varieties, available in a large rosette shape with ruffled leaves. Texture is crunchy with a mild taste.

Mesclun Lettuce: Mesclun comes from the French word for mixture and is used for a mix of salad greens, herbs & even edible flowers at times. These are available pre-mixed in bags, or if someone loves to garden can easily be made at home. The taste of the mix depends on the assortment of greens, but it’s usually a mix of mild & peppery for the best flavor. The best part about using it is that you can just open a pack of greens, toss it in some dressing and the salad is ready.

Radicchio: Radicchio has quite a peppery taste, however, the crisp deep red/almost purple tinged with white leaves provides a beautiful contrast to any salad.

Romaine Lettuce: The primary ingredient of a Ceasar salad, it has long green crunchy leaves. It has a slightly bitter taste which needs a creamy dressing to compliment it.

Spinach/Baby Spinach: While spinach is most often cooked, it can also be used in salads. The leaves are tender, dark green with the taste being slightly bitter. Generally, baby spinach and/or flat leaf spinach varieties are preferred for salads because the leaves are more tender & also sweeter.

Read up on my other Salad 101 blog posts below:
Salad 101 - Cleaning & Storing Greens
Salad 101 -Tossing Greens & Adding the Salad Dressing
Salad 101 - The Basic Salad Dressing

Where to get Salad Greens in Karachi:

Sungold Organic – Home delivery of Organic Vegetables

Email at Sungoldorganic@gmail.com

Sungold number, 0342-2382731, 0345-2008247:
Growing your Own – Seeds available from Crops in Pots & available from Mom’s Garden

Gardening Help – SWOT’s Guide to House and Gardens & My Kitchen Garden Project

Shops – Assortment of vegetables can be found from Agha’s, Farids, Hyperstar, Empress Market, Defence Sunday Bazaar, & a ‘Sabzi Wala’ near French Bakery at Khadda Market

Reference Books:

How to Cook Everything (Completely Revised 10th Anniversary Edition
The New Best Recipe by Cooks Illustrated Magazine

Salad 101 - Tossing Greens & Adding the Salad Dressing

Please 'like' me on Facebook to keep updated with new posts, tips & tricks, or to ask me any questions: Kay's House of Treats 

Continuing on with my salad how-to, the next step that I will be writing in detail about is how to mix salad greens and how to add the dressing.

Before you go really "a how-to on mixing a salad"!!! The thing is its not that hard, but if you do something wrong, greens are so delicate that they can easily tear or wilt and you end up with not so great looking greens in a beautiful salad otherwise. Believe me, it doesn't look pretty. 

Salad 101: Tossing Greens & Adding the Dressing

A proper bowl is necessary for mixing the greens properly. It should be wide-mouthed and relatively shallow, along with being about 50% larger than the amount of greens used to ensure enough room for tossing. For example, if you have 4 cups of salad, then the salad bowl should have capacity for 6 cups, so that you can mix it properly.

Step 1: Measure the greens. Loosely pack the greens into a large measuring cup, and keep about 1.5 cups per serving.

Step 2: Tear the greens: Some of the leafy vegetables (like lettuce) might be too large, so tear them gently into smaller pieces with your hands. Do this right before serving, as if the leaves are torn too early, they will wilt & discolor.

Step 3: Shake the Dressing: The dressing will probably be an emulsified style incorporating olive oil, lemon juice or vinegar with extra ingredients so give it a quick mix just before adding it in the salad to make sure that all the ingredients are dispersed through the dressing.

 Step 4: Drizzle the Dressing: Add the dressing in small increments, and not all at once so that the salad doesn't become overdressed. Unlike potato salads or coleslaw, leafy salads only need about 1 tbsp for 2 cups of salad otherwise it starts to get soggy so be careful and add more only if required.

 Step 5: Toss the salad by using a wooden spoon, your hands (preferred method), or tongs and add more dressing only if needed. Make sure you use a light touch, as a roughly tossed salad will wilt more quickly. Don't toss any heavy ingredients like apples, tomatoes, feta cheese with the leafy greens as they might end up crushing the greens. Add them on the bottom with a few for garnish on top, or add them on top of the salad.

Step 6: Serve immediately.

Next step will be different types of greens, and after that I will finally start with recipes! Have been posting a lot on my Facebook page but will write them in much more detail on the blog :).

Read up on my other Salad 101 blog posts below:

Salad 101 - Cleaning & Storing Greens

Salad 101 - Types of Salad Greens
Salad 101 - The Basic Salad Dressing

Where to get Salad Greens in Karachi:

Sungold Organic – Home delivery of Organic Vegetables

Email at Sungoldorganic@gmail.com

Sungold number, 0342-2382731, 0345-2008247:
Growing your Own – Seeds available from Crops in Pots & available from Mom’s Garden

Gardening Help – SWOT’s Guide to House and Gardens & My Kitchen Garden Project

Shops – Assortment of vegetables can be found from Agha’s, Farids, Hyperstar, Empress Market, Defence Sunday Bazaar, & a ‘Sabzi Wala’ near French Bakery at Khadda Market

Reference Books:

How to Cook Everything (Completely Revised 10th Anniversary Edition
The New Best Recipe by Cooks Illustrated Magazine

Starting off with Salad 101 - Cleaning & Storing Greens

Please 'like' me on Facebook to keep updated with new posts, tips & tricks, or to ask me any questions: Kay's House of Treats 

Potato Salad, Coleslaw, Leafy Green Salad & our Desi Kachumber. They all taste fundamentally different but all these salads have one thing in common and that is ..... The Dressing. The dressing whether its as simple as olive oil and lemon juice or as complicated as homemade ranch dressing with about 10 ingredients is what brings the salad together and makes it delicious!
  
My recent interest in salads (evident from those following me on Facebook) was a result of a chance phone call from Sungold Organic. The owner had made a call to follow up and inform me about the variety of salad greens available in winter. And errrr, I got a bit too excited and ordered about 6-7 kg's of vegetables. In my defence - they had SO much stuff available -  3 to 4 different varieties of lettuce, chinese cabbage, rocket, baby spinach etc etc; plus it was organic, reasonable AND they offered home delivery.

Once the bag of vegetables came and I realized how much I had ordered, it was time to hit the books for a salad how-to, prompting me to start these salad 101 posts. While I was doing my reading up and realizing how much I didn't know, I decided to start putting all the knowledge I gained through experimentation and books and google on Facebook and the blog so all of you can benefit. 

The Salad 101 is going to start off with salad preparation (cleaning, storing, tossing), types of different salads, and complementing dressings.However, please feel free to make substitutions because everyone has their own preference - more greens, less greens, no tomatoes, yes tomatoes, more dressing, no dressing, homemade mayo, store-bought mayo and so on and so forth.

Just remember, its your house and you can adjust as much as you want to! 

That is exactly what I did - I would first taste the vegetables, then start on making the salad, and keep on getting feedback from my family till I figured out the balance. 

Starting off with leafy greens, since they are in season and the most common salad type as well. 

Step 1 - Cleaning & Storing Greens

1. Cleaning Greens
The first step in making any salad is cleaning the greens. Put the greens into a salad spinner or in a colander inside a large pot. Fill the pot with water and swirl the greens around with your hand. Now lift the colander or salad spinner bowl out of the water. Pour out the water, and repeat as necessary till there is no dirt-residue remaining.
Do not run water directly from the faucet onto the greens as the force of the water will bruise them.
When the greens are clean, spin them dry in a salad spinner or pat them dry with towels. I wash them in a colander, shake off the water, then layer a plastic tray with kitchen towel. I spread a layer of greens on top of the kitchen towel, and then put another layer of kitchen towel on top and pat it dry. Depending on the number of greens, I make about 2-3 layers which dry up in about the time I have the rest of the ingredients ready. 
Greens must be quite dry; otherwise, the vinaigrette will slide off the remaining water and the salad will taste watery.

2. Storing Greens
Unwashed greens should be carefully stored in the refrigerator, making sure that they are not tightly packed as that encourages rotting. 
Washed greens can be stored in the salad spinner. Line the salad spinner with paper towels, then layer in the greens covering each layer with more towels to store for up to 2 days.
If you don't have a salad spinner, loosely roll the greens in paper towels and then place them inside a large zip-lock bag (making sure not to pack too tightly) and place in the refrigerator.

The next how-to is going to be on tossing greens and adding dressing, followed by a type of salad greens available and then recipes!

Read up on my other Salad 101 blog posts below:

Salad 101 - Cleaning & Storing Greens

Salad 101 -Tossing Greens & Adding the Salad Dressing

Salad 101 - Types of Salad Greens

Salad 101 - The Basic Salad Dressing

Resources (Salad Spinners & where to get salad greens in Karachi):

Salad Spinners are available at JB Saeed (linked below) in Karachi and should also be available at other places.
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=134621356576725&set=a.134621099910084.14013.129326953772832&type=3&theater

Where to get Salad Greens in Karachi:

Sungold Organic – Home delivery of Organic Vegetables

Email at Sungoldorganic@gmail.com

Sungold number, 0342-2382731, 0345-2008247:
Growing your Own – Seeds available from Crops in Pots & available from Mom’s Garden

Gardening Help – SWOT’s Guide to House and Gardens & My Kitchen Garden Project

Shops – Assortment of vegetables can be found from Agha’s, Farids, Hyperstar, Empress Market, Defence Sunday Bazaar, & a ‘Sabzi Wala’ near French Bakery at Khadda Market

Reference Books:

How to Cook Everything (Completely Revised 10th Anniversary Edition
The New Best Recipe by Cooks Illustrated Magazine

Neco's Natural Cafe & Store - Healthy Food with a Twist

Neco's Natural Cafe & Store is a venture of the Hobnob Group, and comprises of three things in one location - a cafe, a deli/bakery & a store with the common denominator between all three is the focus on natural & healthy products.They not only manufacture in-store (like shampoos',conditioners' & hair oils at the store and salad dressings, cereals & whole wheat pasta at the bakery) but also source from other companies (Daali, Mom's Garden, Zoya's Herbal etc.) providing one convenient location for everything. 

However, no matter how many times I have been to the store (which I love), I have only been to the cafe once (this review being the second time). The reason being whenever Neco's would come up as an option, it would always be 'oh, that place has healthy food, its going to be boring' or 'oh, someone went there but didn't like the food - it felt like diet food' and so on.

This time the same argument popped up but since that was the only option, we were all like 'let's just go' and I am so glad we did because the food was BRILLIANT! It was healthy no doubt (fresh versus processed, brown bread versus white bread) but there was nothing bland or diet about it.

Early Dinner at Neco's

Food:

Ordered the potato wedges, grilled chicken sandwich, chicken & mushroom crepes, prawns laksa & Neco's french toast with banana & honeycomb. 

Neco's Wedges - the best in town!

Potato Wedges: The star of the meal had to be the wedges – beautifully crisped on the outside, with a hint of sweetness (probably honey). 

Grilled Chicken Sandwich - Neco's

Grilled Chicken Sandwich (what I ordered):  Fulfilled my expectations of what I expect from a chicken sandwich - freshly made toasted brown bread in a grilled chicken sandwich with a complementing sauce (spicy aioli in this case) so that it does not bland. The meal was completed with those yum potato wedges & coleslaw.  

Neco's Chicken & Mushroom Crepes

Chicken & Mushroom Crepes: I loved the presentation of the crepes - folded up like a parcel. It's not possible to see the filling, but they its much more easier to eat. I took a bite of this and the crepes were nicely made, with a rich and creamy chicken mushroom filling. Definitely something I can see myself ordering next. However, my friend didn't enjoy the salad. 

Neco's French Toast

Neco's French Toast with Banana & Honeycomb: The french Toast is one of the signature items on the menu served all day. Wasn't the best looking dish in terms of presentation, but one bite was all it took to understand why its one of the most popular items on the menu. Thick slices of this delicious bread toasted to perfection topped with whipped cream, banana's and crunchy honey comb. The fact that it's supposed to be whole wheat bread (baked in-house) was the icing on the french toast. 

Chocolate Milkshake

Chocolate Milkshake: The picture says it all - my friend loved it while we enjoyed the seasonal fresh juices.

Prawns Laksa: Tried only a bite of it from a friend, and loved the burst of flavors, combined with the kick of the chilli oil that was served on the side. However, I feel the laksa will be more preferred by adventurous eaters, since the prawns version which my friend loved and I only tasted was a bit fishy. Next time I go, will try the chicken version. 

Verdict:

Food: 9/10
Price: 8/10
Service: 9/10
After this visit, I can safely say that my misconceptions about Neco's as a cafe are gone and I see myself stopping at the cafe instead of making a beeline for the store downstairs which I normally did. The cafe itself has a great ambiance and the menu features dishes that make it great for breakfast & snacks/coffee. 
In terms of pricing, I felt some of the items were a bit high (main courses), however, the ingredients they use are natural, organic & made fresh in-house which will justify the price for customers who understand the difference. The menu offered does offer food that will be considered diet food but at the same time, they offer super indulgent items like the french toast and their desserts. So just order carefully :)
Also, do get some cookies from the bakery while leaving - they offer chocolate chip and double chocolate chip flavors with chocolate chunks instead of chips which just make them the best cookies in the city in my opinion. 

Contact Details:
Address: 8C, Lane #1, Bukhari Commercial Area, Phase 6, Defence Housing Authority (DHA), Karachi
Telephone: 021-35844517 & 021-35242654
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/necosnaturalstoreandcafe

Timing: 8:00 - 11:00 6 days a week (Mondays closed)