A SIMPLE GREEN LETTUCE SALAD WITH KULI KULI

Hey there, salad lovers!😌 with exotic ingredients and complex recipes, sometimes we forget the beauty of simplicity. Today, I’m dishing up a super fresh, lettuce salad that’s got a fun little backstory with a fresh new dressing ingredient that I’m excited to share! But first, let me tell you – every bit of green in this bowl came straight from my dad’s farm. After my old man retired, he went full-on farmer mode and started a botanical garden. Ever since he started, it’s worked out great for my wallet and my belly!

My family has a history of diabetes so a lot of greens are highly appreciated but after all, eating healthy isn’t just for those with health concerns – it’s a gift we can all give ourselves. So I’m sharing my recipe with you. I get all my veggies from his farm rather than going to the local market to buy them and the harvest has been good. 

My Visit To The Garden

After my school session ended and on my way home, I decided to drop by the farm, which isn’t far from the house. Getting to the farm, Seeing the greenery and growing plants, I walked through the rows of carefully tended plants, a sense of pride overwhelmed me. My Dad was harvesting lettuce at the other end of the farm so I went over to help, it’s been a while since the last time I went to the farm, “it won’t be that bad” I said to myself.

Products from the Farm

Luckily, the harvest was so much that Dad shared the lettuce with neighbors and friends. It reminded me of the community spirit that my parents never failed to teach my siblings and me. The lettuce was fresh and green. I couldn’t resist this beautiful green lettuce. Wouldn’t even harvest them if it were up to me😂. I’d rather keep staring at them and taking pictures when the sun is out. Oops, this reminds me of my hoarding habit. I have a hard time using the things I treasure and love so much; my mother often tells me not to.

Finding Fulfillment In The Simple Things

Though I’m improving, I’ve given some old things I no longer wear and learned to stop hiding new clothes, saving them for special occasions. I realize being alive and healthy is special enough and let’s be honest. It’s really hard out there and you never can tell what will happen next. I have a favorite plate that my grandmother gave me and it’s been in the cupboard for way long(It’s part of my treasured items). I should finally use it to make this meal. 🙂

This simple lettuce salad is one of the meals my mom loved to make when I was younger. Until I became older, I would always pick out the onions since I didn’t enjoy the taste of it cold. These days, I can’t eat any meal without onions. (Onions are healthy for the eyes). Taking inspiration, I made the salad again. I went with cucumbers, carrots, green peppers, ripe tomatoes, and lettuce, brought along my tote bag, which I use every time I visit the market to buy food. I had gotten it at the market. Having everything gathered together relieves me of the burden of carrying a lot of stuff at once, though occasionally I still require a basket.

The Preparation

When I got home, I washed the lettuce leaves carefully, to remove the soil still left from the farm, and washed my tomatoes, green peppers and carrots as well. While I was with Dad on the farm, I came to see how similar my dad and I are. Everything from the way we think to the things we like to eat to our love of bread with my brother. Our fondness for wood and wood-made items. My dad is the one I think gave me my creative entrepreneurial mind. I remember he told me he wanted to be a carpenter. Though it would have been interesting to learn, carpentry is a noble and sophisticated trade. 

Agricultural Roots

I like to believe Agriculture has always been our roots. My Grandparents, uncles, and aunts own a farm, and my Dad too. My first farm visit was with my grandmother. She only gave me one assignment because I was so little: to plant the seeds in the hole while she was digging it, couldn’t wait to inform my parents that I had gone farming since I was so happy.😂 It was a fun experience. Little did I know then that those moments would plant the seeds of a lifelong appreciation for fresh, homegrown produce.

However, thanks to technology, farming is now more sophisticated, tidy, organized, soilless, and less stressful than it was in the past.. Anyways my sister is planning for school and she got a pot of mint from the farm. I’m still deciding what green companion I’ll choose when it’s my turn to leave – any suggestions? Maybe you should help me decide 😌. I’m so happy and glad I get to be a part of the agricultural chain even in the smallest way possible. It’s fulfilling I must confess. 

BEST Homemade Dressing

Just a reminder that something as simple as fresh green lettuces can literally save the day over and over and over. And it’s delicious, healthy, add-what-you-want green salad and doesn’t have an eating limit. Ready to greet you at any time. Dinner, of course. Lunch, yes that makes sense. Brunch It’s all honestly so easy and so good.

Can’t really take any credit for the lettuce, they’re just doing their thing, so let’s talk about the dressing. It’s Kuli Kuli(groundnut cake) that’s the magic ingredient sprinkled to add the flavour to the veggies. Just a bit of salt and you are good to go. Some may like to add oil to it (as you may have noticed in my mother’s blog) but that’s optional.

It’s got all the elements you need to really make it feel special even though it could not be any easier and just a few bowl-mixes away from being yours all day every day. Here’s what all I used and you may want to add to the lettuce:

• Fresh Lettuce
• Carrots
• Cucumbers
• Onions
• Green pepper
• Tomatoes
• Pepper

The Ingredients

How To Make This Green Salad (It’s Simple!)

You don’t really need a step-by-step here because it really only entails shaking up the vegetables and plopping handfuls of greens into a bowl for gentle tossing, but there it is.

• Wash and cut ingredients in a bowl
• Toss your greens in a bowl and combine well.
• Serve

Wrote it out anyway, just in case you didn’t believe me. The real beauty of this easy wonder is that it can go with anything! It’s so good with rice or as a side with a pasta dish. It’s so fast to bring together that even if you think of it at the very last second, you can still get it out on the table in under a minute for a nice little green boost to any meal. You better believe our fridge has been steadily stocked with lettuces for just such a last-second occasion.

Dress It Up If You Like

Toss in as many veggies as you want, But then just please make sure you stock up on some more lettuces so you can keep making this on the side at every meal this week. Every table needs this Simple Green Salad! Fresh lettuces mixed with whatever veggies your salad-loving heart desires.

Green Salad

As I took my first bite, the simplicity of the salad allowed each ingredient to shine. Like I stated at the beginning of this gist, I realized that in a quest for culinary excitement, we sometimes over complicate things. This lettuce salad reminds me that good food doesn’t need to be complex to be satisfying. This salad is a testament to our family’s journey and a celebration of fresh, home-grown goodness.

Best bet, your taste buds (and your body) will jump alive when you eat this ! You should try this simple recipe. Take this  moment to slow down, appreciate the simple things. And who knows? You might find yourself rediscovering a forgotten favorite, just like I did.

A Bowl of Delicious Native Lettuce Salad

Footnote

Sometimes, we need a bit of seed to have the wings to fly.

Sounds like a perfect side to a bagel and/or your favorite protein. Methinks might go well as a filling for sandwich or tossed on top of your favourite noodles!

Interesting to see the use of a favourite peanut snack as an ingredient for dressing. I am tempted to try this hack with chikkis, podis or churma (common streetfood and loved dishes) around many parts of India. 🙂

I share here a different book which has some lovely and interesting historical anecdotes and factoids for those who like to share their ingredients and ideas across the world.

A paragraph in page 45 caught my attention.