Apple Cucumber Salad with Lemon Miso Dressing

After valentine’s day, which doubles up as my husband’s birthday, I actually heave a sigh of relief. Finally all festivities are over for atleast next three months. By this time all the rich, indulgent, festive food leaves me almost every year a few pounds heavier. So I use this ‘gap’ in celebrations to concentrate on healthy eating, increased physical activity and bringing life back on track.

Soon it will be spring/summer and the muffin top and love handles won’t hide in the flimsy, slinky summer clothes. It’s as if Nature knows we would face this dilemma that’s why it provides us with a bounty of fresh produce at the peak of the season. It’s salad’s time to shine on the table. From light and refreshing to hearty and filling, salads can easily replace laborious meals and make your daily menu complete.

This Apple Cucumber Salad with Japanese style Lemon Miso Dressing is a family favourite. I like to mix a lot of textures and flavours in my salads to make them interesting even for the kids. And this salad has a lot going on for it too. The juice, the crunch, the colours and then of course a whole rainbow of flavours from umami to sweet and sour!

Miso is usually considered an ingredient more fit to be added to soups and marinades but it actually makes an amazing salad dressing as well. The big salty-sweet flavour from miso makes a delectable dressing for any salad. A hint of ginger and garlic, a kick from lemons, a little heat from chilli pepper, depth from sesame oil and finally the whole thing comes together with honey, creating a lip smacking good dressing that opens the flood gates of salivary glands and wakes up the most dormant of appetites.

Tip: Miso is a salty paste made from fermented soya beans and rice, barley or other ingredients. It is frequently used in Japanese cooking. There is no real substitute for the unique umami taste of miso but if you can’t find it where you live, you can mix 2 tablespoons of soy sauce and 2 teaspoons of sesame oil or tahini, for this particular recipe, to create something closest to that special flavour.

2 apples
2 cucumbers
1 red onion
1 ripe tomato
Half a head iceberg leaves
2 teaspoons white or yellow miso paste
1/4 cup lemon juice
1 inch piece ginger
2 cloves garlic
2 tablespoons honey
2 teaspoons sesame oil
1 red chilli pepper
1/2 cup goat cheese
A teaspoon sesame seeds

Core apples. Peel onions. Slice apples, cucumbers, onion and tomato into bite size pieces.

Roughly tear iceberg leaves into big chunky pieces. Rinse and pat dry. Layer them in a salad bowl, add all the chopped fruits and vegetables on top.

Mix miso paste, lemon juice, garlic, honey and sesame oil and blend in an electric blender. Finely chop the red chilli pepper and add to the miso dressing, also add sesame seeds.

Refrigerate the salad and dressing separately till its time to serve.

Pour the dressing over the salad right before serving. Toss to mix. Add pieces of goat cheese on top.

Serves 2