Localise Your Salad Ingredients!

What fruits or vegetables do you often find in your salad bar? Rocket leaves, arugula, avocado wedges, and exotic dressings like sesame or wasabi-mayonnaise, perhaps?

If you ever find yourself craving for a touch of local taste in your salad bowl, look no further. Here are some local salad ingredients that are sure to add a nice twist to your regular salad. Locally available fruits and vegetables are also more easily available, affordable and can be just as nutritious and tasty.

Looking to experiment with unusual salad ingredients? Try jackfruit. The jackfruit’s almost meat-like texture provides a unique chew, not to mention added protein to your salad, and can be eaten in warm and cold salads. Besides that, it also provides up to 23% of your daily required Vitamin C and has a high content of dietary fiber.

Jackfruit idea from Estalystic: Besides adding shredded slices into salads, you can also use jackfruit to make salsa. Mix it with bell peppers, pickled chili, shallots and sauces to make a tasty salsa that you can put into a tortilla wrap for a healthy meal.

Also known as the original Malaysian salad, ulam actually refers to a variety of vegetables that can be eaten raw. It’s usually accompanied by spicy belacan or eaten with mixed rice. When you spot a selection of ulam at a Malay food stall, try the long beans, four angled beans or cucumber as alternatives to zucchini or kale. If you’re feeling adventurous, top your salad with bitter gourd or bitter beans (petai)!

Salad idea from HungerHunger: Thinly slice four-angled beans, bunga kantan (ginger flower) and chilies. Mix together with dried shrimp, some fish sauce and lime juice together with salt and sugar for taste. For added flavour, sprinkle some pounded peanut brittle before serving.

Chinese Cabbages, Red Cabbages and White Cabbages are all easily available in Malaysia and can be used as bases for your salads or used individually as salad bowls. They’re also versatile – shred the leaves and toss with julienned carrots and a little bit of sauce for a quick coleslaw.

Chinese cabbage coleslaw from Tablespoon: Toss together some shredded Chinese cabbage, grated carrots and cucumber. Whisk rice vinegar, sesame oil, ground ginger and garlic powder with quarter cup of soy sauce for the dressing & pour over the vegetables. Let it sit before serving. You can keep this for up to 5 days!

Versatile, high in protein, low in fat – it’s no wonder tofu is well-loved by many! Tofu slices are already a mainstay in some rojak recipes, and you may be familiar with blocks of tofu puffs stuffed with slivers of cucumber sold at snack stalls. Shallow fried or baked, tofu slices or cubes are great additions to salads. Meanwhile, tempeh, made of fermented soy beans, have a high protein content and can be marinated or sliced and added to a salad. It’s already dubbed as the secret new superfood. 

Salad recipe from ilovevegan: Make a chunky tofu salad. Mix together halved baby tomatoes with small cubes of baked tofu and baby spinach leaves. Dress it up with soy sauce, hot sauce or hummus. Add in some cooked brown rice for a more complete meal.

Besides the dahl you eat with roti canais, chickpeas are also a great filler for salads. These protein-rich legumes are usually found in their dry form in grocery stores and thus need to be boiled and soaked overnight before cooking. They’re incredibly versatile, whether spiced with chili slices or accompanied with zucchini and tomato chunks in a salad, they can also be blended and made into hummus – so experiment away!

Roasted chickpea salad recipe from Pinch of Yum: Try roasting chickpeas before adding them to salads, to bring out a different flavour. Season dry chickpeas with olive oil, chili powder, cumin and salt and pepper, then arrange on a baking sheet on a tray. Stir or shake the pan every once in a while when its baking to prevent them from burning.

Swap out the grilled or steamed chicken breast with chicken satay. Chicken satay is relatively healthy as it’s the grilled, lean parts of a chicken (meaning it has little fat and little to no skin bits). High in protein, it’s a good choice as a filler for your salads and is easily available.

Salad idea: Add chopped chicken satay pieces on top of any existing salads.

Look out for nuts that you usually eat as snacks, such as cashew nuts or pumpkin seeds. These high protein nuts add a nice punch to your salad, and can be easily bought in convenient stores. Opt for salt-free versions where possible for a healthier choice.

Look out for nuts that you usually eat as snacks, such as cashew nuts or pumpkin seeds. These high protein nuts add a nice punch to your salad, and can be easily bought in convenient stores. Opt for salt-free versions where possible for a healthier choice. 

Bored with mayonnaise and thousand island sauce? Here are a few different dressings using easily available local ingredients that you can try:

• Pumpkin with turmeric dressing. All you need for this tangy dressing are low fat Greek yogurt, pumpkin puree, turmeric powder, olive oil and minced garlic. 
• Thai-inspired peanut butter dressing. Mix creamy peanut butter with unseasoned rice vinegar and fresh lime juice for a deliciously creamy salad dressing.
• Spicy ginger and lime dressing. The ingredients for this tangy sauce can likely be found stocked in an Asian kitchen – soy sauce, minced garlic, ginger root, sesame oil and rice vinegar, to name a few. 

Exclusively for AIA Vitality members – we’re making it easier for you to make healthy eating choices! Whether you’re making a salad or a meal, enjoy 10% off fresh fruits and vegetables at Jaya Grocer outlets. Simply present your AIA Vitality membership card to enjoy this promotion.

References

http://www.yellowpages.my/article/ulam-the-original-malaysian-salad.html

http://www.satay.com/satay-healthy-living/satay-food-benefits.html

http://www.menshealth.com.sg/weight-loss-nutrition/satay-post-workout-meal/

https://www.nutrition-and-you.com/jackfruit.html

https://toriavey.com/how-to/how-to-soak-and-cook-chickpeas/

https://globalnews.ca/news/3658121/underrated-superfoods/

http://www.estalystic.com/jackfruit-salsa-with-grilled-shrimp-tacos/

http://hungerhunger.blogspot.my/2008/12/linda-s-four-winged-bean-salad.html

https://www.tablespoon.com/recipes/sesame-soy-napa-cabbage-slaw/857106ad-44ed-484f-893d-c581a4c9d3d6

http://www.ilovevegan.com/tomato-basil-salad-with-seasoned-tofu/

https://pinchofyum.com/rainbow-power-salad-with-roasted-chickpeas

The above articles are intended for informational purposes only. AIA accepts no responsibility for loss, which may arise from reliance on information contained in the articles.