FOR A FOODIE LIKE ME, DILLI HAAT IS A PARADISE: TARA
In her new book, An Indian Sense of Salad, Tara Deshpande Tennebaum says Indians are gradually incorporating raw veggies and fruits in their diet
Naina Arora
Apart from being a globe trotter, actor-author Tara Deshpande Tennebaum is a selfconfessed foodie. And channelling her love for food in her latest book, An Indian Sense of Salad, the former actor, seen in films such as Bombay Boys (1998) and Encounter: The Killing (2002) has brought together different traditions, food types and healthy salad options in one hardcover. From Greek-style black masur salad with wilted saag greens and sausage to Israeli herb salad with fried Cashews, the book has all that you need to know about salads.
“My attempt was to blend local ingredients with French, Greek and American techniques,” says the author, whose last book was A Sense For Spice: Recipes and Stories from a Konkan Kitchen.
Originally conceptualised as a vegetarian cookbook, the book has non-veg recipes too, such as chicken korma salad. And the author says that the dressing used in the korma can be substituted with cottage cheese for vegetarians. Having studied abroad, she developed a knack of eating fresh, raw vegetables. But, eating salads, as a habit, was introduced to Tara by her mother. “Unlike many kids, we grew up eating lot of raw veggies and fruits. My mother was innovative with such dishes, but had a limited repertoire,” she says, adding, “But, when I went to the US, I realised how much salad everybody eats. In India, if you order a salad dish at a continental restaurant, it will be available. But at an eatery, which does not serve continental dishes, the salads available are either chopped vegetables or dead lettuce with a lot of mayonnaise on it.”
However, Tara admits that there has been a gradual shift. She says,“Many restaurants are opening that are serving salads, but that’s very niche.”
The author in her book talks about how Indians aren’t in much favour of consuming fresh produce in its raw form. “We don’t eat a lot of salads. Everything we cook is either boiled or sautéed. Generally, our vegetables are fully cooked, if not over cooked. Our association with raw food is limited to the time we are sick, because it has a therapeutic effect. Moreover, the water used to wash veggies could be a problem.The access of clean water eventually saw the revival of salads,” she says.