Salads + Soups

Appears in

Published 2018

About

My favorite salads surprise with their unexpected taste and texture. For example, fruits, with their sweet and acidic notes, stand out well against leafy greens like lettuce or kale, so I combine them. I choose dressings that bring all the elements of the salad into careful balance or heighten the flavors of one or two key ingredients.

I always keep a few acidic items on hand for my salads, including lemons and limes for their juice and zest, South Asian tamarind, and a variety of different vinegars. Sweeteners like jaggery or muscovado sugar are crucial, and so are different types of red chili flakes, including the smoky urfa biber (biber is the Turkish word for “pepper”). I like to stock my pantry with dried seaweed, too, so I can crumble it into a salad for a little umami.