Dragon fruit, Corn rib, feta, pistachio, and toasted coconut

Type:

Vegeterian, Gluten free

Categories:

Salads, Vegetables

Serves:

4 portions/ large main salad

About the Recipe:

This salad seems complicated. It is. But it is a complexity that, if you are a true salad lover, you will get truly excited about. Inspired by South African ingredients, I would say this works best in summer elsewhere in the world. If you can not find dragon fruit, a soft tasting melon works just as well. Also, eating one of these salads ticks off every nutrient box there is. It would take me way longer than you are interested in reading to list, so I will just leave it at that.

Ingredients:

721g dragon fruit/ 2 whole (if out of season, can use a mild sweet just ripened melon- avoid over ripe)

Juice of one lime

411g grams red onion/ 2 whole

200g fresh baby spinach

50g fresh coriander, picked from stem

30g fresh mint, picked from stems, and ribbon sliced

80g pistachio/toasted and roughly chopped

592g/2 whole corn on the cob, shucked and quartered

300 ml of rapeseed oil

11g fresh curry leaves/removed from stem

30g toasted coconut chips

200g feta

1 tsp leaf masala

½ tsp sugar

½ tsp salt

Dressing:

Juice of three limes

4 tbsp olive oil

Spiced ghee for the corn:

2 tsp ghee

1 tsp paprika

½ tsp salt

Juice of one lime

Method:

Heat the oven to 180C. Peel the dragon fruit and cut into small halfmoons. Put into a bowl with some lime juice and set aside. Take a grill pan and heat to highest setting. Peel and slice the red onion into medium thick rounds. Grill on both sides until very charred. Break apart and Set aside. Layer the spinach on top of each other in large stacks and roll. Cut into thin ribbons. Place in a bowl and set aside. Place the pistachios on a baking sheet and roast in the low oven until toasted, or about 6/7 minutes. Chop or roughly bruise with a pestle. Set aside.

Quarter the cob very carefully with a sharp knife starting at the edges. Heat the oil to 140C. Deep fry until curled, or about 3 to 4 minutes. Place in a bowl and sprinkle with salt, ghee, lime, and paprika. Let cool. With the same oil, fry the curry leaves. The oil will bubble up and splash so step aside carefully. Let drain on paper towels and lightly season. Toast the coconut lightly in a medium hot dry pan, stirring constantly, and set aside. Cube your feta into bite size squares. Make the masala mixture in a small bowl. Toss the cubes around in it until covered. Set aside. Whisk the dressing in a small bowl to serve.

*If the corn is not super fresh, it can be very tricky to quarter. If this is the case, take the corn off the cobb and deep fry. You will not have the same drama as the curls but will taste the same.

To Plate:

Take a large bowl and lay out half the spinach. Sprinkle half the dragon fruit, coconut chips, pistachio, onions, feta, and curry leaves over the leaves. Stack the mint leaves on top of each other into layers and roll. Ribbon slice fine. Sprinkle over salad with half the coriander. Repeat with the remaining ingredients. Angle the corn across the platter so it gives the salad a little height. Pick of the coriander leaves and delicately sprinkle over the salad to finish. Serve the dressing on the side.