Broccoli has high concentration of vitamin C and many other nutrients. It also has anti-cancer, anti-bacterial and anti-viral properties. Intake of broccoli also reduces the chances of catching heart diseases. One healthy way of eating broccoli is in the salad form. There are many ways to make broccoli salad. The raw broccoli tastes much like cabbage and cauliflower. It resembles a cauliflower. Many people who do not like eating it raw can blanch and use the vegetable in the salad. The color of the broccoli gets enhanced and becomes a beautiful green when you blanch it for a minute or two. However, the benefits of broccoli gets reduced after boiling it. So, it is best to eat the vegetable raw like salad. Here is the recipe you have to follow if you want to make a basic broccoli salad at home.
Complexity Level: Basic
Time Required: 15 minutes
Resources Required:
- 1 head of broccoli
- 1 cup of mayonnaise
- 6 to 8 slices of cooked bacon
- 6 spring onions
- 1/2 cup of mint
- 3/4 – 1 cup lemon juice
- 1/2 cup olive oil
- Garlic
- 2 cherry tomatoes
- 1 teaspoon salt and 2 pinches of ground pepper
Instructions:
1. Washing and blanching the broccoli
Cut down the edges of the large leaves and remove the hard stalk at the end of the broccoli. Now, wash the broccoli under running water thoroughly. Put the water to boil in a container. Blanch the broccoli in the boiled water for 2-3 minutes. Strain out the water and dry with towel before cooking. Put it on a paper towel for few minutes to let the water get absorbed in the towel.
2. Wash the other vegetables
It is necessary to wash the vegetables in order to get rid of the unwanted foreign particles. It is good for health if you do so as the salad you are making is raw and can consist of a lot of unhygienic things.
3. Whisking the mayonnaise
Take 1 cup of mayonnaise in a bowl and whisk it. Crumble the cooked bacon slices and add it to the whisked mayonnaise. Mix it properly.
4. Making broccoli salad
Chop half cup of mint finely and add it to the bowl. Separate the roots and finely slice 6 spring onions and put them into the bowl. Squeeze 1 cup of lemon juice and add it into the bowl after straining it. Now, mix half cup of good quality olive oil into the bowl. In case, you want to put garlic into your broccoli salad add it after crushing. Last but not the least, add two diced cherry tomatoes to the bowl. Choose firm and ripe tomatoes for the dish. Toss the mixture after you have added everything. You can add salt if you want according to taste. Here you are, ready with a salad to go on the dining table. You can refrigerate it before serving if you want to eat it cold.
Frequently Asked Questions:
Can I skip the bacon and keep the salad completely vegetarian?
Of course, you can make a vegetarian salad with broccoli. In fact you can also mix some carrot or cabbage and any other vegetable according to your taste. There are variations to make this salad and you can always experiment with the recipe.
Quick Tips:
- You can also make use of 1/4 cup of sugar in case you like a slightly sweet taste in salad. Honey can also be used instead of sugar in the same quantity.
- You can use vinegar as a substitute to lemon juice.
Things To Watch Out For:
- Always select fresh broccoli because you eat it raw in the salad.
- Strictly use ripe and firm tomatoes for the dish because loose tomatoes can make your dish watery and spoil its taste.
