Orange Coconut Salad

This sun-kissed salad, called Sasamé, is very simple to prepare using oranges or juicy ripe pineapple cubes. A favourite on special occasions in our family, it is a hallmark of the coastal and Saraswat communities of India. I love the combination of palate-cleansing, sweet & sour fruit with a zingy mustard taste to it. The coconut gives an added texture. It is important to choose a good flavourful red coloured chilli/chilli powder for colour and its fragrance profile. I sometimes use Spanish or Hungarian chillies if I run out of the Indian varieties.

A great Vit-C shot in winters and refreshingly cool in the summers.

For 4 persons- 1tl=5ml/ 1 tbsp=15ml/1 cup=225ml

	2 ½ cups peeled orange segments or 1x1 cm cubes of ripe pineapple
	Salt to taste
	2 tbsp jaggery/ palm/muscovado sugar
	Grind the following ingredients to a fine paste:
	2 Bedgi/Kashmiri /any mild red dry chilies (soaked in hot water)- or use ½ tsp mild/ paprika powder
	1 ½ tsp black or yellow mustard seeds
	3 tbsp fresh grated coconut (or desiccated coconut soaked in warm water for 15 mins)
	¼ tsp turmeric powder or if available a few slices of fresh turmeric root when in season.
	Use some water to make it into a fine smooth paste using a grinder or pestle & mortar.
	Seasoning:
	1 tbsp coconut oil
	½ tsp mustard seeds
	1 red chili broken in 3 pieces (remove seeds for a mild taste)
	Few fresh or dried curry leaves

1.	Place the prepared fruit in a large bowl.
2.	Add & mix in the salt, jaggery and coconut paste.
3.	Prepare the seasoning.
4.	Heat the coconut oil in a small pan.
5.	Add mustard seeds & after they pop, add the curry leaves & red chili cut pieces.
6.	Fry a few seconds for the chili to turn colour/release its flavour.
7.	Pour all over the salad & gently mix through.
8.	Cover for about 10 mins for the seasoning to infuse with the fruit mix.
9.	Serve at room temperature, by itself or on a bed of crisp lettuce.

Orange mustard salad

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