Recipe of the month: Beetroot-Apple Salad

We have a water apple tree in our backyard that has been around for more than a decade, inconspicuously blending into the vegetation. It had never borne fruit until the year we relocated to India. If I wasn't a realist, it would seem like divine approval but let me tell you why that would be nothing more than wishful thinking 😀 

Post-relocation, when we renovated the first floor of our home in Bengaluru and added a second floor, a large part of our garden was, unfortunately, collateral damage. A few trees had to be cut down (our beloved pomegranate tree was one of them 😢), a great degree of soil erosion took place and with all the cement and paint spatters, the soil lost much of its vitality. Several plants simply stopped flowering and fruiting in that 1.5-year duration. We felt terribly guilty about the aftermath and promised ourselves that once the construction was completed, we would make it a priority to restore whatever we could.

Our backyard has been home to all of our fruit trees, greens and herbs, so that was the first space we tackled. We brought in fresh soil by the bagful, added a generous amount of vermicompost, used natural products for pest-control and began periodically enriching the soil with our own kitchen compost, thanks to our newly adopted wet-waste recycling habits. In keeping with the times, we also adopted smarter plant watering solutions. With Bengaluru’s generous sunshine and rainfall doing their part, things slowly began to look up.

What we did not expect was how quickly our garden would respond. In just a few months, our once barren water apple tree surprised us with its very first fruit. A small but heartwarming reward for our efforts!

Water apple, also known as rose apple, wax apple, java apple, or bell fruit is a tropical fruit known for its crisp texture and refreshing, mildly sweet flavor. It makes for a good snack especially in the hot summers. 

That said, there was only so much of the fruit we could finish on its own, so I began thinking of ways to elevate this humble (and somewhat bland) fruit. The water apple from our tree is the small and white variety. It isn't very sweet but has a pleasant juicy texture. A family member suggested making a beetroot and water apple salad with a yogurt-based dressing. I thought it was an interesting idea, so I decided to give it a try.

The first attempt turned out really well, but it got me thinking about how I could enhance the flavor and texture even more. I made it a second time, then a third, each time experimenting with subtle tweaks. The version I’m sharing today is the one I’m finally happy with. The salad is fresh, balanced, flavorful and most importantly, has earned my children's seal of approval.

Let me give you the nutritional rundown of this salad:

• Beetroot is rich in nitrates (great for heart health and blood pressure), folate, and antioxidants (like betalains)
• Both water apples and iceberg lettuce are low in calories and packed with hydration
• Green apples are lower in natural sugar and calories compared to red apples and provide more fiber, vitamin C, vitamin K and antioxidants
• Red onions and garlic offer vitamin C, B vitamins (B6, folate), potassium, and trace amounts of minerals 
• Yogurt adds creaminess, probiotics, and a small dose of calcium and protein
• The addition of walnuts gives crunch and omega-3s
• The incorporation of fresh mint and dill into the dressing brightens up the flavor and provides additional nutrients

I have always loved the deep color and earthy flavor of beetroot, so that naturally became the star of the salad. The water apples add a juicy crunch, as does the iceberg lettuce. I thought green apples would lend a nice tartness which they did. Fresh herbs are a must for me in any salad; they instantly lift the flavors, so I always recommend them. Walnuts are my go-to for salads, so they made it in by default. As for the cranberries and feta cheese, those were added simply because I count them among some of my favourite ingredients. And I love a good yoghurt-based salad dressing because it is not only light, creamy and easy to infuse flavor into but less calorific and nutritious to boot. 

You will notice that I haven't called my salad beetroot-water apple salad and that is intentional. The only reason I've used water apples in my salad is because I had them as I've already mentioned. This salad will work fine with just apples or pears too. I have included plenty of substitutions and optional ingredients to make this recipe more accommodating and adaptable to what you have on hand. 

So, here's presenting my rendition of beetroot-apple salad. Lettuce eat!

Beetroot-Apple Salad

Prep time: 15 mins; Cook time: ~10 min 

Total time: 25 min

Serves: 6

Recipe category: Salad/Western

Recipe level: Easy

Recipe source: My own recipe

Ingredients:

For the salad:

1 large or 2 medium beetroots, cut into even-sized chunks

1 cup water apple, sliced

5-6 leaves of iceberg lettuce, washed thoroughly, dried & sliced into ribbons

1/2 of a green apple, cut into chunks

1/2 of a medium red onion, thinly sliced 

A handful of walnuts, roughly pounded

2-3 tbsp fresh mint and dill leaves, finely chopped

A few dried cranberries or raisins (Optional)

A crumbling of feta cheese (Optional but recommended)

Kindly refer notes below for substitutions

For the dressing:

2 tbsp thick plain yoghurt or Greek yoghurt

1 tbsp cream cheese (Optional - just substitute with another 1 tbsp of yoghurt)

1/4 tsp cumin powder

1/4 tsp smoked paprika (Optional but recommended)

1 garlic clove, finely pounded 

A dash of maple syrup or honey

Salt to taste 

Method:

1. Steam or oven roast the beetroot chunks with a little salt till fork tender. I cook it in the microwave (I add a sprinkling of water, salt and cook it covered for 8 min with one good stir at the 4-minute mark). Let the beetroot cool down. Retain the cooking water.

2. While the beetroot is cooking, prep the rest of the ingredients keeping the green apple at the end.

3. Whisk all the ingredients for the dressing together. The cream cheese can make it lumpy, so you need to use a small whisk to get a uniform texture. Thin out the dressing with reserved beet cooking water and adjust seasoning.

4. Toss all the ingredients well together. 

5. Garnish with walnuts, a sprig of mint and an extra crumbling of feta cheese. 

6. Serve immediately at room temperature (alternatively, you can serve this salad cold).

Notes:

• If you don't like onion and/or garlic in your salad, you can skip either or both
• If you do not enjoy the taste of the herb dill (I know several people!), then use only mint
• You can use either the white, pink or red variety of water apple 
• If you don't get your hands on water apple, you can substitute it with regular apple or pear
• You can add in grated carrot for extra crunch and color
• Instead of feta cheese you can use crumbled fresh cottage cheese (paneer) or goat's cheese
• You can use slivered almonds, sunflower seeds or pumpkin seeds instead of walnuts
• If you like a bit of kick in your salad, you can add dried red chilli flakes to the dressing

Cheers,

Megha