Who says that salads must be tasteless and boring? I suspect this to be one of the main reasons why a salad is often absent from dining tables in India. Yes, we do have the occasional koshimbir, kosambari or raita – but too few and far between. Let me illustrate with an example. My driver has roti (Indian flat bread), dal and one subzi (vegetable dish) for his lunch and/or dinner. A salad never features. He comes to drive me about once a week – and invariably breakfast and lunch is provided. Since I have been experimenting with various salads, he keenly looks forward to them and, more importantly, really enjoys them. Given time, I am sure that they will begin to feature on his dining table too. In order for that to happen on a large scale, the salads must be interesting and tasty. As is this masala salad. Let not the nomenclature fool you, it is not spicy – just a mélange of flavours.

Ingredients
1 cup boiled mung sprouts (or any other or even mixed sprouts)
1/2 cup grated coconut
1/2 cup finely chopped coriander
1/2 cup grated carrots
1/2 cup finely chopped tomatoes
1 1/2 tsp finely chopped green chillies
1 1/2 tsp lemon juice
1 tsp chaat masala (it typically contains dried mango powder, cumin, coriander, dried ginger, salt, black pepper, asafoetida and chilli powder)
Salt to taste
Method
Combine all the ingredients in a deep bowl
Serve immediately
Enjoy!