I love Caesar Salad – it is so versatile that you can do a version of it in any cuisine. At O Pedro, we wondered what we can do to make it Goan. After some mulling, we had an idea: focus on fresh, seasonal produce. A dressing was made with cashews instead of eggs, turning the salad vegan, and the sourdough croutons were replaced with poee croutons. An alternative non-vegetarian version was created with Grilled Cafreal Chicken, which is, again, very Goan.

  • Serves

    4

  • Cook Time

    00 h 30 m

Ingredients

For Cashew Dressing

  • 100 gm cashews
  • 50 ml olive oil
  • 1 tsp garlic
  • ½ tsp chilli
  • Lime juice to taste
  • Salt and pepper to taste

For Salad

  • 3-4 heads of Romaine lettuce (or iceberg lettuce or kale or arugula or a mix)
  • 2 tbsp sliced onions
  • 1 tbsp chives, chopped with a sharp knife
  • 1 cup shaved watermelon, radish, cherry tomato, avocado or just radish or any veggie you love

For Croutons

  • 1 poee (or any bread)
  • 10 gm garlic, smashed
  • 1 tbsp olive oil

Preparation

For Cashew Dressing

  1. In a blender, whizz all the ingredients, except the oil. Add ice cubes at intervals to make sure the dressing always remains cool.
  2. Once smooth, incorporate the oil and emulsify. Season with salt and lime juice.
  3. Make sure the dressing is of a flowy consistency and not too thick.

To Process Lettuce/Kale/Argula

  1. Pick the leaves off and soak them in water for 10 minutes. Shock them in chilled water (no ice in here) and then spin in the centrifuge to dry off. Store in pans vertically, covered with a moist muslin cloth.

For Croutons

  1. Tear up the poee and place in a bowl. Mix in oil and smashed garlic.
  2. Transfer to an oven tray and toast for 7-10 mins at 160°C.

To Serve

  1. Combine the salad leaves, whatever fruit and vegetables you are using, onions, chives, cashew dressing (as much or as little as you like), along with croutons (as much or as little as you like). 
Written by

Hussain Shahzad

Hussain Shahzad, the Executive Chef at O Pedro, a Goa-inspired restaurant in Mumbai, is Scroll Food’s Chef of the Month for October. He started his career with the Oberoi Group of Hotels in Mumbai, before moving to New York, where he worked at the iconic Eleven Madison Park. His culinary adventures have taken him around the world and included a brief stint as a personal chef to Roger Federer. Before taking the reins at O Pedro, he was a part of the team at the award-winning The Bombay Canteen. A dynamic and bold chef, Hussain’s food philosophy is to showcase local produce using contemporary culinary techniques.

See more by Hussain Shahzad