Salads are a great option when you want to boost your immune system. Presenting three salad recipes you can cook while you are working from home.   

Som Tam Salad 

Ingredients: 

For the dressing:

• 1/3 cup rice vinegar
• 3 tbsp maple syrup or sugar
• 1 tbsp soy sauce
• 1 tsp Kosher salt
• 2 cloves of garlic, minced
• 2 tbsp chopped shallots (optional)
• 1-2 bird's eye chilli pepper, sliced*

For the salad:   

• 1 medium green papaya (you'll need about 4½ cups shredded green papaya)
• 1 large carrot, peeled and julienned
• 1-2 Persian cucumbers, julienned
• 1/3 cup loosely packed mint leaves, chopped
• 4 tbsp toasted sunflower seeds 

Method: 

For the dressing:

• Mix all the ingredients for the dressing in a small bowl and set aside.

Prepare the papaya:

• Slice off the ends of the green papaya. Using a vegetable peeler, peel the outer skin. Hold the peeled papaya with one hand, tap the papaya with a sharp knife with the other hand. You should see shallow knife marks on the papaya. Carefully slice off a layer of the papaya (where you have been tapping), creating green papaya shreds.

For the salad:  

• In a large bowl, mix green papaya, carrots and cucumber, mint and sunflower seeds. Pour in the dressing that's been marinating and toss to coat the vegetables with the dressing. Serve immediately.

Quick Haloumi and Grain Salad

Ingredients:

• Olive oil spray
• 250 gm haloumi, thinly sliced
• 250 gm brown rice and quinoa
• 1 small red onion, thinly sliced
• 1 bunch radishes, thinly sliced
• 60 gm baby rocket
• ½ cup mint leaves
• ½ cup flat-leaf parsley
• 1/3 cup (40 gm) pecans, toasted and coarsely chopped
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tbsp red wine vinegar
• 1 garlic clove, crushed

Method: 

• Spray a medium frying pan with oil. Cook haloumi over medium heat for 1-2 mins each side or until golden.
• Meanwhile, heat the rice mixture in microwave.
• Combine the haloumi, rice mixture, onion, radish, baby rocket, mint, parsley and pecans in a large bowl. Place the oil, vinegar and garlic in a screw-top jar and shake until well combined. Season. Drizzle over the salad and gently toss to combine. Serve immediately.

Roast Pumpkin and Pepita Salad 

Ingredients: 

• 750 gm butternut pumpkin
• 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 1 tbsp honey
• 2 tsp apple cider vinegar
• 150 gm marinated labne or feta, drained
• 1/3 cup fresh mint leaves

Method:

•  Preheat oven to 200°C/180°C fan forced. Line a large baking tray with baking paper.
• Remove the seeds from the pumpkin and set aside. Cut pumpkin into 2 cm-thick slices. Place on prepared tray. Drizzle with 1 tbsp olive oil. Roast, turning halfway, for 20 minutes.
• Rinse the pumpkin seeds and pat dry. Add to tray with the pumpkin and roast for a further 20 minutes or until golden. Transfer pumpkin and seeds to a serving plate.
• Add the honey, apple cider vinegar and remaining olive oil to the warm baking tray. Stir well to make a dressing. Drizzle half the dressing over the pumpkin mixture. Season. Top with labne and mint and drizzle with the remaining dressing. 

Vijesh Modi is the sous chef of The Deltin, Daman.