The summer season has its way of altering your eating preferences. Suddenly, having anything that is hot to eat turns out to be such a boring thing, and you would just love to have anything that is cold and crispy.
That is when you could make a cucumber and radish salad. Making a salad is easier since you do not need to cook, and it tastes really refreshing. The only thing is, the vegetables should be fresh.
When you buy vegetables online, there are some things that you must know in order to avoid getting soft cucumbers or rubber like radishes.
How To Pick A Cucumber
The cucumbers are very easy to choose once you know the criteria. All you need is a firm cucumber. In addition, the skin of the cucumber should also be fresh and green.
Speaking of salads, thin-skinned cucumbers should be selected for salads. The reason being, thin-skinned cucumbers do not require peeling and can be eaten straight away. It is also important to get seedless cucumbers. They have plenty of juicy crunch and work particularly well with lemon and chaat masala.
One simple trick is to give the ends a gentle press. If either end feels noticeably soft, choose another one if possible.
What Makes A Radish Fresh?
It is important to get radishes that do not feel soft, but firm. The skin on radishes should also look relatively smooth and fresh. If the leafy tops are still attached, they should not look completely wilted. A little freshness in the leaves is always a good sign.
There is no need to buy a huge bunch either. Radishes are best when they are eaten fairly fresh, especially if the whole plan is to enjoy them raw.
Getting Fresh Produce Home
Once the vegetables arrive, do not leave them sitting forgotten in the shopping bag for hours. Check them, remove anything damaged and put the good ones away properly.
This is one reason a grocery delivery app can be useful for regular vegetable shopping. Fresh ingredients can be ordered closer to when they are actually needed, rather than buying a week’s worth of produce simply because a market trip happened to be convenient.
A Salad That Takes Almost No Effort
There is no complicated dressing involved here. Slices or large pieces of the cucumber should be chopped, while the radishes should be cut as fine as possible and put in a bowl.
This is where the fun begins. Add some lemon juice to the salad along with chaat masala. Salt is optional, just a dash will do. Toss all ingredients and give it a try. In case you have coriander handy, you can chop up a bit of it and toss into the mix.
Shop According To Your Plans
While you buy vegetables online, it’s tempting to purchase all of those that seem fresh. A wiser way of doing things would be considering only what will be consumed in the next few days. Buying a sensible quantity keeps the fridge manageable and reduces the chances of good vegetables being forgotten at the back.
A grocery delivery app also makes small top up shops much easier. A couple of cucumbers, some radishes and a few lemons can be enough for several quick salads without turning grocery shopping into a whole afternoon activity.
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