Natasha McCoo’s Russian Salad and Lorna’s Eggplant Pakoras!

Culinary expert and frequent recipe contributor, Natasha Garrett McCoo, has posted several amazing recipes on Anglo Indian Kitchen, a popular group page on Facebook. Mum, who is a huge Natasha fan, wanted to try the Russian Salad. Here we go with a few tweaks. 

Russian Salad Recipe 

1-1/2 cups Potatoes, diced

1 cup Green Beans, diced 

1 cup Carrots, diced

1 large Red Pepper, diced 

1 large Apple, diced

1/2 lb Green Grapes, sliced

250 gm Can Diced Pineapple

1 cup Heavy Cream  

1/2 cup Sour Cream

1/2 cup Mayonnaise

Large Salad Bowl to serve

Boil vegetables (each one separately) until they soften but remain crunchy. Cool and mix all ingredients well. Cover dish with Clingfilm and keep refrigerated until ready to use. 

Note that we used less sour cream and Mayo; the original recipe called for a cup of each. It’s a matter of taste.  

This dish can be made ahead of time — a day in advance — for a party. Steaming potatoes with their skins on and peeling them later adds flavor as well as nutritional value.

Background: Russian Salad (or Ensalada Rusa) can be found in restaurants across Russia and is traditionally served at holiday gatherings and birthday parties with local variations in many Eastern European countries: Bulgaria, Hungary, Poland, and Ukraine. It was invented in the 1860s by Chef Lucien Olivier for a Moscow restaurant called Hermitage. 

Lorna’s Eggplant Pakoras

Last week we went to an Indian restaurant in Queens, NY called Ayna Agra in Bayside, which turned out to be surprisingly good - well, everything except the eggplant pakoras (spiced fritters) which were a bust mainly because they used onion instead of eggplant!  So we decided to try these ourselves. Lorna is the chef in the family!  Check out her version:

Eggplant Pakora Recipe 

1 large Eggplant (best from Indian stores) - Sliced, but not too thinly

Gram/Chickpea Flour - 1 Cup

Rice Flour - 1/2 Cup

Turmeric - 1/4 Tsp

Cumin Powder - 1/4 Tsp

Red Chilli Powder - 1/4 Tsp

Hing (Asafoetida) - a Pinch

Baking Soda - a Pinch 

Cilantro leaves chopped - 1 Tsp (optional)

Salt to taste 

Wok (or Karai) to fry pakoras 

Cooking Oil

Mix the gram and rice flours well with a half cup of water and add other dry ingredients. Whisk to a smooth medium consistency without lumps. The batter should be a bit runny. Add more water if needed. Drop in the eggplant slices and coat well with batter. (I made the mistake of cutting the eggplant too thin - don’t do that)! When all slices are well coated, deep fry on both sides in medium hot oil. 

Use any neutral oil with a high smoking temperature. We used Filippo Berio Extra Light Olive Oil for Frying and Baking. Using a slotted spoon, lay pakoras on paper towels to absorb excess oil. (Do that to avoid consuming too much oil - your arteries will thank you)!  Pakoras should be crisp and evenly brown. 

Serve with hot spiced Indian tea as a snack or with rice and dhal (lentils) as a meal. A green mint or coriander chutney goes well with pakoras or even tomato ketchup!  

Try this recipe with Potatoes (Aaloo) or Cauliflower (Gobi) or even the above despised Onion (Pyaaz)!  I recall that Pakoras and Adrak Chai (Spiced Ginger Tea) were the go-to snack on rainy afternoons in Delhi!  Happy eating!  

Ludi Joseph

New York

November 6, 2021

Lorna and Mum in Charleston, SC, 2018

Russian Salad

Eggplant Pakoras