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–+ servings
Rainbow Chard Stalks Salad

Rainbow Chard Stalks and Tomatoes - A Simple Salad

Slice the thick leaf-stalks from the chard leaves. Trim the ends and dice small (1/8 inch / 2-3 mm). Microwave on Hi for 2-3 min and set aside to cool. Add diced tomatoes, crushed roasted peanuts, salt, sugar, cumin, lemon juice, chopped green chillies and cilantro. Toss to mix just before serving. Serve as a side-dish with any meal, or use as a topping for sandwiches, nachos, etc. Enjoy!
5 from 1 vote
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Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 3 minutes
Total Time 13 minutes
Course Salad, Side Dish
Cuisine Indian, Maharashtrian
Servings 4 people
Calories 24 kcal

Equipment

  • microwave oven If not available, you can cook the chopped stalks on the stove-top; see Recipe Notes for directions

Ingredients
  

  • 2/3 cup Rainbow Chard Stems and Leaf-stalks - stripped from 5-6 medium large leaves (about 1 bunch) - red, yellow, white stem colors
  • 1/2 cup Tomatoes - diced small about 1 medium Roma; any variety of tomatoes OK
  • 2 tsp Roasted peanuts - coarsely crushed unsalted; without skin
  • 1/2 tsp Cumin Powder
  • 2 tbsp Cilantro (fresh coriander leaves) - chopped
  • 1/4 tsp Fresh green chillies - finely chopped adjust to desired spiciness
  • 1/8 tsp Salt adjust as per taste preference
  • 1/2 tsp Sugar
  • 1 tsp Lime/Lemon juice

Instructions
 

  • Wash the Chard leaves under running water, carefully washing away any dirt/soil that may be present. They're usually combination of red, yellow, white stemmed Chard.
    You can use any Chard stems of any color in this recipe.
  • Use a knife to strip the stems/leaf stalks from the Rainbow Chard leaves. Set aside the leaves for another purpose.
  • Stems and stalks, stripped from the leaves
    Rainbow chard
  • Trim the bottom ends of the stalks.
    Slice the stalks lengthwise, about 1/8 in (1/4 cm) wide, then bunch them together and dice into small cubes.
    diced chard stems red orange
  • In the pictures posted below, I have used red and white stalks. The appearance of the final salad will be a bit different if you also have orange and pink stalks in the mix.
    white-red chopped chard stalks
  • Transfer the diced stalks to a glass/ceramic bowl, cover with a vented cover, and microwave on Hi 2-3 min. The pieces soften, but still retain a soft crunch - a bit like freshly cut raw cucumber.
    Note: If not using a microwave oven, see Recipe Notes for stove-top cooking directions.
  • Set aside to cool - uncovered. The volume decreases while cooking - it shrinks to about 3/4 of the original volume.
    cooked - diced chard stalks
  • Meanwhile, prep the remaining ingredients: dice the tomatoes. I typically don't de-seed the tomatoes, but you can if you prefer.
    Note: The seeds and the juicy pulp around the seeds are quite nutrient-rich. Removing these noticeably decreases the flavor too.
    chopped tomatoes for curry
  • Rinse, towel-dry (to remove excess moisture) and chop cilantro.
    chopped cilantro
  • Wash and finely chop fresh green chillies - remove the seeds if you wish - about 1 inch-(2-3 cm) piece of a medium Serrano pepper. Adjust according to the spiciness of the peppers you use and to suit your taste preferences.
    green chillies minced
  • Add the tomatoes, lime/lemon juice, crushed roasted peanuts and cumin powder to the cooled chard stalks. Carefully place the salt and sugar on top of the dry crushed peanuts.
    add tomatoes and seasonings
  • Add the cilantro and chopped green chillies on the side, away from the salt and sugar.
    Set aside, without mixing, until ready to serve.
    Note: If you mix it too early, it will quickly become soggy and lose its texture, because the salt and sugar will draw out moisture from the chard stems and tomatoes.
    chard stalks koshimbir essembled
  • When you're ready to serve the salad, gently mix/toss the salad mixture and serve immediately.
    Serve as a side-dish with a meal, or use as a topping on your favorite sandwich. Or simply eat it, all by itself!
    Rainbow Chard Stalks Salad
  • Enjoy!

Notes

No microwave oven? No worries!
You can soften the chopped chard stalks in a shallow stainless steel or non-stick frying pan - use a 10 inch (25cm) pan.
Note: Do NOT use an un-coated aluminum pan - it can react with the juices in the chopped stalks.
  • Spread the chopped stalks evenly in a thin layer on the pan - don't crowd the pieces..
  • Splash a little water on top of the stalks, cover and cook for 5-6 min on low heat.
  • Set aside, uncovered, to cool to room temperature.
  • Use as directed in the recipe.
 
Storing Leftovers:
  • Ideally, try to consume all of the prepared salad soon after it's made.
  • Refrigerate leftovers in a glass/ceramic lidded container
    • consume within 24 hours - it will wilt considerably and lose its crunchy texture because the salt and sugar draw moisture from the chard stalks and tomatoes
  • I do not recommend freezing this salad - when thawed, it is soggy and quite unpalatable.

Nutrition

Calories: 24kcalCarbohydrates: 3gProtein: 1gFat: 1gSaturated Fat: 1gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 1gSodium: 88mgPotassium: 116mgFiber: 1gSugar: 2gVitamin A: 631IUVitamin C: 6mgCalcium: 10mgIron: 1mg
Keyword Chard, Koshimbir, Leaf stalks, Rainbow Chard, roasted peanuts, Salad
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