Spiced Celery Leaf & Popadom Salad

If you are frying up your own popadoms, I suggest doing this first; this will allow the popadoms to cool off and for excess oil to drain off before introducing them to the veg. (Adding hot ingredients to a salad too soon can wilt all the veggies and make them taste slimy. No bueno.)

If you’re using ready to use popadoms, break them up into bite sized crisps and set aside.

In a small frying pan, add a tiny amount of plain oil and gently fry a sprinkling of black mustard seeds. If you don’t have black mustard seeds try cumin or coriander seeds! Once the seeds begin to give off an aroma and start to sputter and pop, remove from the heat. Allow this oil to cool off!

NEXT: add the following to a large bowl:

- Celery hearts (sliced)
- All their leaves
- Sliced cucumber (I like to use the small Lebanese cucumbers, they’re sweeter and crunchier,
or “Snack Cucumbers” as they’re known in the UK.)
- Thinly sliced red onion
- Thinly sliced red chili (Optional)
- Pomegranate seeds (if you have a pom lying around, as I always do)

Cover the veggies with loads of lime juice, some salt and pepper & toss well.

Once you’re sure the oil and popadoms are cool, add the crisps to the salad and GENTLY fold them into the veggies (you don’t want them to break up too much).

Next, transfer the salad to serving plates or bowls and drizzle with the spiced oil!