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Like all of the dishes that grace Vivek Surti’s seasonal tasting menus at his intimate Germantown restaurant, Tailor Nashville, this refreshing spring salad incorporates elements from the beloved Indian dishes of his childhood with the flavors he’s grown to love in the American South.
And like all of Surti’s recipes, this one comes with a story.
Surti starts by explaining chaas: a traditional cooling drink in India made with buttermilk or yogurt thinned with water.
“So, in India, when it’s hot outside or you have spicy food, you drink chaas to cool down,” he says. “Just like in the South, some people drink buttermilk during the summer, or dip their cornbread it.”
When Surti was growing up, that meant while other kids slurped down bottles of Gatorade after basketball practice, he enjoyed a cooling glass of chaas instead.
“Cooling sour dairy exists in both cultures, so we knew we wanted to use it as a dressing on the menu,” he adds.
Here, the tangy dressing, enriched with spices bloomed in oil (a process known as vagarne, among other names, depending on the region in India), gets tossed with tender, local Little Gem lettuces, a plethora of crunchy vegetables, and some fresh herbs to round out the dish.
“We try to be true to both cultures, and we want to highlight the farmers we work with,” he says. This flavorful salad does just that.
TAILOR’S SPRING SALAD
Courtesy of Vivek Surti, Tailor Nashville
Dressing:
1 cup buttermilk
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
5 dried chiles de árbol, lightly crushed, seeds removed if desired
4 curry leaves
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
½ teaspoon brown mustard seeds
Kosher salt
Pour buttermilk into a measuring glass or small bowl.
Heat oil in a small saucepan or skillet over medium-high until shimmering. Add chiles, curry leaves, cumin seeds, and brown mustard seeds one at a time, pausing for a second between each addition and then swirling the pan. Cook until spices are toasted and curry leaves sizzle and pop, about 10 seconds. (Take care as oil will splatter!)
Quickly pour spice oil into buttermilk; stir to combine. Taste chaas dressing and season with salt. Cover and chill. (Dressing can be made one day ahead.)
Salad and assembly:
1 bunch red and/or French breakfast radishes, trimmed, thinly sliced
3 heads of Little Gem lettuce, torn crosswise into 2-inch-wide strips
1 small cucumber, thinly sliced
½ cup fresh English peas, sugar snap peas, and/or 1½-inch-long pieces green and/or wax beans
1 sprig mint, leaves torn
2 tablespoons finely chopped cilantro
Kosher salt (optional)
Toss half of the radishes in a large bowl with lettuce, cucumber, peas, mint, and cilantro. Drizzle in dressing; toss to coat. Taste salad and season with salt if needed. Top with remaining radishes.
Tailor, 620 Taylor Street; tailornashville.com