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Raw ingredients have a clear role beside cooked food. Crisp vegetables, greens, fruit, herbs, lemon, and dressings provide texture and acidity that cooked curries and grains do not.

Salads often sit next to dals, rice, breads, and vegetable dishes. That keeps the table from becoming entirely soft, warm, and cooked.

Bitter-sweet salads and raw vegetable platters can contribute several of the six tastes rather than acting only as garnish.

Ingredients

• Fresh leafy greens or raw vegetables
• Crisp fruit or roots where appropriate
• Fresh herbs
• Lemon, lime, vinegar, or another acidic element
• A light dressing or seasoning
• A cooked main meal for contrast

Method

Build the raw side of the plate around one or two clear textures and an acidic finish. Keep the dressing light enough that the vegetables remain distinct. Use the salad to introduce crunch, bitterness, sweetness, or sourness that the cooked dishes may lack.