Best African Salad Recipes

AFRICAN TROPICAL FRUIT SALAD

Steps:

• Combine fruits in a bowl.
• Combine lime juice and brown sugar and add to fruits; toss to coat. Get your hands in there!
• Cover and chill at least 1 hour.
• Sprinkle with coconut.

AFRICAN FRUIT SALAD

Steps:

• If using canned fruits: drain and save the liquid. Peel and remove seeds from the fresh fruit as necessary, cut fruit into bite-sized pieces.
• Combine all fruit in a glass bowl. Add the lemon juice, some of the liquid from the canned fruits or honey/sugar. Stir gently. There should only be enough liquid to coat the fruit; it does not have to be covered in liquid.
• Cover the fruit salad and allow it to stand at room temperature for a half hour before serving. The fruit salad may be refrigerated after it has stood up to an hour. It should be eaten the same day it is made.
• Garnish with freshly grated coconut or chopped roasted peanuts right before serving.
• NOTE: Eastern Africa's Saladi Ya Matunda is made without the lemon juice, coconut or peanuts; it substitutes sugar/honey for the liquid from the canned fruits.

WEST AFRICAN TROPICAL FRUIT SALAD

Steps:

• Combine fruits in a bowl.
• Combine lime juice and brown sugar and add to fruits; toss to coat.
• Cover and chill at least 1 hour.
• Sprinkle with coconut.

SOUTH AFRICAN BEET AND ONION SALAD

Steps:

• Place the beets in boiling, salted water.
• Reduce heat to low and simmer, partially covered, for about 30 minutes, or until tender. Add more water if necessary; the beets should be completely covered.
• Drain and cool.
• Remove skins from beets.
• Slice into rounds or strips 1/4" thick.
• Combine vinegar, salt and sugar in a deep bowl and stir until sugar dissolves.
• Add beets and onions and stir to coat.
• Marinate at room temperature for about 30 minutes, stirring every 10 minutes.
• Serve at room temperature.

AFRICAN-SPICED CAULIFLOWER AND CARROT SALAD

Steps:

• Steam first 2 ingredients, covered, 2 minutes. Rinse mixture under cold water; drain well.
• Combine salt and next 5 ingredients (salt through crushed red pepper) in a small skillet; cook over medium heat 2 minutes or until lightly aromatic, stirring constantly.
• Add vinegar while of the heat.
• Combine spice mixture, sour cream, and honey in a bowl; stir well.
• Add cauliflower mixture; toss well to coat.
• Chill for 1 hour.
• Top with green onions just before serving.

AFRICAN SALAD

Steps:

• Combine ingredients and top with the dressing.

SOUTH AFRICAN - CURRIED CARROT SALAD

Steps:

• Peel the carrots and slice thinly.
• Cover the slices with water and boil just until soft then drain and set aside until needed.
• Peel and halve the onions and slice thinly then cover the onions with boiling water and leave to stand for 15 minutes, then drain the onions.
• In a large pot add the cooked carrots and onions, white vinegar, sugar, raisins, salt, cloves and black peppercorns and bring to a boil.
• Mix the corn flour and curry powder with 1/2 cup of water.
• Now add the curry mixture to the carrot mixture and let boil for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
• Spoon the hot curried carrots into clean hot jars and seal immediately.

AFRICAN-SPICED BROCCOLI AND CAULIFLOWER SALAD

Steps:

• Steam first 2 ingredients, covered, 2 minutes. Rinse under cold water, drain well. Combine salt, ginger, cumin, coriander, nutmeg, red pepper in a small skillet, cook over medium heat 2 minutes or until lightly browned, stirring constantly. Combine spice mixture, yoghurt, and honey in a bowl, stir well. Add vegetables, toss well to coat. Stir in green onions right before serving.

CRUNCHY WEST AFRICAN CABBAGE SALAD

Steps:

• In a medium bowl combine cabbage, apples, cucumber and raisins.
• Toss to mix.
• In a small bowl, whisk mayonnaise, lemon juice, vinegar, salt and sugar for 1 minute.
• Pour over cabbage mixture and toss to coat well.
• Sprinkle with chopped peanuts and chill well.

NORTH AFRICAN CRACKED WHEAT SALAD

Steps:

• In a large bowl, combine the cracked wheat, lemon juice, and oil. Mix well. Add the tomatoes, red peppers, green peppers, cucumbers, celery, scallions, parsley, and mint. Season with the salt and black pepper. Toss well to combine.
• Cover and refrigerate for at least 8 hours, or until the wheat has softened.

NORTH AFRICAN COUSCOUS SALAD

Steps:

• Add the first 14 ingredients to a non-reactive saucepan.
• Cover pan and bring to a boil; lower heat, and simmer for about 5 minutes or until carrots are just tender.
• Add in the bell pepper and cook for 2 more minutes.
• Take pan off of burner and add in the peas.
• Add in couscous; stir.
• Cover and let sit for 10-15 minutes.
• Add in olives; fluff couscous with a fork to mix.
• Season to taste with salt and pepper.
• Spoon onto individual plates; sprinkle with pine nuts and currants.

SOUTH AFRICAN POTATO SALAD

Steps:

• Place eggs in a saucepan and cover with water. Bring to a boil and cook for 10 minutes. Remove eggs with a slotted spoon and set aside to cool. Add whole potatoes to the water and boil until a knife is easily inserted, but they are not too soft. Drain and cool.
• Peel and chop the eggs and place them in a large serving bowl. Stir in the green onions. When the potatoes have cooled, peel and chop then add them to the bowl. Pour in the sweetened condensed milk and stir in the mayonnaise. Sprinkle parley over the top. Chill until serving. This is best served chilled.

NORTH AFRICAN SPICED CARROT AND PARSNIP SALAD

Steps:

• In a small, heavy fry pan over medium low heat, toast the cinnamon, cumin, coriander and ginger, stirring constantly, until fragrant , about 2 minutes. Remove from the heat and let cool to room temp
• Peel carrots and parsnips and shred them
• n a small nonfactive bowl, whisk together the toasted spices, lemon juice, honey, harissa and 1/2 tsp salt. Slowly whisk in the olive oil until well blended to make a dressing. Taste and adjust the seasonings.
• In a bowl, stir together the pistachios and a pinch of slat. Add the carrots and parsnips, raisins, 1/2 tsp salt, several grinds of pepper and the dressing and toss wll. Taste and adjusting the seasonings. Transfer the salad to a platter or serving bowl, sprinkle with the cilantro and serve immediately.

CHLADA FAKYA - AFRICAN FRUIT SALAD

Steps:

• Mix all the ingredients.
• Chill before serving.
• Top with fresh whipped cream, optional.

WEST AFRICAN CRUNCHY CABBAGE SALAD

Steps:

• 1. In a medium bowl combine, cabbage, apple,cucumber, raisins. Toss to mix. In a small bowl blend mayonnaise, juice, vinegar, salt, sugar. Pour over cabbage and mix. Toss to coat well. Sprinkle with cashews and chill well.

SALADI YA MATUNDA (AFRICAN TROPICAL FRUIT SALAD)

Steps:

• To make simple syrup: bring water and sugar (1 cup each) to a boil in a saucepan. Reduce heat and simmer for 5 minutes until syrupy, stirring. Refrigerate until ready to use.
• In a large glass bowl (or salad bowl), combine fruit, tossing gently.
• Stir in lime or lemon juice and enough of the simple syrup to desired sweetness.
• Cover salad and let stand at room temperature for 30 minutes, stirring once.
• Refrigerate until serving time.
• Serve in individual bowls, garnished with coconut and peanuts.

NORTH AFRICAN ORANGE SALAD

Steps:

• In a bowl, mix oranges, pomegranate seeds, almonds and pistachios toether.
• Microwave honey and water together for 30 seconds and stir.
• Pour honey mixture over fruit nut mixture and toss lightly until coated.
• Sprinkle with cinnamon and orange zest.
• Enjoy.

SOUTH AFRICAN - ROASTED EGGPLANT SALAD

Steps:

• To roast the eggplants, preheat a charcoal or gas grill or a broiler.
• Roast the eggplants, turning as needed, until the skin is charred on all sides, the time will vary depending on the cooking method you use.
• The eggplant is cooked when it is soft and looks somewhat deflated.
• Place the eggplant on a plate to cool.
• Trim and seed the red pepper, then cut into 1/4-inch dice.
• Cut the cucumber lengthwise in half, scoop out the seeds with a spoon, and cut into ¼-inch dice.
• Peel and finely chop the onion.
• Peel and finely chop the garlic.
• Once the eggplant is cool enough to handle, remove as much of the skin as possible along with any large dark seeds.
• Cut the eggplant into 1-inch squares and place it in a colander in the sink or over a bowl for 5 to 10 minutes to allow excess liquid to drain, set aside until needed.
• Transfer the eggplant to a serving dish and add the red pepper, cucumber, onion and garlic.
• Stir in the olive oil and lemon juice and season with salt and pepper.
• Serve immediately or the salt will draw out too much moister from the vegetables.

SOUTH AFRICAN SPICY MELON SALAD

Steps:

• In a small bowl, whisk the oil,lemon juice,spices and salt/pepper, allow to set in refrigerator at least 1 hour.
• Arrange watermelon chunks on individual serving plates, sprinkle with onion,parsley,mint,olives and feta, drizzle dressing on top.
• Top with almonds if desired.

NORTH AFRICAN SALAD WITH ORANGE CILANTRO DRESSING

Steps:

• 1. Cook the bulgur according to package directions, adding the dates and salt just at the end of the cooking time. This helps soften the dates a bit and gives the bulgur good flavor. Cool the bulgur for 20-30 minutes for a cold salad.
• 2. In a food processor, combine all the dressing ingredients except the cilantro. Puree until smooth, removing any pieces of orange that can't be broken down any further. Add the cilantro to the smooth mixture, pulse a few times, and set aside.
• 3. Toss the cooled bulgur and dates mixture with the other salad ingredients. Drizzle or toss with the dressing. Serve immediately.