The use of the fruit in cooking, options for combining with other products. TOP 6 recipes for salads with pomegranate. Video recipes.
Pomegranate is a fruit with many culinary uses. Currently, it is not only consumed in the form of berries or juice, but is also actively added to complex dishes, sometimes creating incredible culinary masterpieces. The value of pomegranate lies in the large number of useful properties and excellent refreshing taste. Ruby grains are used not only to improve the taste with a pleasant sourness, but also to decorate dishes.
Features of the use of pomegranate in cooking
A huge number of recipes with pomegranate belong to Georgian, Azerbaijani and Indian cuisine. All of them are distinguished by a wide variety, excellent taste and high nutritional value. Of course, in order not to spoil the dish, you need to choose only the highest quality fruits.
Usually, pomegranate is used in two forms - grains or juice. At the same time, it is not advisable to take a store drink, because its usefulness is questionable, tk. many manufacturers dilute it and add dangerous preservatives.
The fruit is very popular in the preparation of cold dishes and snacks. Recipes for a delicious salad with pomegranate conquer many. There are a lot of options for combining with other products. It complements well the taste of game, chicken, lamb, some types of fish, seafood, legumes, vegetables, fruits, berries, cereals. Eggs are often added to pomegranate salad if there is a meat, cheese or vegetable component among the ingredients. Boiled eggs do not go well with fruit products. Salads with pomegranate and nuts are very popular among adherents of a healthy diet.
In addition, the fruit is perfectly felt in various desserts, jams, ice cream, marshmallows, various pastries and drinks. It is very often added to vegetable stews, soups, main courses, in particular, to pilaf. Sauces and marinades based on it are often used to make kebabs.
Also, the grains are dried, ground into flour and used as a seasoning. It is suitable for adding a refreshing hue to spicy foods.
The healthiest pomegranate drink is freshly squeezed juice. Despite the fact that the grains are small enough and contain seeds, it is not difficult to make a natural product. First, I wash the fruit, and then for several minutes we roll it on the table in different directions, trying to press it with the palm of the hand with moderate force. In the process, the sounds of the crunching of grains will be heard - this is the juice released. When the whole fruit becomes soft enough, we make an incision in an arbitrary place and squeeze all the juice through it into a container. After that, we filter and use it as directed.
How to choose the right pomegranate?
Due to the presence of a large number of varieties of this plant, there are also certain differences between the fruits. Pomegranate peel color can be from yellow-orange to deep brown-red. The grains are also ruby and lighter up to almost white. It should be noted that their taste is also different. Some are more sour, others are sweeter. However, any variety is suitable for preparing a salad with pomegranate, as long as the fruit is ripe.
The peel of a quality pomegranate is a little shiny, no damage, no spots. Dry and firm to the touch. When ripe, it becomes very thinner, which makes it possible to even feel the kernel outside. The crown is open and resembles a crown. There is no mold or green elements inside.
See also an article on how to freeze pomegranate seeds.
How to clean a pomegranate?
Not every pomegranate salad recipe describes the process of cleaning it. Some people simply cut the fruit into several pieces and gradually pick out all the grains, which loses a lot of juice and gets very dirty hands.
To preserve all the berries, you should use one of the more successful cleaning methods.
- Wet way of cleaning a pomegranate … Pour clean water into a deep bowl. Along the entire circumference, crosswise we make two shallow cuts. Place the fruit in water and carefully remove the peel. Then gradually select the grains directly in the water. In this case, all unnecessary debris (remnants of the peel, partitions, unripe seeds) rises to the surface, and tasty and juicy ripe kernels remain at the bottom. Next, we remove the debris, drain the water.
- Dry method for cleaning a pomegranate … We wash the fruit and dry it with a towel. We retreat about 1.5 cm from the crown and use a sharp knife to make a shallow incision around it. Further from this line in the direction down to the base of the pomegranate, we make several more cuts along all the convex parts of the fruit. After that, we pry the top off and remove it, and then carefully open the fruit with a flower and divide it into smaller elements. To quickly get the berries, knock from the outside with a regular spoon.
Read also how to peel a pomegranate without splashing.
TOP 6 recipes for salads with pomegranate
First of all, when you mention the fruit of the pomegranate tree, dessert dishes come to mind, because this fruit has a sweet and sour taste and is associated more with sweets. Recently, however, more and more often chefs create culinary masterpieces that combine seemingly incompatible products. For example, salad with pomegranate and chicken or mushrooms, or beef, or cabbage, or seafood has become more and more popular. We bring to your attention the TOP-6 of the most popular and successful recipes.
Salad with pomegranate, chicken and mushrooms
This recipe is intended for preparing a festive dish, the appearance of which will conquer any guest, and the taste will delight even the most picky eaters. The combination of chicken, pomegranate and mushrooms in the salad allows you to prepare a truly original, nutritious and satisfying meal. The dish is flaky and is usually served in portions, so a culinary ring should be prepared for a beautiful decoration.
- Caloric content per 100 g - 321 kcal.
- Servings - 2
- Cooking time - 1 hour 30 minutes
Ingredients:
- Chicken breast - 350 g
- Dates - 8 pieces
- Fresh champignons - 200 g
- Garlic - 1 clove
- Eggs - 2 pcs.
- Pickled cucumbers - 50 g
- Pomegranate seeds - 100 g
- Mayonnaise - 50 ml
- Vegetable oil - 20 ml
- Salt and black pepper to taste
Step by step preparation of pomegranate salad with chicken and mushrooms:
- Before preparing the pomegranate salad, first of all, prepare the chicken fillet. We remove cartilage, films, skin and fat from it. Boil in salted water until cooked. To enhance the smell, you can add bay leaves, a quarter of onions and black pepper to the broth. Then put on a plate and cool. Smoked chicken can be used to give the dish a richer flavor and aroma.
- While boiling the chicken, boil two eggs, cool it under cold running water, peel and use a fine grater.
- We also prepare mushrooms. We wash the champignons, cut them not very finely and fry in vegetable oil until tender. You can add some garlic during the cooking process. At the end, sprinkle with salt and black pepper.
- Mix the chicken fillet with a little mayonnaise, finely chopped garlic and chopped date pulp.
- Chop the pickled cucumbers with a knife in the shape of a small cube and send them to a colander so that all the excess moisture is in the glass.
- Place the culinary ring on a flat plate and start filling. The first layer is chicken, the second is cucumbers, the third is eggs, the fourth is mushrooms, the final is pomegranate kernels. We compact all layers a little, pressing from above, remove the form and leave for 15 minutes in a cool place.
- Salad with pomegranate, mushrooms and chicken is ready!
Chinese cabbage, pomegranate and chicken salad
Dishes with fresh cabbage are very popular in the dietary menu, because bring a lot of vitamins to the diet, but at the same time they are not high in calories. And the addition of ruby grains to them will greatly enhance the positive effect. For example, with pomegranate, Peking cabbage salad will not only sparkle with new colors, but will also bring many health benefits, and will also help in the fight against excess weight for those who want to lose weight.
Ingredients:
- Chicken fillet - 1 pc.
- Pomegranate seeds - 100 g
- Peking cabbage - 200 g
- Bell pepper - 1 pc.
- Red onion - 1 pc.
- Apple - 1 pc.
- Celery - 1 stalk
- Greens (parsley, dill) - 40 g
- Olive oil to taste
- Lemon juice - 20 ml
- Salt, black pepper - to taste
Step by step preparation of pomegranate salad with Chinese cabbage and chicken fillet:
- Chicken is cooked for the longest time in this delicious salad with pomegranate. it must first be boiled in slightly salted water, and then cooled and chopped in the form of a cube.
- Peel and cut the bell peppers and apples in the same way as the chicken - into cubes. Grind celery and cabbage into strips. Onions will look great in this half-ring dish. Finely chop the greens.
- Mix all prepared ingredients in one deep plate, add lemon juice, spices, olive oil. Sprinkle with pomegranate seeds on top.
- Salad with cabbage, pomegranate with chicken is served chilled.
Salad with beef and pomegranate
This dish is incredibly tasty, a little spicy and satisfying, but light at the same time. This combination of characteristics comes true thanks to the ingredients in the beef and pomegranate salad.
Ingredients:
- Beef pulp - 500 g
- Potatoes - 3 pcs.
- Onions - 2 pcs.
- Eggs - 5 pcs.
- Pomegranate - 1 pc.
- Sugar - 1 tsp
- Lemon juice - 100 ml
- Mayonnaise - 50 ml
- Salt to taste
Step by step preparation of beef and pomegranate salad:
- Before making a salad with pomegranate, boil the meat until tender. Adding bay leaves and other spices during cooking will help make it more aromatic. We take it out on a plate, cool it down. Then cut into thin strips.
- Boil eggs and potatoes in the skins. Cool, clean and grate with fine cells.
- Peel the onion, cut into strips and marinate in a little water with the addition of 10 ml of vinegar and 5 g of sugar for 15 minutes. Drain the marinade, squeeze the onion.
- We carefully select all the grains from the pomegranate.
- For serving, choose a wide flat dish. You can use a culinary ring of a suitable diameter to give the salad a beautiful shape. With the first layer we spread 1/2 part of the meat, grease with mayonnaise, with the second - 1/2 part of the onion, the third - potatoes and mayonnaise, the fourth - eggs with the remaining onions and the final one - meat with mayonnaise. Slightly compact the entire mass, sprinkle with pomegranate seeds and send it to a cool place for impregnation. A delicious salad with pomegranate and beef is ready!
Ruby beet and pomegranate salad
The combination of beets with pomegranate grains has a significant value for any organism, while it is amazingly sweet, although it is not considered a dessert. Other ingredients - carrots and cranberries, as well as the meat component - chicken fillet, make their pleasant adjustments to the taste of beetroot and pomegranate salad.
Ingredients:
- Chicken fillet - 500 g
- Pomegranate seeds - 100 g
- Beets - 1 pc.
- Carrots - 1 pc.
- Cranberries - 50 g
- Linseed oil - 70 ml
- Spices to taste
Step by step preparation of beetroot and pomegranate salad:
- Wash the beets and carrots thoroughly, dry them with a towel and wrap them in foil. Put on a baking sheet and bake in the oven until tender. Then cool, remove the peel and cut into a small cube. Vegetables prepared in this way retain a large amount of vitamins and an amazing natural sweetness.
- Grind the chicken breast with a knife into medium-sized cubes or thin sticks, and then fry in a pan with heated oil. A delicious crispy crust should form on each bite. Season with salt, season with black pepper and cool.
- Mix all the ingredients in one deep container. Season with your favorite flavors and linseed oil. The dish is ready! Even in the photo, pomegranate salad looks incredibly attractive and appetizing.
Pomegranate and shrimp salad
Who would have thought that pomegranate seeds, a sweet and sour fruit, could go well with seafood ?! But in fact, many chefs have already convinced themselves that such a combination is quite winning and that many people like it. In this salad, shrimp and pomegranate are perfectly combined both with each other and with other ingredients. The result is a single mouth-watering composition with great aroma and powerful health benefits.
Ingredients:
- King prawns, raw - 300 g
- Avocado - 2 pcs.
- Mango, canned or fresh - 400 g
- Pomegranate seeds - 50 g
- Red onion - 30 g
- Lettuce leaves - 150 g
- Parsley - 20 g
- Mozzarella - 150 g
- Lemon juice - 20 ml
- Olive oil - 70 ml
- Balsamic - 3 g
- Spices to taste
Step-by-step preparation of shrimp and pomegranate salad:
- Add 5 ml of lemon juice, 20 ml of olive oil, salt and pepper mixture to raw shrimps. Leave to marinate for 20-30 minutes. Then fry in a pan without adding oil on both sides to form a light golden brown crust.
- We wash and dry lettuce leaves. Cutting it is not recommended, it is much better to just tear it with your hands into medium-sized pieces and then put it on the bottom of a wide salad bowl.
- Peel and cut the mango into slices. We remove the pits from the avocado, also cut into slices and sprinkle with the remaining lemon juice. We tear off the parsley from the stalks, and chop the red onion into strips.
- Mix olive oil with balsamic. Then we combine all the ingredients in a deep plate, mix and put on lettuce leaves. Salad with pomegranate and Mozzarella cheese is ready!
Dessert salad with pineapple and pomegranate
Such a delicacy is great for replenishing vitamin stores, because consists of fresh fruits. The predominantly sweet taste with a slight hint of sourness does not leave indifferent either children or adults. Try making pineapple and pomegranate salad at least once and it will forever be a welcome guest on the home menu.
Ingredients:
- Pomegranate seeds - 100 g
- Pineapple, fresh or canned - 150 g
- Mango - 1 pc.
- Natural yogurt - 100 ml
- Mint - 4 leaves
- Apple - 1 pc.
- Banana - 1 pc.
Step by step preparation of salad with pineapple and pomegranate:
- First of all, we extract the pomegranate seeds, removing the peel and all partitions.
- If the pineapple is fresh, peel it and cut it into small slices. If desired, the inner core can be removed, but it also contains vitamins and other beneficial substances, although its structure is coarser and less juicy than the main part of the pulp.
- We get rid of the mango from the peel and bone. Cut into thin slices.
- Prepare banana and apple - peel and cut into small pieces.
- In a common bowl, we combine all fruit ingredients and season with natural yogurt. Add some lime juice and / or sugar if desired.
- Place the salad in bowls and decorate with a mint leaf.
- Delicious and healthy fruit salad with pineapple and pomegranate is ready!
