The classic Nigerian Salad

The classic Nigerian Salad recipe is a  very lively salad. It’s colorful, nutrient-dense, very filling and it’s very tasty. I need to add that it’s versatile enough to serve in smaller portions as an appetizer, or as one hearty bowlful main dish and it’s very easy to make. It literally an anything-goes type of food.

The classic Nigerian Salad

Bear it in mind that the vegetables need not be leafy to merit a role in the salad bowl. This delightful Salad consists of vegetables both raw and cooked, pasta, Eggs and more. With all these ingredients, it’s sure that this Salad makes a hearty meal in itself but it can also be paired with the  Jollof rice, Fried rice, Fried Chicken and even more.

The central ingredients are Lettuce and Cabbage but it’s surrounded by Tomato, pasta, Eggs, Cucumber, Baked Beans and sweet corn.  All these ingredients make this salad economical enough to entertain a crowd and like with most salads, it’s also quite flexible. For instance, Potato can be used as a substitute for the pasta.

 There are a couple of things that make this Salad unique and in my own opinion I think the dressing is one of the top things but I realize that this dressing is not sold everywhere.  So I did some research and I came across a recipe very close to the original Heinz dressing. Recipe below:

My makeshift Heinz dressing

2 Tbsp of white vinegar

6 Tbsp of Mayonnaise

2 Tbsp of Icing sugar

2 Tsp of Mustard (optional)

Below is the detailed video on how to make this salad:

This salad will serve 5 people as a main meal and up to 8 or 10 as a side meal.

Notes:

• Dressing tends to make lettuce limp, it is, therefore, advisable to mix the salad at the last possible moment before serving in order to keep the leaves crisp.
• Try to get a balance when adding the dressing; too much dressing will overwhelm the salad likewise, too little dressing will make the salad tasteless
• Make sure all your ingredients are free from excess water, as the excess water will prevent the dressing from adhering to your salad.
• It is best to use ripe but hard Tomatoes. Soft juicy tomatoes will get the salad wet.
• It’s best to serve this salad cold!

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Classic Nigerian Salad

This salad is It is an anything-goes type of food. It's versatile enough to be served before, with, or after the main course. You can even serve it as a main course.

4.86 from 21 votes

Print Pin Rate

Course: Main/Side

Cuisine: African

Keyword: homemade, salad

Prep Time: 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 0 minutes minutes

Total Time: 15 minutes minutes

Servings: 8 People

Calories: 255kcal

Author: Lola Osinkolu

Ingredients

• 2 large carrots
• 2 cups lettuce Shredded
• 2 cups cabbage Shredded
• 2 tomatoes ripe and hard
• 1 cucumber medium size
• 1 cup pasta or boiled potatoes
• 2 large boiled eggs cut into quarters
• 8 ounces baked Beans
• 8 ounces sweet corn
• 8 tablespoons Heinz salad cream

Alternative dressing recipe:

• 2 tablespoons of white vinegar
• 6 tablespoons of Mayonnaise
• 2 tablespoons of icing sugar
• 2 teaspoons of Mustard optional

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

• Prepare all your vegetables - rinse and drain.
• Thinly slice your cabbage and lettuce; cut the tomatoes and cucumber into little cubes; grate the carrots or cut them into little cubes.
• Add everything inside a bowl except the eggs and the cream, then cover it with a plastic wrap or tight-fitting lid and place it in the fridge for at least 1 hour.
• Remove it from the refrigerator once you are ready to eat and mix it up. Arrange the boiled eggs over the salad. Serve with the classic Heinz salad dressing, or use the recipe above.
• This salad will serve 5 people as a main meal and up to 8 or 10 as a side meal.

Video

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K25Je-vMtVA

Notes

• Dressing tends to make lettuce limp. Therefore, it is advisable to mix the salad at the last possible moment before serving to keep the leaves crisp.
• It is best to use ripe but hard tomatoes. Soft juicy tomatoes will get the salad wet.
• It's best to serve this salad cold!

Nutrition

Calories: 255kcal | Carbohydrates: 45g | Protein: 12g | Fat: 5g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 97mg | Sodium: 303mg | Potassium: 819mg | Fiber: 8g | Sugar: 9g | Vitamin A: 6156IU | Vitamin C: 31mg | Calcium: 93mg | Iron: 2mg

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If you make this classic Nigerian Salad recipe, I’d love to see pictures of your creations on Instagram or Facebook. #cheflolaskitchen