This Strawberry Goat Cheese Salad with Watercress, Spinach and Arugula is the perfect summer salad. Enjoy as a light main or as a side. It’s easy to customise to suit your taste and dietary needs.
Serve as a side dish to this Potato Tart with Lemon, Thyme and Garlic
- Ingredients
- Instructions
- Pro Tips
- Serving Suggestions
- Storage
- Other Strawberry Recipes
This strawberry salad has the perfect combination of sweet and savoury. Plump strawberries, goats cheese, walnuts and salad leaves are tossed in a mustard lemon dressing.
I’ve gone for a mix of spinach, arugula (rocket) and watercress. The creaminess of the goats cheese against the peppery-ness of the rocket and watercress is so, so good!
Enjoy it as it as for a summery main or serve it alongside a whole host of dishes.
I love salad recipes in the summer ! They are always bursting with seasonal flavours and most importantly, no standing by a hot stove for hours!
Ingredients
Fresh strawberries – for best results, use strawberries that are in season as the flavour is so much better. I have used British Strawberries. Do not use frozen berries
Goat cheese – goat cheese is made from goat milk. I recommend using a soft goat cheese or goat cheese log rather than hard cheese. I have kept the goat cheese in rounds but you can absolutely use crumbled goat cheese too
Salad leaves – I have gone for a pre mixed salad bag of watercress, baby spinach and rocket. You can absolutely use whichever salad leaves you like or can get hold of.
Red onion – add sliced or chopped red onion for flavor and crunch. Leave out if you are not a fan of onion.
Walnuts – optional. Roughly chop
Salad Dressing
Dijon mustard – or use whole mustard
Sugar, maple syrup or honey
White wine vinegar
Extra virgin olive oil
Salt and black pepper to taste
Instructions
- In a small bowl, whisk together the salad dressing ingredients
- Seasoned with salt and black pepper
- Alternatively, add the ingredients to a mason jar, shut the lid tightly and shake until the ingredients are well combined.
Assemble the salad in a large bowl:
- Slice and halve or quarter the strawberries and slice the red onion
- Slice or crumble in goat cheese and add the walnuts
- Then add the salad leaves of choice and gently toss
- Drizzle over the mustard dressing
- Serve
Pro Tips
- Use high quality ingredients – use the freshest ingredients possible. Strawberries should be ripe but not mushy and crisp salad leaves are better than limp.
- Serve the salad immediately once assembled – this salad is best eaten straight away to enjoy the fresh flavours without pools of moisture.
Serving Suggestions
For a full meal, enjoy alongside these main courses:
For light picnic foods, go for Air Fryer French Bread Pizza or Tandoori Paneer Galette
A fruity drink like this Watermelon Mocktail is super refreshing and light.
Storage
Store leftover salad in an airtight container and keep in the fridge for up to a day.
You can also keep the salad in your large salad bowl but cover with plenty of plastic wrap (clingfilm)
I recommend eating the salad immediately after serving as juice releases quickly from the strawberries once dressed.
If preparing for later, I suggest dressing the salad just before serving. Keep the salad dressing in a separate airtight container.
Use leftover goat cheese to make Whipped Goat Cheese Dip
Other Strawberry Recipes
Instant Pot Strawberry Rhubarb Jam
No bake strawberry Cheesecake
Strawberry Avocado Salsa
Fresas Con Crema
Strawberry Lassi
As always if you make this recipe, be sure to leave me a comment, rate this recipe and tag me on Instagram @jcookingodyssey or #jcookingodyssey. I love seeing all your photos of my recipe recreations!
Don’t forget to follow me on social media using the buttons below – I can’t wait to see you all there!
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Strawberry Goat Cheese Salad with Spinach, Arugula and Watercress
Equipment
- 1 Chopping board
- 1 Knife
- 1 whisker
Ingredients
- 400 gram strawberries
- 75 gram goat cheese
- 80 gram arugula, watercress and spinach or other salad leaves of choice
- 25 gram walnuts roughly chopped
- 1 red onion sliced or chopped
Strawberry Salad Dressing
- 3 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 2 teaspoon dijon mustard or mustard of choice
- 1 tablespoon maple syrup or sugar or honey
- 1 teaspoon white wine vinegar
- salt and black pepper to taste
Instructions
- In a small bowl, whisk together the salad dressing ingredients 3 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil , 2 teaspoon dijon mustard , 1 tablespoon maple syrup and 1 teaspoon white wine vinegar
- Season with salt and black pepper to taste
- Alternatively, add the ingredients to a mason jar, shut the lid tightly and shake until the ingredients are well combined.
Assemble the salad in a large bowl:
- Slice and halve or quarter the 400 gram strawberries and slice the 1 red onion
- In a serving platter arrange sliced berries.
- Add onions
- Scatter 25 gram walnuts
- Then add the 80 gram arugula, watercress and spinach salad leaves of choice and gently toss
- Slice or crumble in 75 gram goat cheese
- Drizzle over the mustard dressing
- Serve immediately
Video
Nutrition
PLEASE NOTE: Nutritional values are estimated by a computer and may vary based on ingredients and portion sizes. For personalised dietary advice, please consult a qualified healthcare professional.
Strawberry Goat Cheese Salad with Spinach, Arugula and Watercress
Equipment
- 1 Chopping board
- 1 Knife
- 1 whisker
Ingredients
- 400 gram strawberries
- 75 gram goat cheese
- 80 gram arugula, watercress and spinach or other salad leaves of choice
- 25 gram walnuts roughly chopped
- 1 red onion sliced or chopped
Strawberry Salad Dressing
- 3 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 2 teaspoon dijon mustard or mustard of choice
- 1 tablespoon maple syrup or sugar or honey
- 1 teaspoon white wine vinegar
- salt and black pepper to taste
Instructions
- In a small bowl, whisk together the salad dressing ingredients 3 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil , 2 teaspoon dijon mustard , 1 tablespoon maple syrup and 1 teaspoon white wine vinegar
- Season with salt and black pepper to taste
- Alternatively, add the ingredients to a mason jar, shut the lid tightly and shake until the ingredients are well combined.
Assemble the salad in a large bowl:
- Slice and halve or quarter the 400 gram strawberries and slice the 1 red onion
- In a serving platter arrange sliced berries.
- Add onions
- Scatter 25 gram walnuts
- Then add the 80 gram arugula, watercress and spinach salad leaves of choice and gently toss
- Slice or crumble in 75 gram goat cheese
- Drizzle over the mustard dressing
- Serve immediately
Video
Nutrition
PLEASE NOTE: Nutritional values are estimated by a computer and may vary based on ingredients and portion sizes. For personalised dietary advice, please consult a qualified healthcare professional.
Authentic Indian Masala Chai Recipe or Indian Spiced Milk Tea is prepared with aromatic spices, fresh ginger, black tea, lots of milk and sugar. This easy recipe takes only 10 minutes and you can enjoy a hot cup of masala chai!
A warm cup of traditional masala chai with Nan Khatai will soothe and refresh your mind and body with the very first sip.
What is Indian Masala Chai
Masala Chai is traditional to India. Masala means spices and the word chai means tea therefore spiced tea. Sometimes chai is referred to as chai tea but this basically means tea tea!
Masala (read blend of spices) are brewed alongside water and black tea leaves to fragrance the chai. Masala tea also traditionally uses whole milk and sugar which balances out the fragrant spices.
In Masala tea, the milk is boiled with the tea rather than added on top which takes away the raw milk flavour from the tea. Homemade masala chai is different from the chai tea latte (chai latte) served in coffee shops.
This authentic masala chai recipe is prepared in Indian household.
The use of spices is not only in Masala Chai but Karak Chai too. Karak or Kadak Chai (strong tea) is a little different from Masala Chai Recipe. Karak means strong, so the tea is much more strongly brewed with tea leaves, water, milk and an aromatic blend of whole spices.
Cardamom Chai is prepared using lots of green cardamom only. Adrak Chai is prepared with fresh ginger only.
Masala Chai has always been a lifestyle for the common Indian family and is considered part of Indian culture. Since the rise of restaurants of Dishoom and tea shops such as Chaiiwala, Masala Chai has gained much more popularity in the West.
How Indian Masala Tea is traditionally served
Masala tea served at the roadside by street vendors in the Indian subcontinent known specifically as chai wallahs.
The hot tea is served in either clay cups or tempered glasses and is freshly prepared for each customer and served immediately.
I had wanted to post this recipe a long time ago but wanted to serve it like it is served in India. I was waiting to get my hands on ‘Chaiwala Cups and Stand’.
There are many types of different tea available in India, such as Cutting Chai and Kulhadwali Chai and Tandoori Chai.
Variations of Authentic Masala Chai
In Gujarat, the masala is ground into a powdered tea masala. This spice blend is known as chai masala , chai spices or chai ka masala. It can easily be prepared at home using a spice grinder.
However, some people do not like the feel of ground spices and prefer whole spices.
Each household will prepare their masala tea a little bit differently, especially the mix of spices which are unique to each passed down recipe.
Some variations even include holy basil or tulsi which is crushed and added into tea.
How to make Indian Masala Chai using chai masala powder
Follow the same steps as if making Masala Chai but add a small amount of powdered tea masala instead of whole spices. To serve 4 people, 1/2 a teaspoon of masala powder is sufficient. This can be adjusted according to how spicy you like your tea.
Spiced Chai – Masala Chai Ingredients
For the perfect cup of Indian masala chai, the following ingredients must all be used!
Whole milk use full fat milk for best results as it makes the tea creamy and thick. You can also use evaporated milk but use a bit less than the recipe suggests.
For rich, thick tea, add more milk than water. You may need to add extra tea for strength. For thinner tea, use skimmed milk or more water.
For vegan masala chai, instead of dairy milk I recommend oat milk as it doesn’t split when boiled. Other options include almond milk, soy milk or coconut milk but I would not boil the tea further once these vegan milks are added.
The Tea:
Masala Chai is prepared with black tea.
I use an Indian brand of black loose tea from an Indian grocery store. You can use assam tea or darjeeling tea which are commonly used in India.
You can use tea bags such as PG tips or Taj Mahal as well.
For the best flavor, the stronger the tea, the better.
For an evening tea, use decaf tea bags.
Whole spices such as cinnamon stick, black peppercorns and green cardamoms. Cloves and star anise are optional. Fennel seeds are added in Punjabi Masala Chai
Fresh ginger , you need to use plenty of fresh ginger root that is grated or pounded to release its juices. Simply adding pieces of ginger is wasteful and will not release flavour. Ginger has many health benefits and gives a warm spicy kick. You can use dry ginger powder as an alternative.
Sugar is a must if you want the taste of an authentic masala chai. I have used white sugar but you can use brown sugar (has a slight difference in flavour). I have seen recipes using maple syrup but I recommend proper sugar for an authentic cup of chai. If you want to make sugar free masala chai, by all means, leave it out or add a sweetener at the end.
Water any still water will do but filtered water lends beautiful colour to tea.
Equipment/Tools
Saucepan or milk pan with pouring lips on at least one side is better
Traditional Indian Tea Strainer – with a fine mesh
Cheese Grater or mortar pestle to pound the ginger and spices.
How to make Best Masala Chai step-by-step
Follow this video and step by step instructions for the perfect cup of masala chai. Printable recipe card with exact measurements and methods below.
To simplify there is cups and tablespoons measurements as well as a metric to this recipe.
Prepare the spice mixture. In a pestle and mortar, crush the ginger, green cardamom pods, cinnamon bark and peppercorns.
In a small saucepan add water and heat until boiling.
Add the tea and crushed spices.
Bring the mixture to boil on medium-high heat.
Add the milk and the sugar. The tea may appear light but it will darken as the tea steeps and the milk cooks.
Bring the mixture to a boil again. Switch to low heat if the tea keeps boiling over but if possible, keep the flame high.
Boil the tea on medium heat for a good couple of minutes – approx 4-5 minutes.
Keep cups and strainer ready.
Strain the tea using a strainer. They are available in Indian stores.
Serve immediately.
Serving Suggestions
Indian masala chai is best accompanied with Indian snacks, baked goods or rusks.
Coconut Cookies
Saffron Pistachio Shortbread
Honey Cake
Gulab jamun Cake
Some savoury dishes that go well with masala chai are:
Gujarati plain thepla
Masala Bhakhri
Methi Dhebra
Batata Poha
Khatta Sandwich Dhokla
Masala Lachha Paratha
Kenyan Chevdo
Samosa
You cannot beat a cup of tea and biscuits!
Storage
You can prepare the masala chai concentrate in advance and store in an airtight container. Simply bring to a boil with regular milk or plant-based milk for vegan chai in a saucepan and serve immediately.
As always if you make this recipe, be sure to leave me a comment, rate this recipe and tag me on Instagram @jcookingodyssey or #jcookingodyssey. I love seeing all your photos of my recipe recreations!
Don’t forget to follow me on social media using the buttons below – I can’t wait to see you all there!
- YouTube
Masala Chai Recipe
Equipment
- 1 Saucepan or milk pan with pouring lips on at least one side is better.
- 1 Traditional Indian Tea Strainer with the fine mesh
- 1 Pestle and mortar to pound the ginger and spices.
Ingredients
- 1 cup Whole milk
- 1 ½ cup water
- 3 teaspoon black tea
- ¾ teaspoon whole spices clove, black pepper, cinnamon, green cardamom
- 1 inch root ginger
- 2 teaspoon sugar
Instructions
- Prepare the spice mixture. In a pestle and mortar, crush the ginger, green cardamom pods, cinnamon bark and peppercorns. 3/4 teaspoon whole spices, 1 inch root ginger
- In a small saucepan add water and heat until boiling. 1 1/2 cup water
- Add the tea and crushed spices. 3 teaspoon black tea
- Bring the mixture to boil on medium-high heat.
- Add the sugar and milk. 1 cup Whole milk , 2 teaspoon sugar
- Bring it to a boil. Keep stirring it while keeping heat full.
- Switch to low heat if the tea keeps boiling over but if possible, keep the flame high.
- Boil the tea on medium heat for a good couple of minutes – approx 4-5 minutes.
- Pour into cups or tempered glass, using a mesh strainer.
- Enjoy hot with cookies, biscuits or any other your favourite tea time snack.
Video
Nutrition
PLEASE NOTE: Nutritional values are estimated by a computer and may vary based on ingredients and portion sizes. For personalised dietary advice, please consult a qualified healthcare professional.
