Been a while since we had a nice salad. This one comes to you courtesy of a fierce cilantro jones that seized me last week. First I found this yummy chicken biryani recipe via gojee & was “as faithful as can be—for me”* to the recipe, which meant I used mild peppers instead of hot, & about twice, maybe thrice, as much as cilantro. That jones, you know.

I liked the raita so much that I wanted to put it on everything. Salad dressing? Of course. Blueberries & cilantro are a cool-as-a-cucumber match made in summer heaven, so there you go:

Cilantro Loves Blueberries Salad
feeds 2 serious salad-eaters, 4 normal folks
Little gems &/or other mild green lettuces, a few large handfuls
Blueberries, a large handful
A small splash of olive oil
Avocado slices

Raita (adapted from the biryani recipe above):
1 C cucumber peeled, seeded and finely chopped
1/2 C plain yogurt
2–3 T cilantro minced
2 T mint minced
1/2 t cumin seeds
1/2 t salt
fresh ground black pepper to taste
(You will have a lot of leftover raita!)

Wash & dry the lettuces & blueberries & throw em in a bowl. Dollop a couple of generous spoonfuls of raita on top, followed by a small bloop of olive oil. Toss well. Plate with sliced avocados on the side.

*I’ve always loved this song. You notice they never actually resolve the problem? Heh. Quote is at 0:39.