Sweet Hawaiian Pasta Salad

There is a continual stress these days to eat light and eat nutritious – more fibre,more protein and more unrefined and natural products with 3 – 4 servings of fruits and vegetables per day!People tell me – do not have refined flour products as they would be interfering with the various body functions including metabolism!My clients in India were obsessed about “gluten intolerance” and forbade me to plan Pasta or Chinese Noodles for their parties while their snacks included crispy and hot deep fried Samosas (enveloped in all purpose flour) as well as Spring Rolls and Batata Wadas!Hypocrisy justified!I was not at all surprised when one of my clients,who used to praise themselves on their culinary skills scoffed at the idea of a Pasta Salad!

“Wow” she said “Pasta is cooked with lots of cheese,sautéed veggies,sausages and meat and you plan a salad?Since when were Pastas used in a Salad”?I told her that if she had ever attended weddings in her entire life in India,Pasta Salads started to come on the buffet tables by the end of the 1990’s!I am talking about Lucknow,which is classified as a tier 2 city in India,and at that time was not as developed in the culinary scenario as it is now!I remember it was on the occasion of the marriage of one of the sons of our neighbours that I first tasted Pasta Salad.The caterer chosen had been one of the best and till now the snack items with steaming and frothing Espresso Coffee (the wedding was held in one of the coldest December days and the bride was shivering like a leaf under her trousseau) were declared fit for a king!After the “Jaimaal” or the garlanding ceremony everyone proceeded to the buffet area which was under pink and white tents secured in place by tying them to sturdy wooden and metal poles which had already been inserted in the soft earth.The buffet area in India is normally chosen outside the marriage hall as there the cooks get ample space to set up tandoors for naans,immense kadhais for frying poori,kachori or for immersing huge quantities of Gulab Jamun,as well as for keeping emergency items as and when needed!The real marriage ceremony begins approximately after 1.00am when everyone has had their fill of the delicious food and leave after giving their gifts to the couple.

As this family was one of our best family friends,we stayed for the ceremony and started eating only at 3.00am – an ungodly hour but yes those days remind me of sweet memories gone by,of friends’ marriages,getting noticed,getting proposed by the friends of the groom(yes faced that too..:)),dancing in the baraat,wearing the best dresses I had,looking “more like the bride” as my grandma used to say and more important of all – savouring the food,trying out new items and bookmarking them to try out at home!I did not have any idea of how to do so,but I would try and most of the times end up with such gross tasting items that my Grandma forbade me to cook anything without having prior information about the same!

So on this marriage,there was a lavish spread.We were so famished after all the ceremony and rituals that though it was cold at 1°C,we bravely took up the waiting plates which the caterer had his men wipe with a warm,sterilised napkin before he handed them over to us!The feasts in Uttar Pradesh normally begin with a soup which is ladled into disposable cups as well as salads which are presented attractively on board tables.This marriage had 12 different kinds of salads and what particularly attracted me was a bowl of what looked like Macaroni Pasta (I used to make my version at home then – loved by my Grandma and that was what was available then) steeped in a white cream with mixed fruits and vegetables!I helped myself to a spoonful of that and tasted it – heaven!I had never tasted something like this in my whole life!It was just too good – the flavours exploded like magic inside my mouth and I was mentally out there in the culinary world seeking for the recipe!There was the caterer and I asked him the name to which he said – Pasta Salad!

“Salad”?Is this a Salad?Of course it was,which is why it was kept on the Salad table!But being a Paneer fanatic,I could not relegate myself to only salad! I had to help myself to hot naan,the delicious,wonderful,yummy,juicy and lip smacking Lucknowi Shahi Paneer,the Biryani,the Dahi Wada and later the hot Gulab Jamuns,the cold ice cream as well as the Banarasi Meetha Paan to end the feast!Call me a glutton – I will dance with pleasure!

The next time I had Pasta Salad was at a friend’s engagement,just 5 months after this marriage celebration.I personally asked the cook for the recipe and he spoke about Mayonnaise – something I had not heard about and which was completely new to me!He said they used to source it from Mumbai and it was not available in Lucknow!Then next day on Khana Khazana,Masterchef Sanjeev Kapoor presented a recipe for Club Sandwich which included Mayonnaise.He spoke about that as a salad dressing paste made from Olive Oil,Lemon juice and eggs.I visited Mumbai for a family function and made sure I went to a high end end super market and got a jar of Mayonnaise!I also got Raspberry Jam(something you never got in Lucknow in those days),assorted boiled sweets and another great thing – candied peel for christmas cake!Yum!

I made the salad in Lucknow and it came out delicious – almost like what I had at the functions.Later I realised that I had been missing out on two ingredients – fruit juice and mustard!Yes,you add fruit juice to the dressing as it has fruits in it and mustard paste for a tangy kick!This salad is on my table for all my parties and celebrations and is loved by all!Some of my friends particularly ask for this item on the table so they can have it by the bowlful!I make it with 3 1 kg packs of Macaroni and most of the times it falls short of supply and each time is finished as everyone licks the bowl clean!So I am sharing this recipe of mine with you all which has this lovely story behind it!

This recipe was entered for the 149th FoodieMondayBloghop where the theme was Salad!

• I chose strawberry flavoured Yogurt as it added a beautiful flavour to the salad!
• You can use fruits of your choice.You can also added vegetables like Cucumber and Tomato to the Salad.
• I chose Red Capsicum as it looked attractive!You can add Green Capsicums if you do not get the red ones
• I chose Macaroni Pasta as it reminds me of bygone days!You can choose Penne,Spiralli or Bowtie Pasta for the same! 
• This recipe is called Hawaiian Pasta Salad as it has Pineapples plus juice which is so special to Hawaii
• I have used Mayonnaise with eggs.There are versions of eggless Mayonnaise available in the market and you can use the same in the recipe

Preparation Time : 30 minutes

Makes : 2 – 3 servings

INGREDIENTS

2 cups cooked Pasta (of your choice)

1/4 cup hung yogurt (flavoured/plain)

1/2 cup Mayonnaise

1 tbsp Mustard paste

2 cups Pineapple pieces (cubed)

1/3 cup Pineapple juice

1 tbsp white vinegar

1 tbsp honey

1 Red Bell Pepper – finely chopped

3 green Onions – chopped

1 Carrot – cut into matchsticks or chopped finely

1/2 a juicy Apple – diced

1/2 cup sweet,green Grapes – halved

Salt to taste

Pepper to taste

2 tsp Red Chilli Flakes

METHOD

Cook Pasta according to the ingredients on the pack.This is a salad,so cook 3 – 4 minutes more than the al-dente stage for the pasta to be a little softer but firm enough for a great texture.

Whisk yogurt,mayonnaise,mustard,pineapple juice,vinegar and honey to make a delicious salad dressing!

All the dressing ingredients…

Whisking them…

The creamy dressing…

In a large bowl,combine the boiled pasta,onions,pineapple pieces,apples,grapes and carrots.Add the prepared dressing,salt and pepper to taste.

Spoon into salad bowls and serve for a tasty treat!

The prepared Salad..