Indian salads are simple salads usually consisting of cucumbers, tomatoes, radish, red onions, carrots sprinkled with salt and roasted, crushed cumin or sautéed mustard seeds. They may have fresh coconut, peanuts and fried dal added to them for flavoring. They are then sprinkled with lime or lemon juice.
Salads in India are not served separately but along with the meal. However when they do happen to be served separately, they are served as a fresh snack. Indian salads are meant to take advantage of seasonal produce and in hot summer these vegetables with their cool water content, and lime juice make for a cooling treat.
Raita, a yogurt side dish may be considered a salad dish.
