If you're like us, you're always seeking nutritious, bright salads that are so flavorful you almost forget about your fiber goals. Luckily, we've got a dish on deck that will help you pack in a whopping serving of impeccably-seasoned veggies.
The Diaspora Spice Co. Cookbook is a collection of recipes from Diaspora Spice Co., which is devoted to revitalizing your kitchen pantry with vibrant South Asian flavors. Our favorite plate in these pages is the slightly spicy, surprisingly hearty edamame and cherry tomato salad with watercress. It makes for a fast, easy lunch, appetizer, or side — and it will boost your protein intake.
Written by Diaspora Spice Co. editor Asha Loupy, this recipe draws inspiration from the soybeans used throughout the northeastern Indian state of Manipur. Instead of traditional dried soybeans, Loupy opts for edamame, allowing the dish to come together without any soaking (which means you can have this on the table in under 30 minutes).
To prep the salad, you'll macerate red onions in a large bowl, then mix with lemon juice, olive oil, fish sauce, and smoky chilli powder. Toss with blanched edamame beans, halved cherry tomatoes, watercress, and torn mint. Expect big, bold flavors, a little kick of (adjustable!) heat, and a tangy finish. A feel-good fiber boost never tasted so good.
Edamame and Cherry Tomato Salad
Serves: 4-6
Origin: Ukhrul, Manipur
Ingredients
- ½ small red onion, thinly sliced (about 3 ounces/85 g)
- 1 tablespoon plus ¾ teaspoon fine sea salt, plus more if needed
- 1¾ cups (283 g) frozen shelled edamame
- Juice of ½ lemon (1 to 2 tablespoons)
- 1½ tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1½ teaspoons fish sauce
- ½ to 1 teaspoon Sirārakhong Hāthei chilli powder
- 12 to 15 cherry tomatoes, halved (about ¹⁄³ pound/151 g)
- 3 cups (66 g) lightly packed watercress, torn into big bite-sized pieces
- ½ cup (8 g) lightly packed mint leaves
Instructions
- To prepare the edamame, bring 2 cups water with 1 tablespoon of the salt to a boil in a medium saucepan over high heat. Add the edamame and boil until al dente, 3 to 4 minutes. Drain, rinse with cold water, and set aside.
- Meanwhile, macerate the onions. In a large bowl, mix the lemon juice, olive oil, fish sauce, chilli powder, and the remaining ¾ teaspoon salt. Add the onion and let sit until softened and slumpy, 10 to 15 minutes.
- Add the blanched edamame and the cherry tomatoes to the bowl with the onions and toss to combine. Add the watercress, tear the mint leaves into the bowl, and gently toss to combine. Taste and season with more salt, if necessary.
- Transfer the salad to a shallow serving bowl or platter and serve immediately.
Excerpted from The Diaspora Spice Co. Cookbook: Seasonal Home Cooking from South Asia's Best Spice Farms © 2026 by Sana Javeri Kadri and Asha Loupy. Photography © 2026 by Melati Citrawireja. Reproduced by permission of Harvest, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers. All rights reserved.
