Salt and pepper are the most competitive champs of condiments, also known as the yin & yang of spices. These two are the most used commodities for bringing out the flavour in your food, used in almost every country’s cuisine, Salt & pepper can be called as the global condiments. This perfectly paired heaven sent combo is credited to the infamous choosy eater and the French king, Louie the 14th, who brought the two together, as his preference was a lightly seasoned meal with the distinct taste that salt & pepper has to offer.
Salt being the king of minerals is found abundantly in the world. Providing not only an oomph to your boring meal with its unique flavour, but Salt has some serious benefits that can help you keep up with your healthy self. Salt helps to keep a balance of fluids in the body while avoiding dehydration in extreme temperatures. The unprocessed form of it is rich in precious minerals like sodium, magnesium, calcium and potassium which are essentially beneficial. The right quantity of source can help you fight heart, muscle & blood sugar problems & can also assist you in fighting early ageing. Furthermore, salt has even been found as a good source of nutrition for your brain, muscle and nervous System Function.
While the better half of salt, Black Pepper has its own undeniable benefits which prove that this spice is no less than any other kind. Black pepper helps dramatically adds up the flavour in your dishes. Having numerous advantages to offer, pepper is known to be the best friend of health-conscious people, as it aids in weight loss journey & plays a vital role in digestion. Boosting the metabolism of human body, pepper is also known to help with flu, cough & chest congestion issues.
Although this yin-yang pair is different from each other individually as salt is a seasoning powder while pepper is a spice. But this dynamic duo is undeniably the favourite combo not just for our taste buds but the world-renowned chef as well. In order to honour the fusion of these two, we have compiled 5 fantastic Salt & Pepper dishes to prepare at home.
1) Salt and Pepper Chicken
One of the most famous street food from the Chinese & Taiwanese cuisine is the salt and pepper chicken, offering juicy succulent bites from inside & crisp outer layer. This forms an appetizing layer made of flour which is light & airy, assuring non-oily & heavy meal. Chicken paired with a dash of light seasoning ingredients offer numerous health benefits including its ability to provide a good supply of protein, essential vitamins, and minerals. It also aids in weight loss, regulating cholesterol and blood pressure, and reducing the risk of cancer.
The quantity of saturated fat and cholesterol found in the red meat such as meat, beef, pork, and lamb are much higher than the quantity found in chicken, fish, and vegetables. If you are on a struggling journey of a healthy diet & want to nourish your body with some nice protein, chicken is the best way to get it. Chicken contains a lot of protein that can help in lean muscle building as well, hence it is even favourite among athletes & gym enthusiasts.
The most loved & easy to follow recipe has to be of the Wok-fried spices chicken. With just handful of ingredients & no more than one hour cooking time, this recipe is a win-win. You only need to gather a nicely cut chicken breast, paired with spices for the batter. The cooking procedure can be varied for this recipe, you can even bake it making little amendments as per your liking or you can stir-fry it in a pan. To know more about this amazing recipe, you can learn from how Hint of Helen does it, or the receipt by Donna Hay shared in Oprah.
2) Salt and Pepper Tofu
Tofu is one of those complicated dishes, which if cooked right can appetize your taste buds like no other food or they can out them off forever. It is one of the most flexible foods, which takes on whatever flavour and texture that you desire, for better or for worse, usually thankfully for the better. Originated from Chinese cuisines, rumour is that it was discovered 2000 years ago by an accidental mixing of fresh soy milk with nigari. Well, it ended up good for us though!
Tofu also is known as bean curd, is said to have enriching nutritional value. Tofu is a good source of protein and contains all eight essential amino acids. It is also known to have iron and calcium and the minerals manganese, selenium and phosphorus. It is thought to provide the same sort of protection against cancer and heart disease as soya beans.
Given its neutral taste and range of consistency, tofu has a great ability to work with almost all types of flavours. Salt & pepper tofu can be paired with lots of food varieties and it gives a brilliant oomph to almost anything, it goes well not just with pork, fish and chicken but also with various vegan dishes. To keep the things authentic and get the real taste of tofu, you only need a few seasoning ingredients including salt, black pepper powder, garlic, paired with the secret ingredient Sichuan peppercorn.
To get the complete recipe and make your salt & pepper TOFU just perfect, follow Kare shared in Kitchen Treaty or China Sichuan Food to get the complete details on the ingredients amount and procedure to be followed.
3) Salt and Pepper Fish
Fish paired with a pinch of salt and pepper is the most abundantly found dishes in restaurants. Usually served in the shape of calamari, squid or just nicely cut two fillets of fish, this dish serves as a complete meal for your body. There’s no denying the fact that fish possesses one of the richest nutritional values of high-quality proteins, vitamins & minerals. Fish has a reputation for being low calorie, high protein “brain food,” credits to the long strands of polyunsaturated essential omega-3 fatty acids (popularly referred to as “omega-3s”) found in fish oil.
A major fact here is that a human body can not naturally produce omega 3, however it is needed for a healthy functional body. Furthermore, this god-gifted meal has been found in prevention/cure of diseases associated to heart, depression, brain development & also profoundly helps in reduction of Alzheimer’s risk. The good news is if you’re not a fish fan, most new research indicates that eating fish only once or twice a week can be enough to reap the benefits. Meanwhile, the National Institute of Health recommends that people consume at least 2 percent of their total daily calories as omega-3 fatty acids, which equals about 4 grams per day.
One of the foremost reasons behind its global liking is the flavourful taste of fish & its ease in preparation. Salt & pepper fish is not just favourite among Chinese chefs but it is liked by mothers & health enthusiasts as well. For salt & Pepper fish, you will require the easily available ingredients in the kitchen along with bite-sized cut fish pieces, taking all ingredients together, mix this well with the fish pieces & once it is thoroughly mixed, pan fry it or bake it. Baking the fish is always considered to be a healthier option. You can pair your meal with a few boiled veggies or even rice. The usage of salt and pepper will give you the perfect blend of flavours with succulent fish bites.
To follow the complete guide to salt & pepper fish, follow the recipe from My Kitchen Snippets to enjoy this beautiful dish.
4) Salt and Pepper Tomatoes
Cherished by almost all cuisines & types of ages, the tomato is an ambrosial vegetable. Tomatoes are fourth most popular fresh-market vegetable competing potatoes, lettuce, and onions. Despite technically being a fruit, the tomato is generally categorized as a vegetable for the record.
Before moving forward into discussing the infinite benefits of this long-loved vegetable, just know that tomatoes were thought to be poisonous in many parts of the world only 200 years ago. However, it’s not wrong to say that their discovery is for sure a cherishable one for all-out palettes & bodies.
Tomatoes are a nutrient-dense superfood that offers a good range of advantages to the bodily systems. Its nutritional content is found to have four major carotenoids, awesome amounts of lycopene, high-powered antioxidants including Vitamin A, E & C, potassium & healthy fat. While helping people with blood pressure, breastfeed, cancer cells, the tomato is found to be the best friend for people fighting skin problems. Consumption of tomatoes does not only help you get a glow on the skin with reduction of acne, but topical application of tomato paste also aids you in getting the skin of your dreams.
Recommended by almost all health experts, you can take benefit of this vegetable by easily preparing it in sliced form with salt and pepper seasoning, along with the very useful olive oil sprinkle & eat it as an evening snack. You can also use small grape tomatoes with salt & pepper and pair them with your meals. For complete instructions, you can read from Cook Think or Pickled Plum to know more about salt and pepper tomatoes.
5) Salt and Pepper Squid Salad
With Summers approaching fast, this super easy & super tasty salad is your best friend to keep things light & fresh. If paired with the right amount of salt & black pepper, squid gives the most tantalizing & refreshing taste ever. The simplicity of the preparation and the ingredients is the beauty of this dish. Emphasising on the advantages this simple yet full of good minerals food has to offer, squid is not only a sustainable source of seafood; research shows that, when prepared in the right way, it’s a pretty good source of omega-3 fatty acids. Consumption of omega-3 fatty acids can help lower your risk for heart disease, cancer and rheumatoid arthritis.
Furthermore, it has been proven that squid contains essential fatty acids can keep your memory sharp and improve your mood. Other than having the high quantity of omega 3, squid also contains vitamin B12 and contains vitamin B6, magnesium, zinc, vitamin C, vitamin B3, calcium and iron. This rich food can be used for maintaining sodium levels, boosting growth hormones in children. Improving sex life, lowering inflammation & reduction of migraine.
Salt-and-pepper squid has its origins in Cantonese cuisine but due to the ravishing taste of it & numerous benefits, it is consumed & liked globally now. In order to prepare the perfect squid salad, all you will require is a pinch of salt, black paprika powder, parsley & panko breadcrumbs. Coat the squid with the mixture of all ingredients & pan fry it with the richness of peanut or olive oil. To get in-depth instruction son this salad, you can follow how Kim posted in My Sugar Free Kitchen makes it.In conclusion, it is an undeniable fact that salt and pepper are the best seasoning & spice. Black pepper has a distinct taste which gives an even unique touch to the overall dish. Whereas Salt has the ability to up the game of dish’s flavour itself. Due to their unique abilities salt & pepper prove to great pair. Not just helping you with getting your flavours right but also offering the numerous number of advantages. So next time, do not hesitate to use them & treat yourself!
