Cypriot Grain Salad
Cypriot Grain Salad is a delicious fresh couscous salad packed with nuts, seeds, fresh herbs and then finished off with yoghurt, cumin, and pomegranate seeds.
Servings 8 as a side
Calories 175kcal
Ingredients
- 1 cup wholemeal couscous (uncooked)
- ½ cup tinned/canned lentils rinsed and drained
- 3 tablespoon slivered almonds
- 3 tablespoon pine nuts
- 1 cup parsley leaves (firmly packed) roughly chopped (usually 1 bunch)
- ½ cup coriander (cilantro) leaves (firmly packed) roughly chopped (usually half a bunch)
- ½ small red onion finely chopped (see my notes)
- ½ cup currants
- 2 tablespoon baby capers
- 2 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
- salt to taste
Yogurt dressing
- 1 cup greek yoghurt I used low fat
- ½ teaspoon ground cumin plus an extra pinch for garnish
- 1 tablespoon honey
- pomegranate seeds (see my notes)
Instructions
- Add slivered almonds and pine nuts to a small frying pan and stir over low heat to toast, then set aside.3 tablespoon slivered almonds, 3 tablespoon pine nuts
- To make the yoghurt dressing add greek yoghurt to a small bowl, then stir in ground cumin and honey and set aside.1 cup greek yoghurt, 1 tablespoon honey, pomegranate seeds, ½ teaspoon ground cumin
- To assemble the salad, take a medium bowl and prepare the couscous as per the package directions then once cooked fluff with a fork to separate the grains.1 cup wholemeal couscous (uncooked)
- Then add the lentils, parsley, coriander (cilantro), red onion, currants, capers, and reserved nuts, then mix well to combine.½ cup tinned/canned lentils, 1 cup parsley leaves (firmly packed), ½ cup coriander (cilantro) leaves (firmly packed), ½ small red onion, ½ cup currants, 2 tablespoon baby capers
- Add olive oil, lemon juice, and salt to taste.2 tablespoon olive oil, 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice, salt to taste
- Tip salad into a serving dish, dollop the yoghurt mixture on top then scatter over pomegranate seeds, sprinkle with an extra pinch of ground cumin to garnish and then serve.
Video
Notes
- Watch the slivered almonds carefully as you toast them, their flat sides mean that they don't roll around as readily as the pine nuts (despite stirring) and can get brown very quickly on one side. As an alternative, you could buy them already toasted if they are available to you.
- I used a whole pomegranate, and you can mix any extra seeds (arils) through the salad before it's topped with the yoghurt and decorated with pomegranate seeds.
- If you need help seeding a pomegranate, an easy way is to cut it in half around the middle then hold the half (cut side down) over a large deep bowl and give the base a good whack with the flat side of a meat mallet, or a sturdy wooden spoon or rolling pin. Pro tip - these will stain so don't wear white or your good clothes just in case!
- Another option (and slightly less messy) is to slice off the crown (the top sticky-out part) to expose some of the seeds and the white membrane inside. You will notice as you look from the top down that the pomegranate has large segments or chambers of seeds (like an orange) that are separated by a white membrane. Take a small sharp knife and score the skin of the pomegranate down these lines of the membrane (not going all the way to the base) then peel out the sides like petals and use your fingers to tease out the seeds or turn it upside down over a bowl and give it a bash like the first method above. Again don't wear your best clothes!
- To take some of the heat out of the red onion, place the chopped onion in a fine sieve and run it under some cool water then allow it to drain and dry it well with a paper towel before adding it to the salad.
Nutrition
Calories: 175kcal