A recipe from my very own mum, inspired by her visits to Kalkan, Turkey
This recipe is full of flavour, and is guaranteed to fill you up and keep you satisfied for hours. Pomegranate, parsley and sumac are classic Turkish ingredients, but they’re also used in Moroccan dishes extensively. To give this dish a more Moroccan theme and very the texture and taste eve more, add a handful of copped dates.
Chickpeas contain plenty of plant-based protein, as well as gut-loving fiber, manganese, folate, and inulin, which is essential for reducing the body’s levels of dangerous visceral fat. Inulin is known to help with diabetes, weight loss, digestive issues, heart health, blood sugar levels, types of colon cancer, and bone health.
Inulin also helps to nourish bacteria in the gut, and as we’re becoming more and more aware of the importance of gut health (the BBC is even touting the importance of looking after our microbiome in articles like THIS and programmes like THIS), we’re realising that adding beneficial foods like this to the dinner table can drastically improve health and wellbeing.
Ingredients
- Three cans of chickpeas (or, if you cook your own, about two cups of dry chickpeas)
- 1 red onion chopped finely
- 1 tbsp sumac
- 1tsp chilli powder
- 1tsp salt
- Large handful of curled parsley finely chopped
- Juice of one lemon
- 2tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 2tbsp pomegranate syrup
- Handful of chopped dates (optional)
- Fresh mint leaves to serve
How To
Drain the chickpeas if canned. Cool the cooked ones if you cooked your own.
Put the chickpeas into a large bowl and add the finely chopped onion, sumac, chilli powder, parsley and salt. Stir well or even get your clean hands in there and squish the spices into the chickpeas.
Whisk the lemon juice, olive oil and pomegranate syrup together in a small bowl or cup and pour over the salad evenly. Add the dates at this point if you’re choosing to include them. Mix the dressing well into the chickpeas and add some more salt and pepper as required.
Refrigerate until required. (The flavours of this salad actually improves if left for a few hours/overnight in the fridge.)
Just before serving add some finely shredded mint leaves over the top of the salad.
Imagine laying back in the sun and enjoy!
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