Recipe: Zesty Fattoush Salad

Fattoush is a popular salad in the Middle East that combines toasted bread and mixed greens and other vegetables.

During Ramadan, Muslims fast throughout daylight hours. This salad is packed with vitamins, fibers and minerals that your body needs on a daily basis, which makes it a great dish to enjoy at Iftar, the meal that breaks the fast. It’s easy to prepare, and can be served as a starter, or as side dish with a lean protein like chicken, fish or tofu.

The dressing is an important part of Fattoush, with the red spice, sumac, giving it its famed sour taste.

Ingredients

Salad

• 1 large cucumber, sliced
• 90g red, green and yellow peppers, sliced
• 100g cherry tomatoes, halved
• 40g fresh pomegranate seeds
• 100g sucrine/frisee lettuce, torn or diced
• 1 piece of Arabic bread
• 5 red radishes, sliced
• 8-10 leaves of fresh mint
• 5-10 fresh zaatar leaves

Dressing

• 100ml water
• 25g pomegranate molasses
• 30ml extra virgin olive oil
• 2ml sumac powder
• Salt and pepper to season

Preparation

1. Mix salad ingredients together in a large bowl
2. Cut the Arabic bread into small triangles and bake them in the oven for 6 minutes at 90 °C, leave to cool
3. In a small bowl, whisk together the pomegranate molasses, salt, pepper, sumac powder, and water
4. Gradually whisk in the olive oil to the mixture to form a dressing
5. Pour the dressing over the salad, and serve with the baked croutons