Recipe: Jewelled quinoa (or couscous) salad

This vibrant herbed salad is bursting with contemporary flavour with a touch of the Levant as a result of inclusion of tart pomegranate seeds. I’ve used New Zealand-grown quinoa for its pleasant chewy texture, although couscous would work simply as nicely (put together it in response to packet directions).

READ MORE:
* Recipe: Warm new potatoes and inexperienced beans with creamy chive dressing
* Recipe: Beetroot baked salmon with purple onion pickle
* Recipe: Mini berry pavlovas with pomegranate molasses caramel sauce
* Recipe: Grazing platter with grilled vegetable dips

Jewelled quinoa (or couscous) salad

Preparation time: 20 minutes

Cooking time: 15 minutes

Serves eight

Ingredients

four cups water

1 tsp salt

1½ cups quinoa or couscous (put together couscous in response to packet directions)

Large handful (about 100g) every parsley and mint, roughly chopped

Juice of 1 lemon, about four tbsp

four tbsp olive oil

Salt and pepper

200g cherry tomatoes, halved

Half telegraph cucumber, cubed

Seeds of half a pomegranate

Method

Bring the water to a boil in a big saucepan. Add the salt and quinoa and boil for 12-15 minutes till the quinoa is simply tender whereas nonetheless chewy. Drain totally in a sieve and unfold the quinoa in a shallow bowl to chill. Alternatively, if utilizing couscous, observe packet directions to organize. The quinoa or couscous might be ready the day earlier than and saved in a container within the fridge in a single day.

To put together the salad, in a big bowl mix the cooled quinoa (or couscous) with the chopped herbs, lemon juice and olive oil. Stir nicely and style, including additional lemon juice if wanted and season nicely. Fold by means of the tomatoes and cucumber and sprinkle over the pomegranate seeds. Cover till able to serve.