This was my go-to salad at the time of writing this book. It’s hearty and filling and so, so moreish, and the leftovers keep well in the fridge for days – so well, in fact, that I made three notes in this recipe draft about how good the leftovers are!
SERVES
2 – 4
Ingredients
Dressing
1 quantity of The GOAT dressing – see linked below:
salad-accompaniments
Salad
Olive oil, for cooking
1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds
1/2 teaspoon coriander seeds, lightly crushed 1 cup (200g) medium-grain rice
1 teaspoon salt
2 cups (70g) kale, stems removed and finely chopped
200g haloumi, cut into 0.5–1 cm wide slabs 1 Lebanese (short) cucumber, seeds removed, diced
1 × 400g tin chickpeas, drained and rinsed 1/3 cup (40g) flaked or slivered almonds
3–4 tablespoons dried cherries
Handful each of flat-leaf parsley and dill Lemon juice, to serve
Directions
To cook the rice, place a lick of olive oil in the bottom of a saucepan set over a medium heat. Add the cumin and coriander seeds and cook for a couple of minutes, until fragrant. Add the rice, salt and 2 cups (500ml) of water, then cover with a lid. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a low heat and cook for 15 minutes. Remove from the heat and leave to sit, covered, for 5 minutes. Add the kale, stir, and sit for another 5 minutes so the kale can wilt a little before spreading onto a baking tray and allowing to cool. You can also do this ahead of time.
To cook the haloumi, heat a small amount of olive oil in a large, flat-bottomed frying pan over a medium heat. Once the pan is hot, add the haloumi and cook for approximately 3 minutes until golden brown on the underside. Flip, and cook for a further 3 or so minutes, then transfer to a chopping board and allow to sit for a minute before cutting into squares, approximately 1cm in size. (You can go bigger if you like, but the smaller they are, the more mouthfuls of glorious haloumi you get.)
When ready to serve, transfer the cooled rice and kale to a large mixing bowl. Add the cucumber, chickpeas, almonds, cherries, most of the herbs and most of the dressing and stir until well combined. Transfer half the salad to a serving dish and top with half the haloumi. Repeat with remaining salad and haloumi, then drizzle with the remaining dressing. Garnish with remaining herbs and a generous squeeze of lemon.
Recipe extracted from Epic Salads by Jessica Prescott,
published by Hardie Grant Books, RRP $65. Photography: Rochelle Eagle
