I must admit, this isn’t the fastest salad to prepare. There is a lot of chopping! However if you have a mandolin (which I highly recommend buying!) it saves a lot of time, and also, for some inexplicable reason, vegetables just seem so much more delicious when sliced super thin.
Also, you’ll notice there is a bit of prep required for the corn, which ideally would be chargrilled over a BBQ before adding it to the mix. I KNOW this seems a bit ridiculous, but it REALLY makes a difference. Of course you can substitute tinned corn if you’re pressed for time… but you will miss the smokey flavour of the BBQ’d corn, which really gives this salad a fantastic depth of flavour, and somehow ties it all together.
Ingredients
Salad
1 cup red quinoa (white would also be fine)
4-5 small pink radishes
½ red capsicum
½ Lebanese cucumber
1 corn cob
4 spring onions
1 bunch flat leaf parsley
Handful of pine nuts, dry toasted lightly in a frypan (careful not to burn!)
1 teaspoon chopped preserved lemon rind (scoop out flesh, rinse rind under water and pat dry before you chop)
Dressing
4 tablespoons olive oil
3 tablespoons lemon juice
1 teaspoon sumac
1 teaspoon cumin
Salt flakes
Freshly ground black pepper
METHOD (SERVES FOUR AS SIDE DISH)
Okay, before I get started, a tip with quinoa – don’t overcook it. Much like rice, if you put too much water in, or if you leave it cooking for too long, it can go a bit soggy – ideally you want the grains to retain their nutty texture.
Read the specific instructions on the package – usually it’s best to rinse quinoa in a sieve under running water, then transfer to a pot with 2 cups of cold water for every cup of quinoa. Bring it to the boil then turn down to a simmer, and cook for 10-15 mins or until all liquid is absorbed.
As soon as it’s cooked, take the quinoa straight out of the pot and transfer into a large mixing bowl, separating the grains out with a fork to allow them to cool and dry off a bit.
Whilst your quinoa is cooling, you can be cooking your corn. I boil mine first for about 10 mins until it goes deep yellow, then take it straight out to the BBQ and grill for around 5 mins on each side, just enough to get a little charred and crispy round the edges.
Now for the chopping! Wash and slice your radishes and cucumber into thin discs, dice your capsicum, and finely chop your parsley and spring onion. Once your corn has cooled, slice the kernels from the cob.
Add all chopped ingredients to your mixing bowl with the cooled quinoa, and stir through the toasted pine nuts. At this point, add your chopped preserved lemon too.
The dressing I add as separate components. I don’t know why it just seems easier after all that chopping! And it means you can adjust the quantities as you go, according to your taste. SO first splash in your olive oil, then lemon juice, tasting as you go. Sprinkle in your teaspoon of sumac and cumin and combine well. Mix mix mix. Add salt ‘n pepper to taste.
