Fattoush
There's a competition here between Fattoush and Tabbouleh for being my favourite salad. Many put fried pita inside the fattoush. The way I do it is to keep it a refreshing healthy salad without the carbohydrates and the fat from the bread (or the fried bread). Another way is to grill the pita bread in the oven, but most importantly do not mix it with the salad. Serve your salad then mix the bread in your plate.
There's a competition here between Fattoush and Tabbouleh for being my favourite salad. Many put fried pita inside the fattoush. The way I do it is to keep it a refreshing healthy salad without the carbohydrates and the fat from the bread (or the fried bread). Another way is to grill the pita bread in the oven, but most importantly do not mix it with the salad. Serve your salad then mix the bread in your plate.
- salt
- paprika
- chili powder
- 2 medium lettuce chopped
- 4 large tomatoes diced into 1/2 inch cubes
- 5 medium cucumber thinly sliced
- 1 bunch fresh parsley coarsley chopped
- 2 medium sweet pepper green and cut into thick juliennes (4-5 mm)
- 1 bunch fresh mint leafed
- 10 medium radishes cut in half then thinly sliced
- 1 large yellow onion cut into quarter rings
- 2 stalks green onion thinly sliced
- 4 large lemons
- 1 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 4 tablespoons sumac
- Carbohydrate 18.2909137058824 g
- Cholesterol 0 mg
- Fat 11.0514819499005 g
- Fiber 5.06276996759106 g
- Protein 3.73821252941176 g
- Saturated Fat 1.56334103649873 g
- Serving Size 1 1 Serving (402g)
- Sodium 35.5893647060568 mg
- Sugar 13.2281437382913 g
- Trans Fat 0.547562659059776 g
- Calories 169 calories
Step-by-step
- Chop the roman lettuce and place them in a really big bowl.
- Cut the tomatoes into 1/2 inch cubes and add to the bowl.
- Slice the cucumber into thin disks and add them to the bowl (see notes below if using English Cucumber)
- Thinly slice the green onions and add to the bowl.
- Julienne the sweet pepper and add to the bowl.
- Thinly slice the radish in half circles and add to the bowl.
- Coarsely chop the parsley and add to the bowl.
- Remove the mint leaves from the stalks and add them whole to the bowl.
- Cut the yellow onion in half, then in half in 2 and thinly slice each quarter then add to the bowl.
- Sprinkle a bit of salt, paprika and chili powder (optional) to the bowl. Now since paprika and chili powder have the same colour, then better to put the chili powder first so you would be aware of the quantity you put, then follow with the paprika.
- Mix well.
- Juice the lemons (lemon zest is always optional but it surely gives a flavour)
- Add a small part of the olive oil to the lemon juice then add salt and mix. Taste. Adjust olive oil and salt. Taste. Repeat, until you get a mixture that is not neutral, but leaning a little bit towards the sour taste but definitely it should not taste oily.
- Add the sumac to the dressing and mix well. You will get a dark reddish juice.
- Pour all the juice in the vegetable bowl. Mix well and let it cool a bit in the fridge for 15 minutes before serving.
Raw vegetable salads hide a complex osmotic battle behind their crisp exteriors, where high surface-area ingredients like thinly sliced cucumbers and radishes immediately begin releasing cellular water upon contact with ambient salt. Mastering this dish requires balancing the aggressive extraction of moisture with structural preservation, specifically by delaying the integration of toasted bread until the exact moment of consumption to prevent complete textural degradation.
- Whisk four parts extra virgin olive oil to one part fresh lemon juice, adjusting until the emulsion leans noticeably tart without feeling heavy on the palate.
- Refrigerate the dressed vegetable mixture for exactly fifteen minutes to allow cellular tissue to firm up before serving.
- Store leftover vegetables in an airtight container for up to twenty-four hours, draining any accumulated liquid through a fine-mesh strainer before serving.
- Cube stale pita bread into half-inch squares and toast at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for eight minutes until dehydrated completely.
- Apply chili powder before paprika when seasoning directly in the bowl to visually track spice distribution across the chopped greens.
Proper acid-to-fat proportioning transforms raw roughage into a cohesive, vibrant dish without overwhelming the natural sweetness of tomatoes and peppers. Keeping toasted bread separate until plating preserves the crucial contrast between soft greens and crisp grain.
