/

Pomegranate, Cucumber & Puffed Rice

Aromatic, crunchy, refreshing.
Serves
Serves 4 as a side salad
Total Time
15 Minutes
Ingredients
1 small pomegranate
400g of cucumber
1 tsp of coriander seeds
1 tsp of cumin seeds
2 tbsp of groundnut oil
1 tsp of garam masala
1 tsp of curry powder
50g of almonds, whole and skinned
1 x 400g can of chickpeas
30g of hemp seeds
30g of sunflower seeds
30g of unsweetened puffed rice
Handful of parsley
Olive oil, to serve
Method
Step 1

Crack open the pomegranate and remove the seeds, putting them into a mixing bowl and discarding any white pith as you go. Peel the cucumber, lightly, leaving as much colour as you can, then cut in half lengthways. Scrape out the seeds and pith with a teaspoon and discard, then cut the flesh into small dice. Toss the cucumber and pomegranate together.

Step 2

Put the coriander and cumin seeds in a shallow pan and warm them over a gentle heat. Let them cook, moving them around the pan, until crisp and fragrant. Remove the pan from the heat and tip the toasted seeds into a mortar. Crush them to a fine powder.

Step 3

Warm the groundnut oil in the shallow pan, then, keeping the heat low, add the coriander and cumin, garam masala and curry powder, then the almonds. Warm the nuts and spices, moving everything round the pan so it doesn't burn. Drain and rinse the chickpeas and stir them into the spices and almonds, together with the hemp and sunflower seeds and the puffed rice. Tear the parsley leaves from their stalks and add to the bowl. Tip the warm chickpea mixture into the pomegranate and cucumber, add a trickle of olive oil, then toss gently together and serve.

Recipe courtesy of Greenfeast by Nigel Slater, photography courtesy of Jonathan Lovekin

Fashion. Beauty. Culture. Life. Home
Delivered to your inbox, daily