This Persian inspired salad has so many of my favourite Persian flavours – pomegranate, mint, cinnamon, nuts and olive oil – which all come together spectacularly in this show-stopping salad.
A little bit of turmeric goes a long way to make this bejewelled salad burst with colour and the colours of gold, red and green play beautifully together in this dish.
I love to get the almonds roasted almost to the point of burning so they’re extra toasty, roast a little longer if you’d love this effect too.
Servings: 4
Ingredients
- 2 cups white basmati rice
- 1 tsp turmeric powder
- 1 pomegranate seeds removed
- 1 cup dried cranberries
- 4 pcs radish finely sliced
- 1 cup almonds roasted and roughly chopped
- 1 medium red onion finely diced
- ½ tsp ground cinnamon
- ½ tsp cumin ground
- 1 handful of mint leaves roughly chopped
Dressing
- 2 tbsp pomegranate molasses
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- 1 clove garlic minced
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Prepare rice by washing until the water runs clear.
- Add 3 cups of water to a medium-sized saucepan along with the turmeric.
- Bring rice to the boil, then reduce to low until the water is gone. This should take 10-12 minutes.
- Remove from heat and allow to stand for two-five minutes. Remove lid and fluff with a fork then set aside to cool.
- As rice is cooking, roast the almonds for 4-8 minutes at 180 degrees. Check on them so they don’t burn. Once roasted remove and set aside to cool.
- Prepare the dressing by adding all ingredients to a small jar and shaking to emulsify and set aside.
- Add the cooled rice to a mixing bowl and toss rice as you pour over dressing gently. This will allow the oil to coat the rice and help it to separate in the salad.
- Add remaining ingredients, sprinkling the spices over to spread evenly and toss to combine, serve warm or cold. This salad can be made 12-24 hours in advance if kept in a tightly packed airtight container to prevent the rice from drying out.
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About the Author: Kate Parker
Kate Parker is a high school teacher, social media editor and passionate vegan foodie. Kate writes for her own blog Newcastle Vegan Guide as well as contributing to The Wholefood Collective. She loves showing how varied, creative and healthy, plant-based eating can be, and has taken every opportunity given to her in her 10 years of veganism to show off her cooking prowess. Kate has catered events large and small, ensuring that food provided is cruelty free and gentle on the planet.
