Author Notes
The name for this traditional Pakistani salad directly translates to a mix of tiny pieces, which is exactly what this is—uniform, tiny pieces of cucumber, tomato, cilantro, and red onion tossed in a lemon-cumin dressing. I have added a bejeweled twist with fresh pomegranate. Serve this with barbecue or curries. It makes a lovely accompaniment to South Asian food. —Sumayya Usmani
Ingredients
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1/2
cucumber, seeded, chopped into tiny pieces
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3
plum tomatoes, seeded, chopped into tiny pieces
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1
large red onion, peeled, chopped into tiny pieces
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1
handful of finely chopped cilantro leaves
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10
mint leaves, chopped finely
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1
handful pomegranate seeds
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1
lemon, squeezed
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1 teaspoon
dry-roasted cumin seeds
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1/2 teaspoon
chaat masala (optional, found in South Asian shops)
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1/2 teaspoon
sea salt
Directions
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Combine all of the vegetables together with the herbs and pomegranate seeds, then add the lemon juice, spices, and salt.
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Mix and keep refrigerated for 1 hour before serving, allowing the juice to permeate into the salad.
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Stir and serve cool.
Sumayya is a food writer and cookery teacher who grew up in Pakistan, but has now found home in Glasgow. Sumayya is passionate about sharing the flavours of her homeland with a view to highlight Pakistani cuisine as a distinct one. The author or two cookbooks: Summers Under The Tamarind Tree (Frances Lincoln) and Mountain Berries and Desert Spice (Frances Lincoln, out April 2017), her writing reminisces about food and memories growing up in Pakistan. She writes for many publications, appears on television, and co-presents BBC Kitchen Cafe weekly, on BBC Radio Scotland.
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