Fattoush

Another classic Middle Eastern dish. Fattoush is essentially a “bread salad” traditionally made with stale bread (fried or toasted) tossed with in season vegetables and herbs like lettuce, tomatoes, cucumbers, radishes, parsley, mint etc.and served with a zesty lemon dressing. A small bowl of salad such as this is served with lunch or dinner all around middle east.

Fattoush Salad became the dish that we would order every time we eat out or call for a take away from a Lebanese restaurant. I have tried to create my own version at home, and over several attempts have now landed on a recipe which I feel is just perfect.

Being a vegetarian, salads and mezzes are the integral parts of Middle Eastern cuisine, and fattoush is one of the main standouts. Even though it is made with seasonal vegetables and ingredients, it is a very vibrant salad and provides an intense, acidic flavour, which makes it perfect to eat as a main, side or even to fill in a wrap or pita. The pomegranate molasses provides the main acidic taste along with the lemon juice, and to make sure this isn’t too overpowering, maple syrup is added to balance the flavours.

There are many different versions of fattoush, which mainly depends on what vegetables are available in the region, but the stale bread or pita is essential to all variations. It provides a whole new texture, and helps cut out the balance of the acidity of the dressing and finishes the salad perfectly.

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Helpful Tips and Tricks to Make Fattoush Salad:

• If you’re preparing ahead, I recommend leaving decide to serve fattoush later, make the salad but don’t mix it with the dressing or the toasted pita. When ready to serve, toss the salad with the dressing and toasted pita and serve immediately. If you’re prepping ahead, I recommend leaving the dressing separate (refrigerate in a jar), leaving the crispy pita separate (I keep mine in a ziploc bag), and leaving the tomatoes off. They’re best added immediately before eating the salad…tomatoes kinda lose their flavor and texture in the fridge. You can make the toasted pita ahead of time, but it’s always best to make it fresh so it’s crispy. It’s best to let pita become a bit stale before frying it for this Lebanese salad. 
• Use fresh vegetables to make this recipe.There’s no rules when it comes to the vegetables you use in Fattoush. Its a great base recipe that you can build upon and dress up how you’d like.
• Don’t skip the sumac and pomegranate molasses, as they are the main ingredient for the dressing used in this recipe.

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Fattoush

Serves: 6 Prep Time: 20 Minutes Cooking Time: 15 Minutes 15 Minutes

Nutrition facts: 200 calories 20 grams fat

Rating: 5.0/5

( 3 voted )

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Ingredients

• 150 grams gem lettuce, roughly chopped
• 3 spring onions, finely chopped
• 2 small cucumber, cubed
• 1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
• 1/2 cup parsley, finely chopped
• 1/3 cup mint, finely chopped
• 1/2 cup red radish, cubed
• 1 small red onion, diced
• 1 Middle Eastern flat bread or pitta bread cut into 1" squares

For Dressing:

• 4 tbsp lemon juice
• 1.5 tsp apple cider vinegar
• 1 tbsp sumac
• 5 tbsp olive oil and some extra for baking
• 1 garlic clove, crushed
• 1.5 tbsp pomegranate molasses
• 1 tbsp maple syrup
• Salt and Pepper to taste

method

1. Preheat the oven at 200°C. Toss the cut flat bread or pitta bread with extra virgin olive oil and out it on a baking tray and bake for about 8-10 minutes, or until very crisp. Allow to cool.
2. Mix all the ingredients for the dressing together and keep aside.
3. In a large bowl add the lettuce, cucumbers, cherry tomatoes, radish, spring onions, red onions, mint leaves and parsley.
4. Just before serving add the dressing. Taste and adjust the seasoning accordingly. Add the baked flatbread and serve immediately.

Did You Make This Recipe?

If you did, take a picture and tag me on Instagram at @poetryofspices!