Nohut Salatasi (Turkish Chickpea Salad)

This is the first Turkish entry on my blog. Hmm. Must remedy that. What do I know about Turkey except for the yummylicious Tarkan? You've probably heard him, even if you didn't know it. His hit "Simarik" has been remade by Stella Soleil and Holly Valance. I listen to his music. Honest! Buying the CD had nothing to do with his picture. ;)

When TS and JS of Eating Club Vancouver announced Turkey as the next country to explore for Regional Recipes, I had to do a bit of thinking. Kebabs? Baklava? Coffee? While I've certainly eaten my share of Middle Eastern cuisine, I don't know what I've had that was specifically Turkish.

Luckily a bit of Googling turned up Binnur's Turkish Cookbook and a simple recipe for Nohut Salatasi (Turkish Chickpea Salad). I love chickpeas and most of the salad seemed like my favorite Greek Salad so it was very do-able. I increased the amount of tomatoes and olives used in the original recipe and decreased the salt, cumin, and cayenne pepper. I also used fresh mint instead of dried. The result was a lovely chopped salad with a bit of kick from the cayenne. The chickpeas made this hearty enough for me to enjoy as dinner.


Nohut Salatasi (Turkish Chickpea Salad)
Adapted from Binnur's Turkish Cookbook

You'll need:
1 14-oz can chickpeas, drained
1 14-oz can black olives, drained
4 Roma tomatoes, large dice
1 small red onion, thinly sliced
4 oz feta cheese, crumbled

For dressing, you'll need:
1 small lemon, juiced
2 tblsp olive oil
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
1/2 tsp ground black pepper
2 sprigs mint, chopped
2 cloves garlic, finely minced

Drain the cans of chickpeas and olives and dump into a salad bowl. Add 4 diced Roma tomatoes and 1 small red onion, thinly sliced. Crumble in the feta cheese.

Add the juice of 1 small lemon, 2 tblsp olive oil, 1/2 tsp salt, 1/2 tsp ground cumin, 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper, 1/2 tsp ground black pepper, and 2 sprigs mint and 2 cloves garlic, finely minced.

Toss and serve immediately if you wish. Although, ideally, if you have time, refrigerate the salad for at least half an hour to allow the flavors to meld.

Enjoy!

I'm submitting this recipe to Regional Recipes, a food blogging event created by Darlene of Blazing Hot Wok, in which a different culture and cuisine is explored each month. Please read the Regional Recipe rules to see if you'd like to participate. Darlene of Blazing Hot Wok is this month's host and we're spotlighting Turkish cuisine.

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1 year ago today, a reader makes my chao tom (Vietnamese sugarcane shrimp paste) recipe but with fish.
2 years ago today, an orange phosphate, a hot fudge sundae, and a macadamia nut malt at Fair Oaks Pharmacy and Soda Fountain - South Pasadena.