Fattoush (Levantine Bread Salad)
Fattoush is a cold Levantine salad made with tomatoes, cucumber, a small onion, mint, purslane, garlic, dried mint, sumac, salt, pomegranate molasses, olive oil, and toasted bread, with radishes and black olives as optional additions. The chef explains that the bread is brushed with a mixture of olive oil, garlic, and sumac, then dried in the microwave or oven and added at the end so it stays crisp. The vegetables are then tossed with the dressing and the dish is served cold.
A Lebanese-style salad of chopped vegetables and herbs with a sour sumac dressing, usually served with crunchy pieces of bread.
Fattoush should be fresh, crisp, and very bright in flavor. Lemon, sumac, and sometimes pomegranate molasses give it its signature sour taste.
Ingredients
- Quantity according to the number of people Tomatoes
- Quantity according to the number of people Cucumber
- Quantity according to the number of people Small onion
- Quantity according to the number of people Mint
- Quantity according to the number of people Purslane
- Optional Radishes
- Quantity according to the number of people Garlic
- Quantity according to the number of people Dried mint
- Quantity according to the number of people Sumac
- Quantity according to the number of people Salt
- Quantity according to the number of people Pomegranate molasses
- Optional Black olives
- Quantity according to the number of people Vinegar
- Quantity according to the number of people Olive oil
- Quantity according to the number of people Toast bread
- A little White vinegar
Instructions
- Wash the vegetables and herbs in a suitable bowl.
- Coarsely chop the tomatoes and cucumber into the mixing bowl.
- Slice the small onion into the mixing bowl.
- Finely chop the mint with a knife on the cutting board.
- Pick the purslane leaves if they are small, then wash them and place them in the mixing bowl.
- Finely chop the radishes with a knife if you choose to use them, then add them to the mixing bowl.
- Place the black olives in the mixing bowl if you choose to use them.
- In a small bowl, mix the olive oil with garlic, sumac, dried mint, salt, a little vinegar, and pomegranate molasses.
- Brush the loaf of bread with the olive oil, garlic, and sumac mixture on a plate or clean surface.
- Cut the brushed bread with a knife or scissors on the cutting plate.
- Spread the bread pieces on a microwave-safe plate or on an oven tray.
- Dry the bread in the microwave until toasted, or dry it in the oven if a microwave is not available.
- Add the dressing to the bowl of vegetables and toss the ingredients lightly in the mixing bowl.
- Add the toasted bread last to the mixing bowl and toss lightly.
- Transfer the fattoush to a serving platter.
- Drizzle pomegranate molasses over the top on the serving platter.