Chickpea and Cucumber Bowl
Salted cucumber, drained, so the bowl does not turn into a puddle by lunchtime.
Every cucumber salad that gets made in the morning is soup by one in the afternoon. Salting the cucumber and pouring off what comes out is the entire fix, and it takes ten minutes of doing nothing.
What is left is firmer, more seasoned, and does not dilute the dressing.
Ingredients
| Amount | Ingredient |
|---|---|
| 1 | large cucumber, diced |
| 1 tsp | salt, for the cucumber |
| 1 can | chickpeas, drained and rinsed |
| 3 tbsp | olive oil |
| 1 | lemon, juiced |
| 1/2 tsp | ground coriander |
| 1 handful | mint or parsley, torn |
| 2 oz | feta, optional |
Method
- Toss the diced cucumber with the salt in a sieve set over a bowl. Leave it ten minutes.
- Press it gently with the back of a spoon. A surprising amount of water comes out; throw it away.
- Dry the chickpeas properly on a cloth. Wet chickpeas repel dressing.
- Whisk the oil, lemon juice and coriander together.
- Combine everything and fold the herbs through last.
- No extra salt until you have tasted it. The cucumber brought its own.
Notes
- The chickpea skins slip off if you rub them in the cloth. Removing them takes four minutes and makes the bowl noticeably better; skipping it is also fine.
- It keeps two days and the mint blackens on the second. Add herbs per portion if you are making it ahead.
- A pinch of sugar in the dressing does more for a sharp lemon than more oil does.
Questions
Dried chickpeas?
Soak overnight and simmer an hour. They are better and this recipe was not written around the extra day.
Can I add grains?
Bulgur or couscous, cooked and cooled. It stops being light and becomes lunch that lasts until dinner.
Is the salting really necessary?
For eating now, no. For a lunchbox, it is the difference between a salad and a bowl of liquid.