Salata Adas
Region: Egypt
Category: Antipasto, Meze, Tapas, and Hors d'Oeuvres
Season: Any
Difficulty: Easy
Edward William Lane tells us in his classic book The Manners & Customs of the Modern Egyptians published in 1908 that many dishes prepared by the Egyptians consist wholy or for the most part of vegetables: “cabbage, purslane, spinach, bamiyeh [okra], beans, lupin, chick-pea, gourds, cut into small pieces, colocasia, lentils etc.” Called salāṭa cadas and made with tiny lentils slightly cooked with olive oil, garlic, and spices, I had this as a meze at the Tikka Grill, a restaurant on the corniche of Alexandria in Egypt.
Yield: Makes 6 servings
Preparation Time: 30 minutes
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
2 large garlic cloves, finely chopped
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground cumin seeds
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground coriander seeds
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground cardamom seeds
1/2 teaspoon ground fenugreek
1 cup dried brown lentils, picked over and rinsed well
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
1. In a small saucepan, heat 3 tablespoons olive oil over medium heat with the garlic and as soon as the garlic begins to sizzle remove from the burner, add the cumin, coriander, cardamom, and fenugreek, stir, and set aside.
2. Place the lentils in a medium-size saucepan of lightly salted cold water and bring to a boil. Cook until al dente, about 25 minutes from the time you turned the heat on. Drain and toss with the garlic, olive oil, and spices while still hot. Season with salt and pepper, toss, and arrange on a serving platter, drizzling the remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil over the top. Serve at room temperature.
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Posted: 04/28/2009
