Middle Eastern tahini salad

Ingredients

• 2 tomatoes, cut into small or medium cubes
• 2 cucumbers, cut into small or medium cubes
• 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• 1 hot chili pepper, chopped
• Sea salt
• 1/2 cup (130 ml) tahini
• The juice of 1 lemon
• 1/2 cup (125 ml) water
• 1 tbsp dried mint
• Olive oil, to garnish

Method

This wonderful salad goes well with just about every Middle Eastern dish. It's rich in flavour, very appetizing, and is one of my favourites. 

To spice it up, you can also add chopped hot pepper. You can serve this along side any veggie burger, or with falafel, accompanied by hot pita bread. 

It's a great one to serve up for guests, and also fantastic as an accompaniment to vegan BBQs.

Dice up the tomatoes and cucumbers, and combine them together in a medium bowl.

Crush your garlic, hot pepper and salt in a mortar. Add them in the bowl to your chopped tomato and cucumber. Meanwhile, make the tahini sauce.

Add the tahini, salt, lemon and water in a separate bowl and mix well. This dressing takes a bit of stirring to blend well and become creamy.

Pour dressing onto the salad, mix, and add the mint.

Place in the refrigerator for at least 20 minutes to allow the flavours to blend, and for the dressing to marinate with the tomatoes and cucumber.

Serve with a swirl of olive oil on top. And Enjoy!

Yasou: A Magical Fusion of Greek & Middle Eastern Vegan Cuisine by Miriam Sorrell (Greenhouse Publications) is out now.