This is a light, simple and healthy lunch salad. I happened to try this salad when i was in London accompanying my hubs on his business trip.
A small deli of a greek restaurant was serving it along with some other yummy lunch options. Well i guess the name of the restaurant can be a bit misleading as far as the couscous part of salad is concerned. I initially thought it was a greek recipe well it turns out its not. I have been told (and i did my research as well) that couscous is not included in any of the traditional greek recipes. This may resemble Taboule recipe but not entirely.
Anyhow greek or not i did love the idea of this salad a lot. I am not sure what the original recipe is. But this is what i came up with which tastes very much similar to what i had in london. Give it a try when you are not in a mood to prepare a regular lunch or maybe even dinner.
Ingredients:
1/2 - 3/4 cups of cooked chickpeas/garbanzo beans
1/2 cup or less of cooked bengal gram (optional - this is something extra that i added)
1/2 cup of whole wheat dry couscous
1 green chili finely chopped
Lemon juice - Add as per your preference
1/4 cup of pomegranate seeds (gives a mild sweetness and crunch to the salad)
2- 3 tbsp each of chopped cilantro and parsley
Salt to taste
Olive oil
1) Cook the couscous as per packet instruction. This is what i did. In a medium saucepan combine half a cup of water, a little olive oil and salt . Bring it to boil and remove from heat. Pour half cup of dry couscous into the sauce pan. Stir well. Cover and let it stand for 5 mins. Fluff with a fork.
2) To the couscous add the boiled chickpeas, bengal gram, a dash of olive oil if required, green chili, pomegranate seeds, lemon juice, chopped parsley and cilantro. Toss everything together. Check for seasoning. Add more lemon juice or salt if required and serve.
You can even add onion and tomatoes to it for a different variation and flavor profile.