VIBRANT BHEL PURI SALAD
Popped rice, pomegranate, poppadoms & peanuts
SERVES 4
20 MINUTES
2cm piece of ginger
2 teaspoons tamarind chutney extra virgin olive oil 1 pomegranate
1 lemon
50g unsalted peanuts
100g popped rice
1 red onion
1 cucumber
200g ripe mixed-colour cherry tomatoes
10 radishes, ideally with leaves 1 fresh green chilli
½ a bunch of fresh mint (15g)
½ a bunch of fresh coriander (15g) 2 uncooked poppadoms ½ teaspoon garam masala 50g Bombay mix
Peel and roughly chop the ginger and bash to a paste in a pestle and mortar, then add the tamarind chutney and 1 tablespoon of oil. Squeeze in the juice from half the pomegranate and all of the lemon, then muddle together and tip into a large salad bowl. Toast the peanuts and popped rice in a large dry nonstick frying pan on a medium heat until lightly golden (keep an eye on them, as they can easily catch), then remove from the heat and tip into the bowl.
Peel and very finely chop the onion, finely chop the cucumber, quarter the tomatoes and halve the radishes, then add to the bowl. Slice and add the chilli (deseed if you like), and pick in the herb leaves. Holding the remaining pomegranate half cut side down, bash the back of it with a spoon so all the seeds come tumbling out into the bowl. Puff up the poppadoms in the microwave for 30 seconds each, then scrunch over the bowl and sprinkle over the garam masala and Bombay mix. Toss everything together well and serve straight away.
Really nice with a dollop of coriander yoghurt.
HHH
Smashed up, these tasty bites make particularly good croutons for soup, or form the base of a fantastic ploughman’s salad with crunchy lettuce and cress.
NUTRITION PER SERVING
302 kcal; 16.7g fat (8g saturated); 9.4g protein; 30.7g carbs; 3.7g sugars; 1g salt; 4.4g fibre
Greenes restaurant in Cork’s Victorian Quarter has a year-round ethos of working with Irish food producers to create menus that are devoted to local, seasonal, foraged and organic ingredients – and now that promise is getting a festive flavour.
Executive head chef Bryan McCarthy has created a Christmas menu that includes local Cork ingredients such as Ballinwillin venison from Mitchelstown, Jack McCarthy’s black pudding from Kanturk, Twomey’s pork from Macaroon, Killahora rare apple ice wine from Killahora, and organic winter vegetables from Kilbrack Farm in Doneraile.
The Christmas Tasting Menu (€75) is just one offering from Greenes Restaurant this month. Diners can also choose from a Lunch Menu (€37.50), Early Bird Menu (€42.50), Christmas Set Menu (€65), as well as a la carte options.
For information on menus or to make a booking, visit greenesrestaurant.com or call 021 455 2279.