This Balela mixed bean salad is a dish with Middle Eastern origins. It’s a delectable salad that is vegan, gluten-free, and packed with fresh veggies, herbs, and other Arabic flavours. This filling salad is ideal for picnics, potlucks, and lunches as it can be eaten as a whole meal.
There are numerous reasons to adore these salads, including the fact that the majority of them are vegan, that they are packed with fresh herbs, and that they typically have a tasty, light dressing that gives them a light, refreshing flavour.
WHAT IS BALELA?
A variety of beans are blended with lots of fresh herbs, vegetables, sumac, olive oil, and freshly squeezed lemon juice to make balela, a mixed bean salad with a Middle Eastern flair.
It is a staple of practically all Middle Eastern mezzes.
What ingredients make up this mixed bean salad?
The following items are required to make mixed bean salad in the Middle Eastern style:
NOTES ON INGREDIENTS AND REPLACEMENT SUGGESTIONS:
Beans that have been cooked: For this salad, the most widely used beans are chickpeas and kidney beans. It can also be prepared using a variety of other beans. Make it with just one kind of bean if you only have that. Beans can be used either fresh or tinned.
In addition to using fresh cilantro in place of parsley.
Sumac: Sumac is a widely used spice in the Middle East. It is a tart berry, sometimes known as sumac, that grows in this area. It is available in dried and powdered form.
The substance that most closely resembles this spice is powdered anardana (dried pomegranate powder), an Indian spice. If neither of these are available, add extra lemon juice.
Olive oil: Make sure the oil is extra virgin and of high quality.
HOW IS IT MADE?
Step 1: Finely chop all the herbs and vegetables. Place them and the beans in a big basin.
Step 2: Add salt, ground black pepper, chopped garlic, sumac, and red chilli powder.
Add lemon juice and olive oil in step three.
Step 4: Gently whisk the ingredients together. Examine and correct the seasoning.
It’s time to serve your mouthwatering mixed bean salad made in the style of the Middle East.
a bean salad from the Middle East with fresh herbs on top.
WHAT SHOULD BE SERVED WITH BEANSALAD?
You may serve this vegan bean salad chilled or at room temperature.
You may serve it alongside some pita bread that has been lightly toasted, roasted vegetables, and hummus.
Additionally, this two-bean salad can be wrapped in lettuce or pita bread.
STORAGE ADVICE:
This salad keeps well in the fridge for a full day. In general, I don’t advise keeping salads with a lot of raw fruits and vegetables in the refrigerator for a long time because the produce starts to release water and loses its fresh flavour.
Personally, I like really crunchy, fresh salads.
If that’s okay with you, wrap the salad bowl in plastic wrap and keep it in the refrigerator for 3 to 4 days.
RECIPE ADVICE AND HINTS:
This salad will taste better with the addition of roasted cumin powder and za’atar.
Add chilli flakes to your cuisine if you like it hotter.
In this salad, home-cooked beans taste better. You can also use canned beans, though. Just be sure to thoroughly rinse them before using to get rid of the taste of metal.
Avoid overcooking beans when preparing them at home because they will get mushy in the salad.
Additionally, you might include pitted olives.
Ingredients:
cooked chickpeas, 1.5 cups
Red kidney beans, 1.5 cups
preferable one Persian cucumber
one medium tomato and one medium red onion
every colour bell pepper counts as one.
14 cup finely chopped fresh mint leaves and 1/2 cup freshly chopped parsley
2 to 3 minced garlic cloves
Lemon juice, 3–4 teaspoons according to taste
Sumac 1 tablespoon, red chilli powder 1/2 teaspoon according to taste
Salt as desired
To taste, black peppercorns
Extra virgin olive oil, two to three teaspoons
Instructions:
Slice all the vegetables very thinly.
In a large bowl, combine the beans, finely chopped veggies, herbs, garlic, sumac, red chilli powder, salt, and pepper.
Olive oil and lemon juice should be drizzled. Throw and relish!
ASKED QUESTIONS COMMONLY:
What flavour does sumac have?
Sumac lacks flavour and merely imparts an acidity to the food it is put to, much like the Indian spice anaardana.
Sumac is it gluten-free?
Sumac is a berry, hence it naturally lacks gluten. But before using it, take careful to read the ingredients list on the container if you’re following a gluten-free diet.
