Hummus Loaded With Shirazi Salad
I've come across, tasted and experimented with so many salads over my years, but this Shirazi Salad is one of my absolute favorites! A combination of cucumbers, tomatoes and onions, dressed in lemon juice, olive oil and loaded with delicious herbs, this Hummus Loaded With Shirazi Salad is the way to go!
You don't know salad until you've tried it the Shirazi way, a salad that is loved and enjoyed in Iran, my beautiful hometown.
A Taste of the Mediterranean
A Shirazi Salad Speciality
This salad is a must and makes a daily appearance on most Persian lunch and dinner tables. There will also never be a single Persian restaurant in this world who doesn't serve Shirazi salad. How bold of a statement, i know!? But it is completely true!
I remember my grandmother always grabbing these ingredients from her fridge and sitting down to quickly put this together right before she served lunch or dinner; never using a chopping board either, always free handing it and somehow she would still cut everything into perfect cubes.
After the seasoning is added, along with the juices of the cucumber and tomatoes, you end up with the most delicious juice at the base of the bowl. It is tradition to simply drink this juice and often you will find everyone fighting over it, similar to Tahdig.
Top Tips for your Hummus Loaded With Shirazi Salad Recipe
The biggest tip I can give you when making this Hummus Loaded With Shirazi Salad is cutting your cucumber, tomatoes and onions... unified cutting is the way to go! The best way to get a Shirazi Salad that looks and tastes amazing is to cut the vegetables in unified small cubes.
Fancy mixing it up? Once i've perfected my Shirazi Salad, I love to pair it with hummus and a side of pitta bread. Super delicious is an understatement! The way the flavours marinate together, you can't go wrong.
If you don't have fresh mint, you can use dry mint, works just at well :) I used a whole large British cucumber in my recipe but if you're using Persian cucumber, you can use 4 medium or 3 large ones. Every chef loves to experiment, and i've seen Shirazi Salad made in so many different ways, but i've made this recipe with a special twist of my own, try it out and let me know what you think.
A beautiful combination of taste and colour
What dishes can be served with Shirazi Salad?
Shirazi Salad is loved by many because of its unique and bold taste. It can be served with many different dishes, which helps so much when you're thinking about what to put together for a quick fix dinner!
It's perfect for a quick soup and salad starter, a colourful, beautifully presented Shirazi Salad with a bowl of Chicken and Vegetable One Pot Orzo Soup or my Simple Dal Tadka with Extra Garlic and Chilli. The salad also works perfectly with all types of main courses, you can try it with my quick and easy Sweet Pepper and Dill Salmon with Buttery Dill Rice or with my Persian Ramadan Lamb and Lentil Shami Kofta.
You can also go the extra mile, a taste of Iran and UK with my Classic English Shepherds Pie and a side of appetizing Shirazi Salad.
Ingredients
For the hummus:
- Chickpeas
- Tahini
- Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- Garlic
- Water
- Ice Cubes
- Lemon
- Salt
- Ground Cumin
- White Pepper
For the Shirazi Salad:
- Cucumber
- Tomatoes
- Red Onion
- Lemon
- Mint
- Salt
- Black Pepper
- Olive Oil
Step by Step
To make your hummus from scratch, start by putting the chickpeas in a pot topped with water. Place on medium to high heat and allow to boil for 30 minutes until the chickpeas become so tender and easily soft to squeeze between two fingers. The skin should be easily removed.
To remove the skin, rub the chickpeas lightly between your hands, this loosens the skin. Pour cold water in the pot and all the skin should rise to the surface, at this point you can remove them all. Do this process a few times. you don't need all the skin removed, just some.
Drain the chickpeas fully and toss the cooked chickpeas in a smoothie blender for the smoothest hummus. Add tahini, cumin, salt, garlic cloves, lemon juice, water and pepper. Puree the chickpeas until there are no pieces or lumps, about 3 minutes.
Add the ice and blend for another 3 minutes until everything is fully blended. You will see that the ice instantly brightens the hummus.
While the blender is running, slowly drizzle extra virgin olive oil in a continuous thin line. This will make your hummus super smooth.
Place the hummus in the fridge to cool down and serve up with an extra drizzle of olive oil.
Be as creative as you want when plating up the hummus to make your Hummus Loaded with Shirazi Salad.
For your Shirazi Salad, chop up the cucumber, tomatoes and onions, uniformly, into small cubes and put them in a bowl.
Add the juice of one lemon, chopped mint leaves, salt, black pepper and a generous amount of olive oil and give it a good mix.
Decorate your hummus with your Shirazi Salad, a side of pitta bread and there you have it.
Serve and enjoy :)
Why give Shirazi Salad a try?
I may be a little bias when it comes to Shirazi Salad because i've been eating it for as long as I can remember, but I can honestly say its one of the most unique salads in terms of flavour and pairs so well with many Persian dishes especially as well as many others, from all over the world.
Shirazi Salad only needs 3 main ingredients, cucumbers, tomatoes and red onions - which are very likely sitting in your pantry now, perfect right!?
The dressing is the perfect mix between sour, herby and fresh! You can of course experiment with the dressing and add other herbs along the way, but keeping it simple like I have done in this recipe is definitely the way to go. Shirazi Salad will always be one of my favourite go-to salads :)
Frequently Asked Questions
What can I serve with Hummus Loaded with Shirazi Salad?
How can I store my Hummus Loaded with Shirazi Salad?
Where did Shirazi Salad originate from?
If you do make this recipe, please tag me on Pinterest or Instagram so I can see! It's my favorite thing to scroll through stories and see what you are all making.
And of course feel free to leave any questions, comments, or reviews! This is the best place to reach me, and I'd love to hear from you :)
Must Try Recipes
- 2 can drained chickpea (480g cooked)
- 1 cup tahini (240g)
- 1 cup olive oil (extra virgin)
- 7 clove garlic
- 1/4 cup water
- 5 ice cubes
- juice of one lemon
- 2 tsp salt
- 2 tsp ground cumin
- 1/2 tsp white pepper
- 1 large british cucumber
- 3 medium tomatoes
- 1 medium red onion
- juice of one lemon
- 3 tbsp chopped mint leaves
- salt to taste
- 1 tsp black pepper
- generous amount of olive oil
To make your hummus from scratch, start by putting the chickpeas in a pot topped with water. Place on medium to high heat and allow to boil for 30 minutes until the chickpeas become so tender and easily soft to squeeze between two fingers. The skin should be easily removed.
To remove the skin, rub the chickpeas lightly between your hands, this loosens the skin. Pour cold water in the pot and all the skin should rise to the surface, at this point you can remove them all. Do this process a few times. you don’t need all the skin removed, just some.
Drain the chickpeas fully and toss the cooked chickpeas in a smoothie blender for the smoothest hummus. Add tahini, cumin, salt, garlic cloves, lemon juice, water and pepper. Puree the chickpeas until there are no pieces or lumps, about 3 minutes.
Add the ice and blend for another 3 minutes until everything is fully blended. You will see that the ice instantly brightens the hummus.
While the blender is running, slowly drizzle extra virgin olive oil in a continuous thin line. This will make your hummus super smooth.
Place the hummus in the fridge to cool down and serve up with an extra drizzle of olive oil.
Be as creative as you want when plating up the hummus to make your Hummus Loaded with Shirazi Salad.
Chop up the cucumber, tomatoes and onions, uniformly, into small cubes and put them in a bowl.
Add the juice of one lemon, chopped mint leaves, salt, black pepper and a generous amount of olive oil and give it a good mix.
Decorate your hummus with your Shirazi Salad, a side of pitta bread and there you have it.
Serve and enjoy
I'm Nelly, the recipes I share here are inspired by the people, cultures and places beloved to me. Peanutswirls represents my love for food, cooking and hosting. I hope to share with you a taste of the Middle East influnced by my upbringing in the West.
I can't wait to see what we cook together.
