Jerusalem Salad
March 29th, 2007
Stumble it!
Tonight I went over to my friend Sandy’s house for falafel, and I agreed to bring the fixin’s. Stewart and I love falafel with Jerusalem salad, lettuce, hummus, and extra tahini sauce. We skipped the hummus this time, but I thought you might like the recipe for the sauce and the salad.
First thing’s first: tahini. It’s both a paste and a sauce made from crushed sesame seeds. The paste is similar to peanut butter in consistency, but it’s not as sweet. I quite dislike the paste straight up; I find it kind of bitter. But don’t base your judgment on tahini solely on how it tastes straight from the jar. I much prefer it in hummus, or mixed into creamy sauces for a nutty, almost cheesy flavor boost.
Tahini is also a sauce, but you really only run across this variation when you’re eating middle eastern food, like falafel. It’s simply tahini paste mixed with water, lemon juice, salt and sometimes olive oil and garlic. The simple additions do wonders for the flavor, turning into a great dressing. You’ll need the sauce for the Jerusalem salad, but make extra and keep some in the fridge.
Basic Tahini Sauce
Makes enough for Jerusalem Salad, plus extra for drizzling over falafel
1/4 Cup Tahini (paste)
1/4 Cup Water
2 Tbs Fresh Lemon Juice
1 Tbs Olive Oil
1/4 tsp Salt
Mix water and tahini until smooth with a whisk. Whisk in remaining ingredients and set aside (or chill).
Jerusalem Salad
Makes enough for 4-6 falafels in pitas
1 Medium Cucumber, peeled and diced (about 1 1/2 cups total)
3 Firm Plum Tomatoes, seeded and diced (about 1 cup total)
1 Handful Parsley, roughly chopped
3 Tbs Tahini (sauce)
Fresh Black Pepper
Extra Lemon
Extra Salt
Toss cucumbers, tomatoes and parsley in a bowl. Add tahini and toss to coat - salad should not be soupy. Grind fresh pepper over the top. Season with an extra dash of salt or squeeze of lemon if desired. Serve as a filling for falafel, or as a refreshing summer side salad.
Entry Filed under: recipe, salad, sauce/dressing
21 Comments Add your own
1. Joanna | March 29th, 2007 at 10:06 pm
Hee, your timing is perfect, I just bought tahini (paste) for the first time yesterday! I used it for an asian-inspired peanut-sesame-soy sauce to serve over noodles. And, I have all the ingredients for the salad on hand, which is rare because I usually eat cucumbers as soon as I buy them and I hardly ever buy fresh parsley. Do you have a good recipe for falafel?
2. Amey | March 30th, 2007 at 12:49 am
oooh yum! Nice recipes, once again! The only problem is, I need help with my falafel patties. I made the ones from VwaV once, and they were too moist to start with … and then horribly greasy after my frying attempt. It was a bit of a spoiler, unfortunately. Any tips?
3. Emmie | March 30th, 2007 at 1:44 am
I bought tahini yesterday too, thinking I’d use it next time I make falafel. I often make hummus without tahini, but I prefer it with. Thanks for the recipe for tahini sauce.
4. the village vegan | March 30th, 2007 at 7:17 am
Felafel (and middle eastern food in general) is one of my favourite foods ever! I make a variation on this salad pretty often, but it’s nice to see someone else’s version. I’ll definately be giving it a try. Thanks for sharing.
5. daphne | March 30th, 2007 at 8:16 am
for those looking for an authentic (i.e. deep fried and delicious) recipe for falafel, i recommend the one at hummus101.com
6. vincent | March 30th, 2007 at 8:39 am
Looks delicious! I’ve never made Jerusalem salad (I’m not big on cucumbers except in gaspacho), but your’s looks great! I love falafel, especially with pickled turnip.
7. Lolo | March 30th, 2007 at 8:53 am
Joanna - That’s so funny! That sauce you made sounds delicious. What’s the recipe, if you don’t mind me asking? I actually don’t have a good recipe for falafel. My friend used a boxed mix, and the one time I tried to make it from scratch it didn’t work out very well. I need to put it on my list of things to make!
Amey - Thanks! I need to work on falafel myself! The one time I made them they fell apart in the oil. I used canned chickpeas, but I hear soaked, dried chick peas work better. I need to try again. If I do I’ll let you know!
Emmie - No problem, thanks!
The Village Vegan - I’d love to see your version! Is it on your blog somewhere?
Daphne - Thanks, I’ll check it out!
Vincent - I love cucumbers, especially the way they smell. So refreshing! Unfortunately I don’t like anything pickled. I’ll eat all the cucumbers if you eat all the pickled things!
8. Sandy | March 30th, 2007 at 9:04 am
My feeling on falafel is this: why spend all the time and agony it takes to make it from scratch when the $1.99 box mix is perfectly enjoyable?
But that attitude is probably why the only recipe in my repertoire to make when Lauren and Stewart come over is falafel.
9. Lolo | March 30th, 2007 at 9:07 am
Sandy - Because it’s fun to make things from scratch! If I saw cooking as agony, I wouldn’t have a food blog, I guess.
You can make us falafel anytime! But it’s not the only thing you’ve made us, so don’t get all modest on me.
10. Maggie | March 30th, 2007 at 11:06 am
your pictures are effing amazing. you could probably boil a shoe, sprinkle some parsley on it, take a pretty picture and i’d be salivating all over my keyboard.
yours is by far the prettiest (handsomest?) vegan blog i’ve ever come across.
11. bazu | March 30th, 2007 at 12:12 pm
I love that salad and make it all the time in the summer! My mom also used to make a version with yogurt in the dressing. I call it “Shirazi Salad” but I know it has a million different names.
12. Lolo | March 30th, 2007 at 12:52 pm
Maggie - Thank you so much! You’re too kind. I’m so flattered!
Bazu - Oooh, yogurt is a good idea. I might try that too!
13. Sam Wilkinson | April 2nd, 2007 at 10:59 pm
This is good and all, but the Palestinians? They HATE it!
14. Alex | May 4th, 2007 at 9:35 am
Sam, to completely ignore the political content of your post, I think Palestinians and a lot of people all over the Middle East eat this salad or something like it.
15. Alex | May 5th, 2007 at 8:21 pm
Just made this, modified to include cous cous. I tried to buy Israeli cous cous, but the store I went to didn’t have it, but it was delicious nonetheless! Thanks!
16. bethie | August 13th, 2007 at 4:39 pm
ah, don’t forget the red onions
17. Jess | March 5th, 2008 at 4:32 pm
A salad very similar to this is made at our two local Moroccan restaurants. They add cumin and mint to theirs, though.
I’m going to make your version tonight and see how it differs!
Thanks for the idea!
18. gail | June 4th, 2008 at 11:40 am
I’m not sure if Sam’s comment is really political. My Palestinian friends make this salad without tahini or yogurt — just lemon juice and salt — and with mint instead of parsley. It’s a very different taste, but YUMMY.
19. Sam Wilkinson | June 11th, 2008 at 11:01 pm
I was kidding.
20. Victor | June 12th, 2008 at 7:35 pm
Great site I am a non- vegan and had my sister (Vegan) tell me about your site I thought I would not be much of a fan but after seeing all the creative ways you use fruits and veggies I am slowly converting. Thanks for all the great recipes…..
21. empecee | August 4th, 2008 at 3:44 pm
Along with a lot of the variations noted above, I like salads like this with either toasted or split and deep-fried pita bits included in the salad. numnum.
All-around fantastic site, Lolo.
Leave a Comment
Some HTML allowed:
<a href="" title=""> <abbr title=""> <acronym title=""> <b> <blockquote cite=""> <code> <em> <i> <strike> <strong>
Trackback this post | Subscribe to the comments via RSS Feed