Za'atar Lamb Salad With Hummus & Green Tahini Dressing
We're serving a creamy homemade hummus with a hearty roast lamb salad & a punchy green tahini dressing. This one's best served with toasted pitta.
Servings: 6 People
Equipment
- Food Processor
- Blender
- Mixing Bowl
- Juicer
Ingredients
Hummus
- 400 g Chickpeas (Drained Weight - See Notes)
- 100 g Tahini
- 75 g Olive Oil
- 2 tbsp Lemon Juice
- 2 tsp Honey
- 2 Garlic Cloves (Grated)
- ½ tsp Ground Cumin
- Chickpea Water (Or Cold Water - See Notes)
Green Tahini Dressing
- 75 g Tahini
- 65 g Cold Water
- 15 g Olive Oil
- 15 g Coriander
- 15 g Flat Leaf Parsley
- 5 g Mint
- 2 tbsp Lime Juice
- 1 Garlic Clove
Za'atar Dressing
- 2 tsp Sesame Seeds
- 2 tsp Dried Oregano
- 2 tsp Sumac
- 3 tbsp Olive Oil
- 1 tbsp Lemon Juice
Lamb Salad
- 300 g Leftover Roast Lamb (Cut Into Small, Thin Pieces)
- 200 g Cherry Tomatoes (Cut Into Quarters)
- 2 Little Gem Lettuces (Washed & Shredded)
- 1 Red Onion (Thinly Sliced)
- ½ Cucumber (Halved Down The Length & Sliced)
To Serve
- Pitta Breads (Toasted)
- Sumac (For Sprinkling On Top)
Instructions
Hummus
- Set a sieve over a jug/bowl then drain the chickpeas through the sieve. Place the drained chickpeas into a food processor & set the chickpea water (aquafaba) to one side.
- To the food processor, add the tahini, olive oil, lemon juice, honey, grated garlic & cumin. Season well with salt & pepper then start blending.
- Blend the chickpeas for a minute then gradually add in chickpea water (with the food processor still running), to adjust the hummus to your desired consistency. Keep blending the hummus, until it is smooth. This will take 3-4 minutes at least!Regularly give the sides of the food processor a scrape down with a rubber spatula.
- Next, give the hummus a taste, to check the seasoning then add in more salt & pepper as needed. Give the hummus another quick blend then transfer to a container. Store the hummus in the fridge until needed.
Green Tahini Dressing
- Add the tahini into a blender with the water, olive oil, herbs, lime juice & garlic. Season with salt & pepper then blend until smooth.
- Scrape the sides of the blender down with a spatula then give the dressing a taste to check the seasoning.
- Add in more salt & pepper as needed then give the dressing another quick blend. Transfer to a bowl then store in the fridge until needed.
Za'atar Dressing
- Add the sesame seeds into a small frying pan then toast over a medium heat, until golden.
- Transfer the toasted seeds to a large mixing bowl then add in the dried oregano, sumac, olive oil & lemon juice. Season with salt & pepper then stir to combine.
Lamb Salad
- Add the roast lamb, cherry tomatoes, shredded lettuce, sliced onion & cucumber into the bowl with the dressing.
- Season the salad with salt & pepper then stir/toss to combine.
To Serve
- Add a generous amount of hummus into bowls then spread out with the back of a spoon, to make a pocket in the centre for the salad to sit in.
- Next, spoon a good amount of the lamb salad into the centre of each bowl of hummus then drizzle some of the green tahini dressing over the top.
- Sprinkle each salad with a pinch of sumac then add a toasted pitta to the side of each bowl and serve.
Notes
1. Chickpeas - You'll need 400 grams of cooked chickpeas for the hummus, which is the drained weight. You'll also the water that the chickpeas are stored with in the tin. A good quality jar/tin of chickpeas works best, I used a jar from the Bold Bean Co. If you're using tinned chickpeas, you'll most likely need to use 2 tins but make sure to check the drained weight (it should say on the side of the tin!).
2. Water For Hummus - We're using the water from the jar of chickpeas to thin out our hummus as it blends. Cold water will also work. Make sure to add this in gradually, to avoid making the hummus too thin.
3. Roast Lamb - The lamb salad uses cold, leftover roast lamb. I used leftovers from making my slow roasted leg of lamb but any sort of cooked lamb will work. Some smoked lamb shoulder will also work well.
4. Storage - Both the hummus & green tahini dressing can be made up to 3 days in advance & stored in the fridge. The lamb salad is best served the same days as it is made but will keep for up to a day in the fridge.