- 2 tbsp tahini
- 1 garlic clove
- 1 lemon
- 1½ tsp ground cumin
- 400g tin of green lentils
- 400g bunched carrots
- 50g watercress
- 1 red onion
- 1 chilli
- Sea salt
- Freshly ground pepper
- 11/2 tbsp olive oil
- 1.
Spoon your tahini into a large bowl. Peel and finely chop or grate your garlic. Swirl it through the tahini along with the finely grated zest from your lemon, 1 tbsp lemon juice, 1 tsp cumin and a pinch of salt. Taste. Add more cumin or lemon, a little pepper, more tahini and/or a splash of water, till it's so good you want to eat the lot.
- 2.
Drain and rinse your lentils. Fold them through the tahini dressing. Spoon them onto 2 serving plates or a large platter.
- 3.
Trim the tops off the carrots (see our tip below), then give the carrots a good scrub. Use your veg peeler to turn your carrots into ribbons by basically 'peeling' it till you get to the centre (or get bored). Nibble the middle of the carrots or thinly slice them and add to the salad, along with the ribbons.
- 4.
Mound the watercress on top. Halve, peel and thinly slice your onion. Get a frying pan hot. Add 1 tbsp oil. Swirl the onion through the oil. Add a pinch of salt. Sizzle over medium-high heat for 5 mins till golden and crisp. Spoon over the salad.
- 5.
Thinly slice your chilli. Sizzle it in the remaining oil (add more, if needed) till a little crisp. Scatter over the salad. Finish with a final gloss of 1/2 tbsp oil, a spritz of lemon juice and a dusting of cumin.
- Tip
You're the tops
Carrot tops taste a little like parsley, so don't bin them. Instead, give them a rinse, pat dry and wrap them in kitchen paper. Keep them in your fridge, and use them up by making a carrot top tabbouleh. Soak 2-3 tbsp bulgar wheat in boiling water for 10 mins. Drain and pop in a bowl. Chop all the carrot tops and stir them in with a handful of chopped mint leaves, 3-4 finely chopped spring onions, 2 diced tomatoes, a pinch of cumin and mixed spice, 2 crushed garlic cloves, a squeeze of lemon jucie and a drizzle of olive oil.
