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Lebanese cuisine is one of the most interesting in the world, based on spectacular combinations of spices, herbs, fresh vegetables and various types of meat. It's a very healthy cuisine in general, with strong Mediterranean influences.
You can feel the Mediterranean free spirit in the Lebanese cuisine, but also the oriental mystery. It is a unique blend of colors, fragrance and taste, which invites you to discover an exquisite culinary world.
Today we will prepare a very healthy and nutritious Lebanese salad, boiled chickpeas based.
Place the chickpeas beans in cold water the night before. Then drain the water, cook the chickpeas beans in water with a pinch of salt (with a teaspoon of bicarbonate) until it gets tender (about 1-2 hours). Drain the chickpeas and the beans and let them cool.
You can use ready cooked chickpeas and beans, canned, but the food will not be as healthy. However, I recommend you prepare yourself the chickpeas beans, to get an original taste (and a "clean" food, without additives and preservatives).
Remove the seeds from the tomatoes and cut the flesh into small cubes. Precede the same with the cucumber. Finely chop one red onion.
The herbs you need are mint and parsley. Be generous; add a lot of herbage in the salad.
Add all the ingredients near the cooled chickpeas beans.
Make a sauce of olive oil, lemon juice, half a teaspoon of paprika (sweet and / or hot), a quarter teaspoon of ground cumin, a pinch of salt.
Mix all ingredients and pour the sauce. Mix the salad and leave for 20 minutes for the flavors to penetrate.
It can be served as a mezze (appetizer). Place the platter in the middle of the table. The Arabs have this custom of serving food in the middle of the table as symbolizing the guests’ communion.
You can serve in a modern version, in small individual portions, amuse-bouche like.
Garnish with mint or basil leaves.
This salad is very soft and consistent. It can be served for dinner.
Bon appetit!
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