OCTOBER 2023

on top of the last and Aida does not begin
mixing until the very end.
Her choice of onion is the green
onion, which is the final vegetable to
be added. After experimenting extensively,
Aida has formed strong preferences
for particular varieties. “I like
the green onions; while they are milder
than sweet onion, they have lots of
flavor,” she says.
With all vegetables and the tomatoes
added, the fresh herbs are next on
the chopping block. First, Aida adds
the curly parsley. “I prefer the curly variety
because, to my taste buds, it has
more of a ‘green flavor.’ Also, it has a
bit of a crunch, compared to the Italian
flat-leaf parsley, which tends to, sometimes,
have a bitter taste.” The next
herb is fresh mint. “The mint gives the
salad that extra burst of flavor,” Aida
adds, excitedly.
Chickpeas are added next, for that
all-important protein, to complement
the mix and to create a nice balance
with the vegetables, fruit, and herbs.
After a long day, “I don’t want to eat
something heavy,” Aida says. If there
is not much time to cook, she tops the
salad with chickpeas for protein, to
make a complete meal. Chickpeas are
perfect as a meat alternative.
It’s worth noting that chickpeas are
also known as garbanzo beans. While
the two names sound completely unrelated,
they are in fact the same bean.
“Chickpea” is the common English term,
while “Garbanzo” is a Spanish word.
Whatever you prefer to call them, these
beans have been part of the Middle Eastern
diet for almost 10,000 years, sharing
different names across many cultures.
With fresh ingredients like these
it’s hard to go wrong, but dressing this
mixture is what makes Aida’s salad so
special. Her perfected blend begins by
sprinkling the sumac and dry mint.
That’s right—she adds dry mint in addition
to the fresh mint because it helps to
expand the flavor. While the fresh mint
provides the initial blast of fragrance,
dry mint helps the taste to linger until
the end of each delicious bite.
Aida tops that with a mixture of
equal-part lemon and lime juice. Next,
she adds the Greek olive oil, from a treasured
bottle, gifted by her son after his
honeymoon trip to Greece. And for the
grand finale, the Himalayan sea salt.
“This salt creates a perfect balance and
highlights all the flavors,” she says.
RECIPE
Mommy’s
Salad
Recipe shared by Aida Yousif
Ingredients:
Romaine lettuce
English cucumbers
Vine ripe tomatoes
Radish
Red cabbage
Celery
Green onions
Curly parsley
Fresh mint
Chickpeas
Sumac + dry mint
Lemon/lime juice mixture
Greek olive oil
Himalayan sea salt
Mixing Instructions:
Add the vegetables, fruit and herbs in the
order listed above. Salt must be added last
to capture the flavor of all the ingredients.
When the salt is added, “you will taste the
magic,” infused with sumac, dry mint,
olive oil and lemon-lime mixture, bringing
out a more intense flavorful taste of all the
vegetables and chickpeas.
OCTOBER 2023 CHALDEAN NEWS 43