Lucy's Freekah Salad With Crunchy Veg, Roasted Almonds and Herbs

If I’m going to eat a salad for dinner, it’s gotta be robust enough to really fill me up, AND I especially love a salad that keeps well, and makes a delicious lunch the following day. This fresh and crunchy Freekah salad totally hits the mark!

I love the nuttiness of Freekah, however it’s not gluten free – for a gluten free option, try substituting quinoa, but be aware you may need to reduce the amount of dressing you add, as Freekah soaks up quite a lot of the dressing.

The colour and crunch of radishes and snow peas make this dish so vibrant, but really any crunchy raw veg can be added to this salad. Try fennel, sugar snap peas, even blanched frozen peas would be a great addition!

This makes a great side dish for fish, chicken or BBQ’d meat, and keeps well for about 3 days in the fridge.

Place the currants in a small bowl and cover with just-boiled water for about 20 minutes, to plump them up a bit and make them juicy.

Cook the freekah according to packet instructions – this can vary substantially, but usually means covering 1 cup of freekah with 2 cups of water in a small saucepan, bringing to the boil then turning down and simmering for about 20-30 minutes. Keep an eye on it, if the water dissolves too fast you may have to add more water. When cooked, the water will have dissolved completely and the freekah will still be a little nutty. (Don’t let it catch on the bottom of the pan!)

When the freekah is cooked, turn it out onto roasting pan or into a large mixing bowl, and spread out to allow the grains to dry out a bit and cool down completely.

Whilst the freekah is cooking, prep all your raw ingredients – slice snow peas longways, slice radishes into thin discs (use a mandolin if you have one), wash and roughly chop all herbs, and drain the currants.

Combine all dressing ingredients in a mixing bowl and whisk.

Combine all ingredients in a big mixing bowl and add your dressing. Add salt and pepper to taste.