A classic flavour-packed Cypriot Grain Salad with a honey and Greek yoghurt dressing topped with sweet and juicy pomegranate seeds. Inspired by chef George Calombaris' famous 'Hellenic Republic' recipe, this salad will feed a crowd and is perfect for summer BBQs or Christmas.
Summer is by far my favourite season of the year.
I love it for the sunshine, hot weather, longer days, weekend BBQs and of course, ALL the fresh salads!
And this salad is my number 1 favourite salad EVER!
Big call I know... but I make it every single Christmas, anytime I'm asked to bring a salad or whenever we have a BBQ.
It's that good! In fact, it's better than good. It's AMAZING.
Chef George Calombaris 'Hellenic Republic' Inspired Recipe
As much as I would love to claim this recipe as my own... sadly I cannot!
This recipe is inspired by chef George Calombaris' famous salad from his 'Hellenic Republic' Greek restaurant in Melbourne.
Over the years I've made some ingredient adaptations to the recipe to make it even quicker and easier, but with the same amazing flavours.
The salad is packed full of grains, nuts, seeds and fresh herbs and then dolloped with a very generous amount of Greek yoghurt, honey and cumin dressing.
But of course, the real star of the show is the juicy, sweet pomegranate seeds on top.
Don't be daunted by the quite lengthy ingredient list, it's actually a super quick and simple salad to make and is a guaranteed family favourite (...even my 5 year old son loves this one!).
And please do yourself a favour and check out my tips below for the easiest, no-fuss way to deseed a pomegranate!
Why You're Going To Love This Salad
This salad is simply bursting with flavour!
It's fresh, fabulous and absolutely screams summer.
- Healthy - with lots of fresh herbs, nuts, lentils, seeds and quinoa, this salad packs a nutritional punch.
- Feeds A Crowd - my Cypriot Grain Salad easily serves 8 (or more if serving with other salads or sides). We always have leftovers which still taste amazing the next day.
- Perfect For Celebrations & BBQs - the flavours in this salad pair perfectly with any kind of roast meat, BBQ meat or seafood. It's light, fresh and full of flavour.
- Time Saving Option - if you don't have time to cook quinoa then you can use a packet of precooked brown rice instead.
- 20 Minute Recipe - this recipe will be ready to eat in just 20 minutes. How quick is that!?
What You Need
This salad is full of nutritious and flavour-packed ingredients.
Note: Please scroll to the recipe card at the bottom of the post for ingredient quantities and the full detailed method.
For The Salad
- Quinoa - alternatively you can substitute the quinoa with freekah or save time by using a store-bought packet of precooked brown rice.
- Pumpkin Seeds, Slivered Almonds & Pine Nuts - these nuts and seeds are lightly toasted for added crunch. If you don't have one of the varieties of nuts or seeds (or are catering for food allergies), then you can simply increase the amount of the others used.
- Fresh Coriander & Parsley - Cypriot Grain Salad gets it's beautiful freshness from the coriander and parsley. Neither of these herbs are over-powering (even the coriander!!!) in this salad and they perfectly compliment the nuts, seeds and currants. I know that lots of people (myself included!!!), don't particularly like fresh coriander, but I highly recommend that you include it in this recipe as the flavour blends in beautifully.
- Red Onion - chopped finely.
- Lentils - use a can of store-bought lentils. Rinse and drain before adding to the salad.
- Capers - baby capers may be tiny but they add a BIG flavour punch to the Cypriot Grain Salad.
- Currants - currants add little tiny bursts of sweet flavour.
- Lemon Juice & Olive Oil - you can use either fresh or bottled lemon juice for this recipe. These are used to combine the salad ingredients together.
For The Dressing
- Greek Yoghurt - choose a thick Greek or natural yoghurt.
- Honey - honey gives the dressing a lovely sweetness. If you can't access honey, you can use maple syrup or corn syrup instead.
- Ground Cumin - you can buy ground cumin from the spices section of any major supermarket or grocer.
- Pomegranate Seeds - either deseed your own pomegranate using my tips below or buy a packet of pomegranate seeds from the fruit and vegetable section of the supermarket. Packaged pomegranate seeds are generally only available around Christmas time, so if you're making this salad throughout the year, you will need to deseed a pomegranate yourself.
Step By Step Instructions
Just a few simple steps and 20 minutes is all it takes to make a delicious Cypriot Grain Salad.
Note: Please scroll to the recipe card at the bottom of the post for ingredient quantities and the full detailed method.
Step 1 - Cook The Quinoa
Cook the quinoa according to the packet instructions (you can do this in the microwave or on the stove-top.
Drain any excess liquid and allow to cool while you prepare the remaining ingredients.
Step 2 - Toast The Nuts & Seeds
Over low/medium heat, toast the nuts and seeds in a frying pan until lightly golden. Set aside to cool.
Step 3 - Combine The Salad Ingredients
In a large bowl, add all of the salad ingredients including the lemon juice and olive oil.
Mix until very well combined.
Transfer to a serving dish.
Step 4 - Prepare The Dressing
Place the Greek yoghurt, honey and ground cumin into a bowl.
Mix together until well combined.
When ready to serve, dollop the dressing over the top of the salad and sprinkle with pomegranate seeds (see below for tips!)
How To De-Seed A Pomegranate
My first attempt de-seeding a pomegranate a few years ago resulted in me and half of my kitchen being covered in bright red pomegranate juice... eeek!
I've come a long way since then and have now mastered the art of deseeding pomegranates in a completely mess-free and easy way!
- Wash and dry the outside of the pomegranate.
- Cut the pomegranate in half horizontally (through the middle).
- Place half of the pomegranate, cut-side down into your left hand (if you're right handed) or your right hand (if you're left handed).
- Place a large bowl in to a sink under your hand holding the pomegranate half.
- Using a wooden spoon, start to hit the top of the pomegranate (HARD!!!). The pomegranate seeds will start to pop out. If they're not coming out, you're not hitting hard enough! Continue until all of the seeds have been released.
- Repeat with the other pomegranate half.
TOP TIP: If you can buy packaged pomegranate seeds from the fruit and vegetable section of the supermarket, then I highly recommend you do that! However, these tend to only be available at Christmas time, so if you're making my Cypriot Grain Salad at any other time of the year, then follow my tips below.
Expert Tips & FAQ
Here's my tips for making the perfect Cypriot Grain Salad!
Absolutely!!! This is a highly nutritious salad packed full of grains, nuts, seeds, lentils, greek yoghurt and more!
Follow my steps above for deseeding a pomegranate in a mess-free, no-fuss way. Alternatively, around the festive season, supermarkets will often sell packaged pomegranate seeds in the fresh fruit and vegetable section.
I know lots of people don't love the flavour of coriander (myself included!), but it does blend beautifully in this salad and isn't overpowering at all. I recommend keeping the coriander, but if you absolutely cannot stand it, then, of course, you can omit it.
This salad can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 2 days. The leftovers the day after you make it are absolutely delicious.
This salad is not suitable for freezing.
Related Recipes
Now that summer is just about here (yay!!), it's time to make the most of all the fresh sides and salads.
Here's a few of my favourites:
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Cypriot Grain Salad
Ingredients
For The Grain Salad
- 1 cup quinoa cooked (or substitute for brown rice or freekah)
- 2 tbs pumpkin seeds toasted
- 2 tbs slivered almonds toasted
- 2 tbs pine nuts toasted
- ½ bunch fresh coriander chopped
- ½ bunch fresh parsley chopped
- ½ red onion finely chopped
- 420 g can lentils rinsed and drained
- 2 tbs capers drained
- ½ cup currants
- juice of 1 lemon
- 3 tbs olive oil
For The Dressing
- 1 cup Greek yoghurt
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 1 tbs honey
- 1 pomegranate deseeded (see notes)
Instructions
- Cook the quinoa according to the packet directions. Set aside and allow to cool.
- Place the pumpkin seeds, slivered almonds and pine nuts into a frying pan over low heat. Cook, stirring for 2-3 minutes or until lightly toasted. Set aside to cool.
- Place the cooled quinoa into a large bowl.
- Add the cooled nuts and seeds, chopped coriander and parsley, red onion, lentils, capers and currants.
- Add the lemon juice and olive oil to the bowl. Mix the ingredients together until well combined.
- Season with salt and pepper.
- Transfer the salad to a serving dish.
- To make the dressing, place the Greek yoghurt, ground cumin and honey into a bowl. Stir until combined.
- When ready to serve, spoon the dressing over the top of the salad.
- Sprinkle pomegranate seeds over the dressing and serve.
Notes
- Quinoa - alternatively you can substitute the quinoa with freekah or save time by using a store-bought packet of precooked brown rice.
- Pumpkin Seeds, Slivered Almonds & Pine Nuts - if you don't have one of the varieties of nuts or seeds (or are catering for food allergies), then you can simply increase the amount of the others used.
- Fresh Coriander & Parsley - I know that lots of people (myself included!!!), don't particularly like fresh coriander, but I highly recommend that you include it in this recipe as the flavour blends in beautifully.
- Greek Yoghurt - choose a thick Greek or natural yoghurt.
- Honey - if you can't access honey, you can use maple syrup or corn syrup instead.
- Pomegranate Seeds - either deseed your own pomegranate using my tips in the recipe post or buy a packet of pomegranate seeds from the fruit and vegetable section of the supermarket. Packaged pomegranate seeds are generally only available around Christmas time, so if you're making this salad throughout the year, you will need to deseed a pomegranate yourself.
Casey
Would brown rice be a good substitute for lentils if using quinoa? Thank you!
Lucy
You could do that!