Chickpea Couscous Salad with Cucumber, Feta and Mint
A fresh no-cook couscous salad with chickpeas, crisp cucumber, salty feta and a bright lemon-mint dressing. Ready in 20 minutes and high in protein.
- Total
- 20 min
- Prep 15 · Rest 5
- Serves
- 1
- Difficulty
- Easy
You'll practice: Emulsifying · Dicing
- Savory
- Quick
- No cook
Instructions
-
Put the couscous in a small bowl, pour over 90 ml cold water, cover and leave to absorb for 5 minutes.
~5 min
Cold water and a covered rest let the couscous hydrate evenly without turning mushy.
-
While step 1 waits
While the couscous absorbs, drain the chickpeas thoroughly and tip them into a large bowl.
~1 min
-
Cut the cucumber into 1 cm cubes and add to the bowl with the chickpeas. Crumble the feta over the top.
~4 min
Dicing Cut the cucumber into even 1 cm cubes so every bite has the same crunch; a sharp knife and steady, straight cuts prevent crushed, watery pieces.
-
Pick the mint leaves and chop them finely. Juice the lemon into a small bowl and whisk in 1 tbsp olive oil, 0.25 tsp salt and 0.25 tsp black pepper.
~4 min
Whisking oil into lemon juice disperses the fat into tiny droplets, creating a stable, clingy emulsion.
Emulsifying Whisk the oil in slowly so it breaks into tiny droplets; the dressing should look slightly thickened and uniform, not pooled with oil on top.
-
Fluff the couscous with a fork and add it to the large bowl. Pour over the lemon dressing and scatter in the chopped mint.
~1 min
Fluffing with a fork separates the grains instead of crushing them into a sticky mass.
Fluffing the couscous with a fork instead of stirring keeps the grains separate so the salad stays light rather than sticky.
-
Toss everything together until evenly coated. Let the salad stand for 5 minutes so the flavours settle, then serve.
~5 min
A brief rest lets the couscous absorb the dressing and the mint flavour infuse the salad.