The weather leaves much to be desired here (in Dubai), and the sun is all day long. Today is 47C (117F)!!!! and needless to say, how hot it is 😀
So I’ve started enjoying salads for dinner pretty much. I know what you could think: salads are boring! Be creative! Upgrade your small salad to big entree and add extra meat or beans to make it more hearty.
The below salad is named Georgian or Tbilisi, after the country, which cuisine offers various meat dishes with herbs and vegetables.
We need 300 g of baked (or boiled) beef meat;
1 can of red beans;
2 yellow or green bell peppers;
1 red onion;
1-2 cloves of garlic;
seeds of 1 pomegranate;
juice of 1 lemon;
olive oil;
khmeli suneli.
First, I need to explain what khmeli suneli is. It’s a Georgian spice mix, which can be used in any dish, it gives nice flavor to beef stew, goulash or hearty soups. You can buy it at any Russian store or DIY 🙂
In equal parts (all ingredients are dry):
-dill
-parsley
-coriander
-crushed bay leaves
-marjoram
-chili pepper- much less~2%
Next ingredients are not necessary, but you can put them as well:
-fenugreek leaves or seeds
-basil
-mint
-savory
-saffron ~0.10%
Cut the red onion into half moons and keep it in a hot water. Meanwhile cut the meat and peppers into cubes.
In a serving bowl, combine together meat, peppers, beans (without liquid) and onions.
In a small cup, prepare the dressing-mix olive oil, lemon juice, crushed garlic and spice mix (khmeli suneli). Pour it over our salad, mix well and let stand for 15 minutes.
Sprinkle with pomegranate seeds, black pepper and salt.
Bon appetite!
milkandbun 
That does sound like it would be refreshing in hot weather. Is it always that hot in Dubai? We are getting some heat here in Chicago, but obviously nothing like that. Is it also humid, or is it a dry, desert heat?
Yes, summer is the worst season in Dubai. Average temps 42-50C and very humid! But thank God, this time it came later and June wasn’t extremely hot!
Your salad looks so fresh and delicious. I can not imagine surviving in 117F temperatures. How do you stay cool? Well, I know I would only eat salads too. Lovely salad recipe here.
There is no life here without AC:) During the day-time nobody goes outside usually
Such a pretty summer-y salad. Perfect meal for those hot days when you don’t want to put heat in the house. Delicious!
It is really nice, bright and summery colors on a plate!:)
Oh my! 47!! I can hardly get by with 33!
I love the salad and I agree, salads are only boring if you lack creativity. Your salad is a feast for the eyes and I am sure the taste buds
This looks like a great salad! I’ve never tried khmeli suneli, but I’m really intrigued to do so!
I’m sure you’ll like the spice mix, it goes well with many dishes. 🙂