Radish greens salad
August 27, 2010 • Category: Salads
This post was originally published on June 7, 2009.
Marie-Therese, who was French and married to a Lebanese, told me one day (that was probably 35 years ago) that she was helping their family cook, Amira, who was so poor that she had to eat radish greens. I remember this conversation because of the dramatic tone of voice of Marie-Therese and her intense empathy for poor Amira. I was saddened by the news, because in our household we ate radishes but we would discard the green leaves.
Today, nutritionists would no doubt encourage people to eat more of these radish greens!
Check this out: 6 times moreVitamin C than the actual radish, calcium, rich in potassium, full of antioxidants, helps gallbladder and liver and relieves flatulence and indigestion…one of the many benefits of eating the poor, overlooked and humble radish greens!
This salad is a balance of flavors and textures. The radish greens provide body andearthiness and a bit of bite,the golden raisins offer sweetness, the onions some slight tanginess and acidity and the garbanzo beans aremellowing the ensemble!
This recipe was picked out of the more than 600 from Chef Ramzi’s book The Culinary Heritage of Lebanon. I found it and jumped because it reminded me of this friend and her maid and also because I honestly had never tried a dish of radish greens before.
INGREDIENTS:
- Greens from 2 bunches of radishes
- 1 teaspoon of mashed or crushed garlic with a pinch of salt
- 1/2 cup of extra-virgin olive oil
- 1/4 cup of fresh lemon juice
- 1/2 cup of raisins (substitute cranberries or cherries or dates)
- 1 onion or 3 scallions; if using onion, cut in rings, scallions need to be chopped fine
- 1 can of cooked garbanzo beans (or 1/2 can)
METHOD
- Wash and dry the radish greens. Chop them coarsely.
- Make the dressing by mixing the garlic, lemon juice and olive oil.
- Add to the radish greens the raisins, scallions and garbanzo beans. Mix and pour the dressing.
Sahteyn!
NOTE:
You can plump up the raisins in some hot water for 30 minutes if you wish. I always cook the canned garbanzo in some fresh water for 30 minutes to get rid of the metallic taste, but it is strictly your call.
Comments
46 Comments • Comments Feed
touria says:
hmmmmmm so delicious thank you for sharing this recipe
On June 7, 2009 at 1:10 pm
Joumana says:
Thanks for visiting!
On June 7, 2009 at 1:16 pm
Summer says:
Joumana, we tend to overlook these beautiful greens that have a lot of goodness in them…my mother always raved about how good they are but i never ate them…after reading this recipe i am going to try it out next time for a full meal instead of a side dish…looks wonderful and fresh, good in the summer time. thanks for posting such great recipe.
On June 7, 2009 at 3:49 pm
Joumana says:
Great! I hope you like it as much as I did!
On June 7, 2009 at 5:37 pm
MAG says:
Some people think I’m crazy when they see me eat the radish with its greens or add them to my salads. I never had them with raisins and chickpeas. Will defenitely try your recipe, thanks!
On June 9, 2009 at 7:37 pm
Joumana says:
Mag, people have a lot to learn! I am in Beirut right now and had my first knefe today at Bohsali!
On June 16, 2009 at 5:44 am
Laila says:
Looks delicious .. never thought of eating the radish leaves .. but this is very encouraging 🙂 … Laila … http://lailablogs.com/
On June 11, 2009 at 4:01 am
Joumana says:
Leila, if you like arugula, it is almost the same taste, but the radish leaves have more bite. Strongly encourage you to give it a shot!
On June 16, 2009 at 5:43 am
Arlette says:
Marhaba Joumana,
I used to accuse my mom, that she keeps lots the green parts of the vegetables she was cleaning. because we don’t eat it. She tried several times to convince us they are healthy, but we never listened… I feel so bad now.
Your Salad, looks fresh, healthy and sooo appetizing. I need to try it one day,
On June 17, 2009 at 8:39 am
Joumana says:
Hi Arlette! I wish now I could have my grandmother around to share her wisdom with me! Well, better late than never, right?
On June 17, 2009 at 11:22 am
OysterCulture says:
This is perfect, I have some gorgeous radishes with some luscious leaves and this salad sounds like just the way to use them.
On August 27, 2010 at 6:32 am
elra says:
Oh My, it makes me feel ashamed to admit that I always throw the green. I will definitely safe it from now on.
On August 27, 2010 at 7:29 am
5 Star Foodie says:
Such a yummy and nutritious salad!
On August 27, 2010 at 7:43 am
Nadji says:
Heureusement que nous sommes revenus sur plein de choses du point de vue nutritionnel.
Je testerai les feuilles de radis.
Est-ce la dernière mode de hijab au Liban?
Bonne journée mon amie et à bientôt.
On August 27, 2010 at 8:26 am
Sylva says:
This salad will be my lunch today. Looks delicious!! Thank you Joumana.
On August 27, 2010 at 10:00 am
mimi says:
This is not the first recipe I’ve seen which features radish greens. They must be coming into their own. It looks tasty and I think I might like the greens more than the radishes.
Mimi
On August 27, 2010 at 11:23 am
heguiberto says:
Joumana,
I’ve got to give it a try. Never had radish leaves before. This salad looks uncomplicated and elegant, just the way I like it…yumm
On August 27, 2010 at 11:42 am
Chef Dennis says:
I will have to look for radish greens, it sounds so good the way you put it together!
On August 27, 2010 at 8:00 pm
Joanne says:
Whoa I would have never guessed that the greens are so good for you! I love that you put chickpeas and raisins in the salad…two of my favorite ingredients!
On August 28, 2010 at 6:33 am
Angie's Recipes says:
This looks simple, healthy and delicious. Gotta try adding some raisins in the salads next time.
On August 28, 2010 at 12:02 pm
OysterCulture says:
This salad should be on the top of everyones list – it is delicious, just made it tonight. Joumana you are making me look good!
On August 28, 2010 at 8:04 pm
Sushma Mallya says:
So healthy and very nice click…
On August 28, 2010 at 10:17 pm
Matt Kay says:
I usually eat large salads for lunch with a side of some protein. Now I know what salad I’ll be eating today. 😀
Looks great and you have a very intriguing blog!
On August 29, 2010 at 2:10 am
kristy says:
Thanks alot for the info. I will keeps in mind of that. Btw, this recipe simply yummy. Thanks again & have a nice day.
Cheers, kristy
On August 29, 2010 at 3:21 am
joudie kalla says:
My mum always makes this. It is such a staple of our dinner table. Great post to let people know not to waste anything. Also soooo delicious!
On August 29, 2010 at 6:53 am
Stella says:
I’m sending this post to my Mom-I just planted radishes for her fall/winter garden. The did well in the summer, so fingers crossed;) Thanks Joumana.
On August 29, 2010 at 7:00 am
pierre says:
elle est bien sympa ta petite salade mais ici à paris l’automne a pris ses quartiers !! j’aime bien aussi ton post sur le vin ! bizz de Paris Pierre
On August 29, 2010 at 9:46 am
Lentil Breakdown says:
I recently had a bite of radish greens, thinking they might be edible. Was a bit squeamish since I had never heard of eating them. They were pretty bitter, but I’ll have to try again, knowing now that they’re fit for human consumption. What about carrot greens? Tried those too, and they don’t taste very good (although I know some rabbits who would disagree).
On September 1, 2010 at 5:26 pm
Julia says:
I made this tonight– I loved how all of the flavors complimented each other, and my boyfriend kept saying that he thought it was brilliant 🙂
Thank you for another wonderful recipe Joumana!
On May 7, 2011 at 9:18 pm
Tomas Busse says:
Just had it for lunch and its absolutely delicious. Difficult to beat in terms of health. Full of vitamins and off course a fantastic source of Low GI energy. Not to mention the low cost. Will eat it again love it.
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Holley says:
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a blog like yours would cost a pretty penny? I’m not very internet smart so I’m not 100% positive.
Any tips or advice would be greatly appreciated. Cheers
On May 2, 2013 at 3:59 am
Joumana says:
@Holley: Starting my blog cost me nothing, except for the domain name which was $5 or so; I used a template for the banner and traffic was low at first so hosting it was very cheap. About $5/month.
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On May 18, 2013 at 6:10 am
Providence says:
You’ll never cease to amaze me ! I stumbled upon this recipe today, and I happen to have tons of radishes and scallions at hand. I use radish as trap crop on my farm, to protect my potatoes against flea beetles. So yes, the leaves were looking terrible, hammered by those tiny insects. But I went past their aspect and prepared them according to your recipe. It was DELICIOUS ! Even my kids ate it, my picky little eaters… Thank you so much !
On June 28, 2014 at 11:22 pm
Joumana says:
@Providence: You are most welcome! I love radish greens! (made pasta and soup with them) it is in the blog if interested. but in a salad they are perfect and you get all their powerful nutritional components 🙂
On June 29, 2014 at 1:14 am
Abnehemn says:
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On March 15, 2018 at 1:20 am
Charlotte says:
This is now a family favorite and also a hit at parties. I feel so good harvesting my radishes and using the greens–thank you for a great recipe! We especially love it with shallots and cherries. Last night, I added a bit of goat cheese on a whim and it was excellent. I even serve this at breakfast alongside scrambled eggs!
On July 5, 2018 at 3:33 pm
Renee says:
A dear friend made this for me and it was absolutely delicious and bursting with flavor! I’ve told several friends about it. It was not until she gave me the recipe that I realized it was Lenonese. That was even more exciting as I lived and worked for a Lebanese family for a while and love the taste of this country!
On July 27, 2019 at 10:41 pm
DixieRae says:
I’ve been making radish leaf pesto with pistachios, chili flakes, and lemon rind for a few years. It’s my favorite pesto. I’ve also sautéed them with garlic and chili flakes. I’m looking forward to a new use for these greens tonight!
On June 29, 2021 at 1:25 am
Joumana Accad says:
@DixieRae Hope you like my version! Your pesto sounds delicious!
On July 6, 2021 at 12:35 pm