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 more Vitamin 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 and earthiness and a bit of bite, the golden raisins offer sweetness, the onions some slight tanginess and acidity and the garbanzo beans are mellowing 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.
34 Comments
hmmmmmm so delicious thank you for sharing this recipe
Thanks for visiting!
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.
Great! I hope you like it as much as I did!
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!
Looks delicious .. never thought of eating the radish leaves .. but this is very encouraging
… Laila … http://lailablogs.com/
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!
Mag, people have a lot to learn! I am in Beirut right now and had my first knefe today at Bohsali!
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,
Hi Arlette! I wish now I could have my grandmother around to share her wisdom with me! Well, better late than never, right?
This is perfect, I have some gorgeous radishes with some luscious leaves and this salad sounds like just the way to use them.
Oh My, it makes me feel ashamed to admit that I always throw the green. I will definitely safe it from now on.
Such a yummy and nutritious salad!
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.
This salad will be my lunch today. Looks delicious!! Thank you Joumana.
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
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
I will have to look for radish greens, it sounds so good the way you put it together!
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!
This looks simple, healthy and delicious. Gotta try adding some raisins in the salads next time.
This salad should be on the top of everyones list – it is delicious, just made it tonight. Joumana you are making me look good!
So healthy and very nice click…
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!
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
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!
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.
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
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).
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!
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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