This onion salad recipe is a healthy and delicious addition to your salad repertoire. It’s the perfect dish to spice up your typical salad meal. The onion salad is a great vegetarian option, and pairs well with vinaigrette type salad dressings. It’s fantastic as an entree or as a side dish; simply make more or less as necessary.
Sumac is the special ingredient used in making this salad. It is a red spice that is a part of the Middle Eastern cuisine. Sumac has a taste that is a bit sour. The sumac is rubbed with the chopped onions so that the sour flavor can be absorbed by the onion. It will also give the dish a purple-red color, which will make it appear more appealing.
Most recipes do not include pomegranate molasses and many people don’t know that it can make the onion salad tasty. If you cannot get pomegranate molasses, don’t stress; just use lemon juice.
Many restaurants serve this type of onion salad alongside kebabs, grilled peppers, tomatoes, and even Lavash bread. Also, onion salad is often served with lentil balls. The balls are lined up on a plate and enough space is left in the middle for the onion salad. Packing this for lunch? Make sure you carry it in a storage container.
Health Benefits
While most salads are generally healthy overall, this salad is made even healthier due to the surplus of onions. Onions are a good source of essential nutrients like vitamin C, vitamin B6, potassium, magnesium, and calcium. The phytochemicals present in onions act as vitamin C stimulants which consequently boosts the immune system by fighting toxins and foreign pathogens. Onions also act as an anticoagulant which prevents blood cells from clumping together and ultimately promotes heart health.
Ingredients
large onions: 2
teaspoon sumac: 2
tbsp lemon juice: 2
tablespoon olive oil—extra virgin oil: 1
bunch of parsley—finely chopped: 1/2
tablespoon pomegranate molasses (this is optional): 1/2
How To Make Onion Salad
- Cut onions into halves. Drizzle olive oil, lemon juice, and sumac. Season with salt and use your fingers to rub the seasoning against the onion slices and separate the slices.
- Top up withchopped parsley, stir to combine, and enjoy!
Trivia
- Onions were used as a form of currency in the era of the Middle Ages. It was used to buy goods and services and even pay for rent.
- There is a variety of sweet onion that is so sweet it can be eaten as an apple.