Grain Salad with Quinoa, Lentils and Root Vegetables with homemade cooked chickpeas

👨‍🍳 Method

For the homemade cooked chickpeas ✓ Homemade · or skip – back to store-bought

1. 1
   Soak the chickpeas overnight in plenty of cold water.

   Bowl

   💡Soak in plenty of water, well above what's being soaked: legumes and grains swell and drink water, and whatever sticks out stays hard. Drain well before continuing.
2. 2
   Drain, cover with plenty of unsalted water and cook 1.5–2 hours, skimming off the foam and skins from time to time, until the chickpeas are very soft and crush easily between your fingers.

   ColanderStovePot

   💡Fully cooked chickpeas crush between your fingers with no resistance at all. Chickpeas that stay a little firm make a grainy spread, and no amount of tahini will fix it.
3. 3
   Drain, reserving a cup of the cooking liquid.

   Colander

For the Salad Dressing

1. 4
   In a small bowl, whisk the oil, lemon juice, cumin, turmeric, salt and black pepper until smooth.

   Bowl

To assemble

1. 5
   Rinse the quinoa well in a fine sieve.

   Colander
2. 6
   Put the quinoa and the water in a pot and bring to a boil. Turn down the heat, cover and simmer 15 minutes, until the water is absorbed.

   StovePotLid

   💡A gentle simmer, not a boil: a hard boil dries the food out and clouds it, a slow simmer cooks it evenly.
3. 7
   Remove from the heat and leave the pot covered 10 minutes.
4. 8
   Fluff the grains with a fork and let cool completely.
5. 9
   Cook the lentils in a separate pot with water for 20 minutes, until tender but still holding their shape.

   StovePot
6. 10
   Drain the lentils and let cool.

   Colander
7. 11
   In a large bowl, mix the quinoa with the lentils, hummus, carrot, red onion and cilantro.

   Bowl
8. 12
   Pour the dressing over the salad and toss well.