Healthista Eats blogger Charlotte Dormon recently tried luscious Peruvian restaurant Ceviche in London where the dishes were as healthy as as they were flavoursome, so she stole a recipe for you to try at home
QUINOA, BUTTER BEAN AND AVOCADO SALAD (ENSALADA DE QUINUA)
SERVES 4
150g quinoa
100g butter beans, soaked overnight in water, drained and rinsed
25g coriander leaves, finely chopped
1 limo chilli, deseeded and finely chopped
1 ripe avocado, sliced very thinly on the diagonal
½ red onion, finely diced
1 large tomato, deseeded and finely diced
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
FOR THE PHYSALIS COULIS
10 physalis (a Latin fruit with a lantern-like husk from green grocer’s)
1 tbsp granulated sugar
FOR THE DRESSING
Juice of 2 limes
1 limo chilli, deseeded and finely chopped
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
Ceviche says: Quinoa is one of Peru’s great super foods (read more about quinoa and other super grains). People love this Andean cereal and at Ceviche our customers are always asking for this salad recipe.
1. Wash the quinoa in cold water until it starts to run clear. Put in a saucepan, cover with cold water, add a pinch of salt and set over medium heat. Bring to the boil and simmer for 15–20 minutes until the quinoa is well cooked and the grain has started to unfurl. Drain, cool and set aside until needed.
2. Make the coulis. Put the physalis and sugar in a saucepan and add enough water to half cover the contents. Cook slowly over low heat until the water has reduced by two-thirds and the physalis are soft. Remove from the heat and leave to cool. Transfer to a food processor or blender and blitz until smooth.
3. Make the dressing. Put all the ingredients in a bowl and mix together well.
4. Add the butter beans, coriander and limo chilli to the quinoa and mix well. Add 3 tablespoons of the dressing, making sure you don’t soak the quinoa mixture too much.
5. To assemble each salad, put a deep 10cm round mould on a plate (or use a large cookie cutter). Arrange a quarter of the avocado in the bottom of the mould and, using the back of a spoon, press down firmly. Fill the rest of the mould with the quinoa and butter bean mix and press down well again. Pour a tablespoon of the physalis coulis around the mould and then remove it. Finally, mix together the onion and tomato and place a tablespoon of this on top. Add more dressing if you feel it’s needed.
Recipe from Ceviche: Peruvian Kitchen by Martin Morales. Published by Weidenfeld & Nicolson in hardback, £16.25 at Amazon.co.uk
Visit Ceviche Restaurant, Soho London
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