Cypriot Grain Salad | Chef Recipe (2024)

Summer is by far my favourite season of the year.

I love it for the sunshine, hot weather, longer days, weekend BBQs and of course, ALL the fresh salads!

And this salad is my number 1 favourite salad EVER!

Big call I know... but I make it every single Christmas, anytime I'm asked to bring a salad or whenever we have a BBQ.

It's that good! In fact, it's better than good. It's AMAZING.

Chef George Calombaris 'Hellenic Republic' Inspired Recipe

As much as I would love to claim this recipe as my own... sadly I cannot!

This recipe is inspired by chef George Calombaris' famous salad from his 'Hellenic Republic' Greek restaurant in Melbourne.

Over the years I've made some ingredient adaptations to the recipe to make it even quicker and easier, but with the same amazing flavours.

The salad is packed full of grains, nuts, seeds and fresh herbs and then dolloped with a very generous amount of Greek yoghurt, honey and cumin dressing.

But of course, the real star of the show is the juicy, sweet pomegranate seeds on top.

Don't be daunted by the quite lengthy ingredient list, it's actually a super quick and simple salad to make and is a guaranteed family favourite (...even my 5 year old son loves this one!).

And please do yourself a favour and check out my tips below for the easiest, no-fuss way to deseed a pomegranate!

Why You're Going To Love This Salad

This salad is simply bursting with flavour!

It's fresh, fabulous and absolutely screams summer.

• Healthy - with lots of fresh herbs, nuts, lentils, seeds and quinoa, this salad packs a nutritional punch.
• Feeds A Crowd - my Cypriot Grain Salad easily serves 8 (or more if serving with other salads or sides). We always have leftovers which still taste amazing the next day.
• Perfect For Celebrations & BBQs - the flavours in this salad pair perfectly with any kind of roast meat, BBQ meat or seafood. It's light, fresh and full of flavour.
• Time Saving Option - if you don't have time to cook quinoa then you can use a packet of precooked brown rice instead.
• 20 Minute Recipe - this recipe will be ready to eat in just 20 minutes. How quick is that!?

What You Need

This salad is full of nutritious and flavour-packed ingredients.

Note: Please scroll to the recipe card at the bottom of the post for ingredient quantities and the full detailed method.

For The Salad

• Quinoa - alternatively you can substitute the quinoa with freekah or save time by using a store-bought packet of precooked brown rice.
• Pumpkin Seeds, Slivered Almonds & Pine Nuts - these nuts and seeds are lightly toasted for added crunch. If you don't have one of the varieties of nuts or seeds (or are catering for food allergies), then you can simply increase the amount of the others used.
• Fresh Coriander & Parsley - Cypriot Grain Salad gets it's beautiful freshness from the coriander and parsley. Neither of these herbs are over-powering (even the coriander!!!) in this salad and they perfectly compliment the nuts, seeds and currants. I know that lots of people (myself included!!!), don't particularly like fresh coriander, but I highly recommend that you include it in this recipe as the flavour blends in beautifully.
• Red Onion - chopped finely.
• Lentils - use a can of store-bought lentils. Rinse and drain before adding to the salad.
• Capers - baby capers may be tiny but they add a BIG flavour punch to the Cypriot Grain Salad.
• Currants - currants add little tiny bursts of sweet flavour.
• Lemon Juice & Olive Oil - you can use either fresh or bottled lemon juice for this recipe. These are used to combine the salad ingredients together.

For The Dressing

• Greek Yoghurt - choose a thick Greek or natural yoghurt.
• Honey - honey gives the dressing a lovely sweetness. If you can't access honey, you can use maple syrup or corn syrup instead.
• Ground Cumin - you can buy ground cumin from the spices section of any major supermarket or grocer.
• Pomegranate Seeds - either deseed your own pomegranate using my tips below or buy a packet of pomegranate seeds from the fruit and vegetable section of the supermarket. Packaged pomegranate seeds are generally only available around Christmas time, so if you're making this salad throughout the year, you will need to deseed a pomegranate yourself.

How To De-Seed A Pomegranate

My first attempt de-seeding a pomegranate a few years ago resulted in me and half of my kitchen being covered in bright red pomegranate juice... eeek!

I've come a long way since then and have now mastered the art of deseeding pomegranates in a completely mess-free and easy way!

• Wash and dry the outside of the pomegranate.
• Cut the pomegranate in half horizontally (through the middle).
• Place half of the pomegranate, cut-side down into your left hand (if you're right handed) or your right hand (if you're left handed).
• Place a large bowl in to a sink under your hand holding the pomegranate half.
• Using a wooden spoon, start to hit the top of the pomegranate (HARD!!!). The pomegranate seeds will start to pop out. If they're not coming out, you're not hitting hard enough! Continue until all of the seeds have been released.
• Repeat with the other pomegranate half.

TOP TIP: If you can buy packaged pomegranate seeds from the fruit and vegetable section of the supermarket, then I highly recommend you do that! However, these tend to only be available at Christmas time, so if you're making my Cypriot Grain Salad at any other time of the year, then follow my tips below.

Expert Tips & FAQ

Here's my tips for making the perfect Cypriot Grain Salad!