Fattoush

Name: Fattoush
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 10 min
Total time: 30 min
Cuisine: Lebanon and Syria
Ingredients: 2 large pita breads, about 120 g, split into two rounds and torn into 3 cm pieces; see Pita Bread; 2 tbsp olive oil; 1 pinch fine sea salt; 3 tbsp lemon juice; 1 tbsp pomegranate molasses, optional; or 1 tsp sugar (honey works but is not vegan); 1 clove garlic, finely grated; 2 tsp ground sumac, plus more to finish; 75 ml (⅓ cup) extra-virgin olive oil; 4 g (⅔ tsp) fine sea salt; 1 romaine heart, cut into 2 cm ribbons; 300 g (10½ oz) ripe tomatoes, cut into chunks; 1 cucumber, cut into chunks; 6 radishes, quartered or sliced; 1 green bell pepper, diced; 4 scallions, sliced; 15 g (½ cup) flat-leaf parsley, roughly chopped; 10 g (⅓ cup) mint leaves

Crunchy chopped salad with toasted pita and a sumac-lemon dressing

Serves: 4
Hands-on: 20 min
Total: 30 min
Level: Easy

Fattoush began as a way to use stale flatbread, and the bread is still the point. Pieces of pita are baked until crisp, then tossed at the last moment with crunchy vegetables, herbs and a tart dressing glowing with sumac.

Ingredients

Pita chips

2large pita breadsabout 120 g, split into two rounds and torn into 3 cm pieces; see Pita Bread
2 tbspolive oil
1 pinchfine sea salt

Dressing

3 tbsplemon juice
1 tbsppomegranate molassesoptional; or 1 tsp sugar (honey works but is not vegan)
1 clovegarlicfinely grated
2 tspground sumacplus more to finish
75 mlextra-virgin olive oil (⅓ cup)
4 gfine sea salt (⅔ tsp)

Salad

1romaine heartcut into 2 cm ribbons
300 gripe tomatoes (10½ oz)cut into chunks
1cucumbercut into chunks
6radishesquartered or sliced
1green bell pepperdiced
4scallionssliced
15 gflat-leaf parsley (½ cup)roughly chopped
10 gmint leaves (⅓ cup)

Diet: Vegan, Vegetarian, Dairy-free
Allergens: gluten
Origin: Lebanon and Syria
Season: Summer, Autumn

Method

Heat the oven to 200°C (400°F). Toss the pita pieces with the oil and salt on a sheet pan.
Bake, shaking once, until golden and crisp, 8–10 minutes. Cool; they'll crisp further. 9 min
Whisk the dressing ingredients together in a large bowl.
Add all the salad vegetables and herbs and toss to coat.
Just before serving, add the pita chips and toss once more so some soften slightly while others stay crunchy. Finish with a sprinkle of sumac.

Why it works

Baking dries the pita into a rigid, crisp structure that soaks up dressing slowly, so you get a mix of crunchy and juicy pieces. Sumac is a dried berry with a fruity, lemony tartness that adds acidity without more liquid. Pomegranate molasses brings a sweet-sour depth that balances the raw vegetables.

Common mistakes

Adding the pita too early: it all goes soggy.
Skipping the sumac: it's the defining flavor.
Chopping the vegetables too small: fattoush is chunky and crisp.

Variations

Fried pita: For the traditional richer version, shallow-fry the pita pieces in 1 cm hot oil until golden, then drain on paper.

Make ahead and storage

Pita chips keep 4 days airtight. Prep vegetables up to 4 hours ahead and keep separate from the dressing.

Notes

Find sumac and pomegranate molasses in Middle Eastern shops or larger supermarkets.