Moroccan Sweet Potato and Chickpea Salad
This warm salad leans on the Moroccan habit of pairing sweet, spiced roots with chickpeas and a lot of fresh herb. The sweet potato roasts dry and hard until its edges caramelize, which is where its depth comes from with no oil and no salt, and the chickpeas are tossed through the pan with ras el hanout and cumin so the spices bloom. Lemon goes on while everything is still hot so it soaks in, cilantro and parsley bring it back to life, and a scatter of sumac lands the final note of acid. It holds well in the fridge, making it a strong lunch to pack.
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 lb Sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1-inch cubes
- 1 1/2 cups Chickpeas, cooked and drained
- 1 1/2 tsp Ras el hanout
- 1 tsp Cumin seed, toasted and ground
- 2 cloves Garlic, minced
- 2 tbsp Lemon juice
- 1/2 cup Cilantro, chopped
- 1/4 cup Flat-leaf parsley, chopped
- 1/4 cup Red onions, thinly sliced
- 1/4 tsp Cayenne
- 1 tsp Sumac
Method
- Heat the oven to 425 F (220 C). Spread the sweet potato cubes on a lined tray in a single layer and roast, turning once, until the edges caramelize and the centers are soft, about 25 minutes. A crowded tray steams instead of roasting, so give the cubes room; the browning is where the sweetness and the salt-free depth come from.
- While the potato roasts, warm the chickpeas in a dry pan with the garlic, ras el hanout, and cumin over medium heat for 2 to 3 minutes, stirring, until the spices smell toasted and cling to the beans. Blooming the ground spices in the pan's heat wakes them up in a way that stirring them into a cold salad never does.
- Tip the hot sweet potato and spiced chickpeas into a bowl and add the lemon juice while everything is still warm. Warm starch drinks up dressing, so the lemon soaks in rather than pooling at the bottom, and it is the acid, not salt, that makes the dish taste seasoned.
- Fold in the cilantro, parsley, red onion, and cayenne. The raw onion and the double dose of soft herbs cut the richness of the roasted potato and keep the salad from reading as heavy or one-note.
- Finish with the sumac scattered over the top. Its tart, almost lemony bite lands on the surface where you taste it first, a final layer of acid that stands in for the salt this dish does without. Serve warm or at room temperature.
Nutrition
Estimated per serving: 260 calories, 9 g protein, 9 g fiber, 80 mg sodium. Computed from USDA FoodData Central reference values for the main ingredients. This is an approximation, not a laboratory measurement. How these are computed.
Cost per serving is estimated from US national-average retail prices for cheap staple forms, using BLS dried-bean prices and USDA produce prices. Prices vary by store and season, so treat it as a guide, not a receipt. How this is computed.
