Moroccan Carrot and Chickpea Salad Recipe
A beauty of a carrot salad - tricked out with chickpeas, chunks of dried pluots, sliced almonds, and a toasted cumin dressing. Thank you Diane Morgan.
Diane Morgan got my attention with the words dried plums cut into chickpea-sized chunks. At the time, I was browsing her new book, Roots. She was referencing a carrot and chickpea salad, and I was seated in my kitchen, two feet from a cluster of ruby-hued dried pluots. They'd found their calling. It's a brilliant recipe, the sort you'll get a bunch of mileage out of, and most of the ingredients are available year-round. On the plate it's fresh, colorful, heady with toasted cumin, and you can prep most of it a day prior, if needed. My one regret here is not trying this recipe before the holidays. Served family-style as part of a larger spread, it'd be perfect. As it turns out, it's also a great lunch for a trip. I made it as part of our dinner the other night, and then tossed the left-overs into a jar for a quick flight up to Portland. Appropriate also because I was hoping to see Diane there (I did!).
The complete title of this recipe (as written here) should actually be Moroccan Carrot and Chickpea Salad with Dried Pluots and Toasted Cumin Dressing - a mouthful, indeed. I've added a little flare to Diane's recipe by way of almonds and rose petals, mainly because they were within arms-length when I was making this, and a natural extension of the Moroccan palette at play here. As you can imagine, this is the sort of base recipe that you can add to depending on what you have on hand. I would have completely herbed it out with more mint, dill, basil, etc., if I'd had them around.
For those of you with the book already, give the mashed rutabaga a go (I don't have the book in front of me right now, but they're flecked with lots of dill). I had them at Diane's under poached eggs, doused with a mother load of hot sauce. I'm telling you, it was an ideal winter breakfast.
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Morrocan Carrot and Chickpea Salad
If you're pinched for time, Diane suggests using pre-shredded carrots. I deployed my mandolin and made thin coins. I use some of the carrot tops as well, although there are mixed opinions about whether or not they're edible (or edible for everyone) - you can read more here and here.
Dressing:
1 tablespoon cumin seeds
1/3 cup / 80 ml extra virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon honey
1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt, plus more to taste
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper10 ounces carrots, shredded on a box grater or sliced whisper thin on a mandolin
2 cups cooked chickpeas (or one 15- ounce can, drained and rinsed)
2/3 cup / 100 g dried pluots, plums, or dates cut into chickpea-sized pieces
1/3 cup / 30 g fresh mint, torn
For serving: lots of toasted almond slices, dried or fresh rose petals - all optional (but great additions!)
To make the dressing, first toast the cumin seeds in a dry skillet until fragrant and lightly browned, a minute or two. Let cool, and grind to a powder with a mortar and pestle.
In a bowl or jar, whisk together the olive oil, lemon juice, honey, ground cumin, salt, and cayenne pepper. Set aside.
In a medium bowl, combine the carrots, chickpeas, dried pluots, mint, and almonds, and rose petals (if you're including those as well.) Gently toss until everything is evenly coated. Serve immediately, or cover and refrigerate until ready to serve. (You can toss this salad, minus the almonds, hours in advance. Remove from the refrigerator 30 minutes before serving.)
Serves 6.
Adapted from Roots: The Definitive Compendium with more than 225 Recipes by Diane Morgan.
Prep time: 15 minutes
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Comments
I’ve lost track of the number of times I’ve made this salad. The best variation subbed meyer lemon (+ zest!) for the lemon, dried apricots for pluots, arugula for mint; added dried mint to the dressing; and roasted the chickpeas in cumin a la this recipe: http://smittenkitchen.com/blog/2013/01/carrot-soup-with-tahini-and-crisped-chickpeas/
So good I’ve spied leftovers in the fridge and eaten them for breakfast.
I just made this – I used dates as the dried fruit, but skipped the mint and instead served it over mixed greens. I also added more cumin. Very fast and very good for a weekday lunch!
I made this a couple days ago and I’m making again today. It’s a keeper. I used dates. Fabulous.
I am definitely going to make this salad this weekend after a visit to the Ferry Building market on Saturday morning!
How I want to make this salad as written–but pluots (dried or otherwise, here in New England) are totally out of my budget, as is mint in the winter. So I substituted raisins and parsley. Came out tasty!
SO good! I couldn’t find dried pluots and did a mixture of golden raisins, dried cranberries and apricots. It’s pretty colors and great taste are perfect for cold New York. And, it travels well–brought to the office for lunch. THANK YOU!!!
Delicious…I used the amazing healthy Black Cumin Seeds toasted and ground….
Wow this looks and sounds so delicious! Adding it to my list to make later this week. Can’t wait.
Just made this and it awesome. Used raisins and sunflower seeds. Ate it as a main dish. Soooo good!
I made this salad today along with curried parsnip soup for a group lunch of 18 and it was a big hit, especially considering they were seniors. I used craisins, toasted almonds and fresh basil and followed your dressing recipe – fab! love your site, thank you.
I tripled the recipe (that’s a lot of carrots to slice into paperthin coins with the mandoline!) added chickpeas, left out the mint and it was FABULOUS. Trader Joes is carrying a new spice/nut blend called Dukkah and it was a perfect addition of warm Morrocan flavors. I made about 18 servings for less than $10. Thanks for such a great inspiration recipe.
could one make this salad with black chick peas ?
You never said when to add the honey. I am guessing it goes with the dressing?
HS: Exactly right Missy!
i need to try this immediately!! thanks for sharing. after looking through a lot of your recipes, i’m pleased by the variety that apply to diets that have restrictions. i’m a gluten free vegan and it’ s refreshing to be able to browse a cooking blog with carefree abandon 🙂
This salad is a dream!! Unfortunately, I couldn’t find plouts anywhere so I swapped them for dried blueberries that I already had in the pantry, the taste was still amazing. I will look again for the plouts since I have never eaten them before and now I am curious.
Just made this salad and it’s fabulous! First time I’ve roasted cumin seeds and then crushed them w/ a mortal and pestle…far superior to the cumin powder I normally use. I substituted dried cherries for the pluots and think cranberries would also be delicious. Both can be purchased at just about any grocery store in the US nowadays. Thanks for such a delicious recipe.
Thanks, Heidi! I actually found some dried pluots yesterday at the Fort Mason Market (Hamada Farms). Yes!
The salad looks just amazing, and a great January pick you up. Stunning photos as well.
Kate
This is really a stunning salad, and I agree that it would be a great addition to a holiday meal.
I love any kind of salad with dried fruit, so this one is definitely on my list. Thanks so much for posting this, and for the great pictures.
To add to my note of Jan. 13, I had some of the cumin-y dressing left after making this salad on Sunday, so I just made a batch of your Sunburst Carrot Salad (still working my way through an excess of carrots) and instead of lemon juice, I used the rest of this dressing, in which I had used my last lemon. It’s very tasty indeed, especially when served over roasted potatoes and onions. Both recipes are getting bookmarked for regular use.
Hello – just a quick note to say that I made this and enjoyed it so much. We live in on a small island in the Caribbean and don’t have access to many ingredients you use. Usually your blog is an abstract pleasure but with a few substitutions I was able to make this one. Heavenly, it will become a regular 🙂
I made this delicious and gorgeous looking salad today and have added a link to the pictures. Thank you for another superb recipe.
http://bigfatbrekkie.blogspot.in/2013/01/a-beautiful-salad.html
I made this salad on Sunday with dates and coriander and absolutely loved it! Thanks for a great recipe.
You had me at rose petals. Looks beautiful, and sounds delicious and healthy to boot! Thanks!
I didn’t have mint or cayenne so substituted with coriander and mild chilli powder. Absolutely beautiful colourful really tasty salad. Yum Yum !
Can you use any other type of herb in this salad? I never really have mint on hand, but often have dill or parsely. Would it change the flavor too much?
This recipe looks so delicious. I love anything with Moroccan flavours, and actually have some dried rose petals that I’d love to use for the occasion! I have no idea where to buy dried cherries from though…. hm, I’ll have to start hunting. Thanks so much for sharing this recipe!
Wow, this salad looks absolutely amazing. I’m definitely going to try this after I get back from the greengrocer later this morning.
Very tasty, thank you! I made this yesterday using dried cherries and am eating the leftovers now for lunch. I have a surfeit of carrots at the moment, so this was a way to start making a dent in the pile. And nice to have a speedy, no-cook meal for a warm day in Nairobi.
Really lovely salad, and perfect dressing for these salad ingredients. Husband adored it, commenting all through the dinner. But I had to tweak it a bit: used almost a full bunch of plucked whole mint leaves, since I mine were spearmint and therefore not as strong as peppermint. Next time I’ll use large amounts of mint, dill and (possibly basil, but more likely) parsley for the flavor combination. Also added 1/2 tsp rosewater, since my dried rosebuds offered more color than flavor. So wish I’d had pluots, as their tanginess would have been a great foil for the rest, but I substituted Turkish unsulfered apricots, because I thought that dates would be a bit too heavy and cloying on top of the honey-sweetness in the dressing. I might use Aleppo red pepper next time instead of cayenne. The ‘whisper thin’ carrot coins are a must here and looked beautiful paired with the mint leaves of the same size. And don’t be deceived, this is one very filling salad!
Someone above said that she’s not a fan of cumin and it occurs to me that za’atar might be wonderful in here. What do you think?
HS: I think it’s a brilliant suggestion Melissa!
Made this salad last night and every bites full was a tastebud explosion. Loved it and will make it often! I used a mix of mint and cilantro (yum), and golden raisins and dried plums. If only I had another can of chickpeas, I’d be whipping more up today!
Thank you!
Seriously, this salad just makes me want to eat my computer screen. I’m going to make it with dates and – since I don’t have mint – I’ll have to use arugula/basil/herb mix instead. Lunch at 9:02am sounds perfect!
Made this salad last night. Thank you so much for the recipe. Used Goji Berries (which was all I had) plus coriander, extra mint, dill, parsley and served on a bed of rocket. Always look forward to interesting new salad ideas especially as it is summer here in Australia 🙂
Well, this salad is a beautiful sight at this drab time of year! Love it.
This looks like a refreshing and hearty salad! I would love to try it, except that in Morocco they most definitely do NOT have dried pluots (I live in eastern Morocco) so I’ll have to give it a go with dates. There are also no rose petals here, but rose water is fairly accessible (and no sea salt, but now I’m just being picky). If you really want to make it Moroccan, make sure it is super spiced! I’m going to try making the dressing with the other spice staples added– ginger, paprika and yellow “saffron.” Thanks for the idea!
I made this salad yesterday and it was delicious and satisfying! Thanks for sharing the recipe 🙂
What a beautiful combination. I will add ‘Roots’ to my recipe book shopping list. I should stop buying them but can’t. 🙂
I am not a big fan of chickpeas but your salad looks so yummy that I am going to try it
Thanks for sharing
I made this tonight and it turned out amazing! Love the salty/sweet/spice of the dressing. I didn’t have a teaspoon/tablespoon measure, but after making the dressing I ended up straining out some of the cumin seeds as the bite was a bit too distracting from the honey-lemon-salty flavor which went beautifully with the salad ingredients. THANKS!
Heidi, keep the delicious salads coming! There are oodles of Moroccan carrot salad recipes, but this is a great twist. I love the preponderance of mint. I will make this soon, and probably add in baby spinach just for extra greens (I can’t get enough!).
love the combination of these flavors together! I have to try this asap!
Gorgeous! This could be just the ticket for a potluck. Kalustyan in NYC tends to have everything so I’ll run over there after work. I think dried figs or apricots would also work.
Looks great! I have never seen dried pluots before but will have to look for them next time I am at the market. This is the perfect winter salad! I love anything with chickpeas and cumin!
Old Leica? With a 90mm…but what film do you use these days? Some shots have a chrome look, others not. Just curious as I use a wide angle for almost everything. 28mm on Leica -have a 90mm I never use and 24mm on old, old Nikon.
You had me at “moroccan” and “chickpea” … and then I saw the photo of your salad and pretty much immediately regretted my half-hearted attempt at a warm spinach and chickpea salad I had for dinner last night (not that my salad was bad, but now I am out of cooked chickpeas so am a minimum of 24 hours away from making this!).
This salad looks excellent (and the Roots cookbook is on my wish list). I love that I have pretty much everything on hand to make this salad. It will be on my “to make” list for sure 🙂
Wow. Amazing salad!
I cant wait to make it & try!
for the friends which are seeking for dried pluots. Maybe u could find it in Iranian supermarket!
what a gorgeous looking salad! I love the addition of the rose petals…I had never thought of using them in a salad before!
Well, my rose petals just arrived in the mail for another of your recipes so I guess I’ll have to trek down to the Ferry Plaza for some dried pluots! This salad looks too gorgeous to even eat.
Wow, this looks just perfect. I love prunes and chickpeas, and pairing them together sounds dreamy. I don’t think I’ll easily find pluots in my corner of the world, but I imagine that I could substitue regular prunes or maybe even dried apricots. Thanks for another amazing recipe!
Looks wonderful and I will be making it very soon but what are Pluots?
I just happened to have all the ingredients on hand, except had to use good quality prunes in place of pluots. Geez, it is so good, that I keep sneaking into the frig for a bite, 30 minutes before dinner is ready.
Thanks!!
Sunsweet has just brought out plum amazins. Diced dried plums in the produce section at Safeway. They are great in this salad. I just made it and it is also amazing. Thanks so much.
SO EXCITED to try this! can’t wait!
Fabulous! May I add, I’m always intrigued when you mention flying with food. My airport Nazis (ahem, TSA officials) will not allow any outside food past the security gate. And yes, they check.
HS: Really? I’ve yet to have a problem, but I make sure that there isn’t any liquid component. So, for this sort of salad I’d toss it ahead of time.
I have never tossed rose petals into a salad! Chickpeas and carrots are always close to hand, and I look forward to giving this recipe a try.
This looks delicious, and the photography is amazing– that first picture, just wow!
xx Kait
ChickadeeSays
It’s funny, I was in the Stark Street Stumptown in Portland last Friday and I thought I saw you…I should have told you then, but I wasn’t sure it was you. I just wanted to say thank you for what you do- the blog, the recipes (for free!) and the photos. They are so inspiring and full of life!
Hi Katie – hope I was awake! I tend to drag myself in there in the mornings. I wish you would’ve said hello! I had a great time in your city.
The color of the pluots has my tastebuds watering. I ordered some on line and will try them in this recipe along with my dried roses, hopefully this weekend. Be patient my tastebuds!
Hello Heidi, I love everything about this salad and want to try it – though I am not a lover of cumin. Can you suggest an alternative spice that would work? Thank you!
HS: Hi Heather, you can swap whatever vinaigrette you like here, really. I imagine a black olive vinaigrette could be really great, or a simple lemon-vinaigrette with a kiss of cream? Lovely shop, btw!
Looks really great! I might try it tomorrow 🙂
This salad sounds wonderful. I am going to have to hunt my farmer’s market for dried pluots!
Looks great Heidi. I love this take on a carrot salad. I have noticed a salad theme on lots of blogs this month- certainly craving lighter fare after all the holiday treats! Happy New Year.
I’m planning a Paleo version of this with lightly-cooked cauliflower instead of the garbanzos.
Hi Heidi – could you let us know where you get/source your dried plums?
HS: Hi Jennie, I get them at my local farmers market, not 100% sure where I got these exact ones, but I think Frog Hollow might sell some through their site…
I love Diane’s new book and have not made this yet but will. Made the mashed rutabagas with Greek Yogurt and parsley (because that’s what i had) and am having the leftovers for lunch today. So good. Sorry I missed you on your PDX trip. I hope you were actually here on of the dry days we’ve recently had:)! Happy New Year!
HS: Ack, super bummed I missed you K! I just didn’t quite pull it together. I’ll be back up again soon. xo
SWOON. not sure if i want to eat the salad first, or the photo. as usual, you’re a constant source of inspiration. cheers to the new year and more hs! xo
I have never come up on dried pluots but I would think that raisins or cherries could work or i see,dates. This salad just sings to me and how wonderful for this cold winter.
Would you consider sharing a list of your favorite shopping sites-selfishly for those of us who live here in the SF region?
HS: Hi Clymela, here’s a list of some of my favorite San Francisco spots.
Fabulous!
It’s not often I have to look up what a food is..but Pluot was new to me.LOL Oh, how beautiful they are and I can hardly wait to try some. I grew chickpeas last summer, the taste fresh is intense and tender. I’m trying to grow Cumin this year so I can 2 of my favourite flavours out of the garden. Thanks for this recipe Heidi! I looked at the Roots cookbook and think it is a must have. My favourite root this year that I grew (it, took 8 months!) Is Celeriac. Looking forward to your yummy photos through our dreary winter:) thanks for the inspiration and HAppy NEw Year!
Oh wow – I can smell these herbs through the computer screen. Looks amazing! Thanks for sharing!
Oooh, rose petals! What a fun addition to a savory dish.
What an absolutely stunning salad! Great idea.
This looks so happy and colorful for January and can’t wait to try it. Agree with another comment that it would be a great lunch to bring to work. I didn’t know one could get dried pluots, do you know where they are sold? Whole Foods?
HS Hi Anne – I get these at my local farmers market, but you can experiment with other types of dried fruit.
Thanks Heidi…will have to try that. I was thinking the other day to use the dried rose petals I bought last summer to brighten up the (currently) grey and miserable January here in Berlin. This has inspired me. And with chickpeas you can never go wrong.
That is a beautiful salad. I have never seen dried pluots but they do have fresh ones at the Farmers Market.
BEAUTIFUL, Heidi! Happy New Year!
This looks positively dreamy! Gorgeous photos, as usual.
It’s one of this healthy meals I’mm be eating this year. It looks very tempting on your pictures and sounds like a delicious food.
I’m always on the look-out for great salads to pack for lunch and this one looks delicious. Pluots are in my top ten favorite fruits.
this is exactly what i want to be eating right now.
exactly.
What an absolutely GORGEOUS salad! I adore interesting salads like this one. Thanks for sharing!
what a delicious and fresh salad. mint pairs so perfectly with chickpeas, and i love the bit of heat added to the dressing.
I’ve never heard of dried pluots — is there a substitute for them if I can’t find in Texas? Can’t wait to try the salad!
Interesting, I’d never heard of plutos, so when I googled them I realized they were what we just refer to as plums! At least I think so.. Do these hybrids taste good?
HS: They do! You could certainly something more readily available on your end – dates, dried apricots, or even fresh fruit once winter has passed…
What camera do you use to get those gorgeous close-ups? the colors sing!
HS: Hi Taya – Thank you! I have a few (fixed) close-up lenses that I use across whatever camera I’m shooting with. I think this one was an old Leica 90mm…
I was only searching for a morroccan carrot salad at the weekend! Will definitely give this a go…no pluots here in a tiny village in the middle of England, but will try with prunes.
I’ve got a thing about fresh carrots at the moment…my favourite is carrot, sultana, peanut and mayo salad …something about the mix of sweet and salty….
I guess I have to buy me a new cookbook…
If all the recipes are up to par with this one it’s definitely a winner.
Thanks for signaling this Heidi.
The colors in this salad are simply gorgeous. What a treat! I love your addition of rose petals, as well. If any salad could be considered romantic than this would be the one.
Another cookbook I need.
Beautiful photos and a lovely description of the recipes in the book. I had the pleasure of leisurely flipping through it one afternoon at Mrs. Dalloway’s and, as soon as the Great Cookbook Buying Hiatus of 2013 is over (I have to make it through May), I’ll be adding this one to my collection.
HS: It’s a really great book Katy – both as a recipe and on the reference front.
This salad leapt off the page at me, it looks so colourful and delicious. I love the combination of flavours, can’t wait to give it a try.
Wow, this salad looks so beautiful!
What a beautiful salad! I love Pluots – I’ve never seen them dried at the store but I’m sure I could try drying them at home. Can’t wait to make this recipe!
Your mention of “a cluster of ruby-hued dried pluots” has really caught my attention. Did you buy them in SF? If so, would you mind sharing where? I’d love to buy some. Thanks! -Denise
HS: Hi Denise! I get all sorts of dried fruit (including these) down at the Ferry Building Saturday market.
Dang, what a salad. I’ve never seen dried pluots at the store, but I would certainly buy them if I ever did.
Also, traveling with you sounds so great. You always seem to pack such treats!
I can only imagine how amazing!!!! Dried Pluots would be. They are the type of fruit I cherish!! for the few weeks of the year they’re around and wow, dried. In the winter in this salad. With cumin and chickepeas. Love!
what a great looking salad!
I love the idea of adding chickpeas in this! I do a Moroccan Carrot Salad, but it is less sweet with cumin and garlic… and sriracha (which I put on everyhting). The ‘peas would be just the time to bulk it up!
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