Cheremsha salad
Salat iz cheremshi (салат из черемши): spring wild garlic salad dressed with sunflower oil
Late April in Novosibirsk and Tomsk brings bunches of cheremsha to every market stall and roadside bucket: the first green vitamins after a long Siberian winter. The broad leaves and juicy stems of wild garlic taste of sweet, mild garlic with a peppery bite, and Siberians eat them simply, chopped with salt and fragrant unrefined sunflower oil, beside boiled potatoes and black bread. Some cooks add chopped egg or sour cream; this vegan version sticks to oil, with cucumber for crunch. Forage only with someone who knows the plant, or buy it: wild garlic has poisonous lookalikes such as lily of the valley, and real leaves smell strongly of garlic when crushed. Where most people go wrong is dressing it too early, so the leaves wilt and weep. Chef's tip: salt the chopped stems first and rub them for a few seconds; it softens their bite and draws out juice that becomes part of the dressing.
- Total time
- 15 min
- Difficulty
- easy
- Serves
- 4
Ingredients
- ½ tsp salt
- 1 cucumberhalved and sliced
- 3 tbsp unrefined sunflower oil
- 1 tsp cider vinegar
- 1 pinch black pepper
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Method
0/5 doneStep 1: Crush a leaf of the 9 oz wild garlic (ramsons), leaves and stems between your fingers: it must smell strongly of garlic. Discard anything that does not, then wash the bunch well in cold water and shake dry.
4 minStep 2: Cut the stems into 1 cm lengths and the leaves into 2 cm ribbons, keeping them separate.
4 minStep 3: Put the stems in a bowl with the ½ tsp salt and rub them for 30 seconds, until they start to give off juice.
1 minStep 4: Add the leaves and the 1 cucumber and toss lightly.
1 minStep 5: Just before serving, drizzle over the 3 tbsp unrefined sunflower oil and 1 tsp cider vinegar, add the 1 pinch black pepper and toss again; the leaves should look glossy but still stand up.
2 min
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 110 kcal
- Protein
- 2 g
- Carbs
- 5 g
- Fat
- 10 g
- Fibre
- 2 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does cheremsha salad take?
- About 15 minutes in total.
- How many people does it serve?
- 4 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegan?
- Yes. It has no meat, fish, dairy or eggs.
- Is it gluten free?
- Yes, as written. Check the labels on stock, sauces and spice mixes, which sometimes contain gluten.
- What can I use instead of wild garlic (ramsons), leaves and stems?
- ½ tsp garlic paste or ⅛ tsp garlic powder per clove.
- What can I use instead of cucumber?
- Courgette, same weight (in salads, use young ones).
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