White Bean & Tomato Salad with Tamarind Dressing
Introduction
This sweet and sharp dressing adds zing to tomatoes and beans. We’ve enjoyed it with rich dishes such as a slow-cooked leg and shoulder of lamb, and also with eggplant, but it will mix well with any assortment of vegetable dishes, and with barbecued fish.
Serves: 8
Ingredients
1½ Tbsp tamarind pulp
½ cup hot water
½ Tbsp brown sugar
¼ tsp salt
1 Tbsp coarsely grated ginger, or enough to yield a good ½ Tbsp juice
1 x 400g (14 oz) can cannellini beans, butter beans or white Spanish beans
500g (generous 1 lb) mixed tomatoes
Small handful of mint leaves
2 Tbsp crispy shallots
Flaky sea salt
Freshly ground black pepper
Method
1 Put tamarind pulp in a small bowl and pour in hot water. Leave to soften for 5 minutes, then use your fingers to separate the pulp from the seeds. Push the mixture through a sieve and discard seeds and tough fibres. Add brown sugar and salt. Squeeze in the juice from the grated ginger.
2 Drain beans, rinse thoroughly, then drain again before transferring to a bowl. At the last minute, chop or slice tomatoes at the last minute and add to beans. Stir the dressing, then pour it over the beans and tomatoes. Season with flaky sea salt and black pepper, add mint leaves and toss gently. Transfer to a serving bowl and top with crispy shallots. Serve immediately.
Recipe Notes
You’ll find fried shallots and tamarind pulp at Asian food shops.
Read about them here Crispy Shallots
