Before starting with the asparagus salad recipe, we’d like to introduce you to the oriental spices and herbs. We love to give German vegetables in season an exotic touch and therefore enhance our salad with sumac and za’atar. Maybe you know za’atar as a spice mix. We tried it for the first time at our favorite falafel shop and were very fascinated by this mix. You can buy it ready mixed and you can also easily do it yourself. The name comes from the plant which is similar to oregano. The dried leaves are mixed with sumac, salt and roasted sesame seeds and get a slightly sour taste. You can also spread it with some olive oil on a fresh flatbread. The fruits of the plant are dried and ground into a reddish-purple powder. The taste is bitter and lemony. For this recipe we use a ready mixed za’atar.

Let the chickpeas soak in water over night, cook 45 minutes in salt water and drain when tender. Spread with 1-2 tbs olive oil, za’atar and mix everything until the chickpeas are coated with the spice mix. Before serving, roast 3-4 minutes in a pan. Don’t let the spices burn. You should take the chickpeas off the stove when the sesame seeds start to pop.
Rinse the asparagus and snap off the ends. Peel the stalks into thin slices. For the dressing, cook the apple cider vinegar, lemon juice, apple syrup and sumac in a small pan. Chop the garlic into small pieces and add it with the remaining ingredients to the stock. Season with sea salt, simmer, take it off the stove and add the asparagus. The asparagus now cooks in the remaining heat of the pan and the warm dressing. Serve with the roasted chickpeas after five minutes.

FoR 2 Servings

130 g cooked chickpeas

300 g green asparagus

3-4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

2 tbsp Za'atar

2 tbsp lemon juice

2 tbsp rice syrup

1 tbsp cider vinegar

1/2 tsp sumach

1 clove of garlic

1/2 tsp salt

1 tsp toasted sesame oil