The qurut in qurutob is what Tajiks, Turkmen and Uzbeks call the dehydrated dairy preparation known to Iranians as kashk, Armenians as chortan, and Turks as kurut. Here, instead, I’ve dressed the salad with a tangy yoghurt dressing – redolent of the American ranch dressing of my youth, but healthier and much more delicious. And, honestly, is there anything better than bread in a salad, soaking up a vinegary dressing while occasionally maintaining a crunch? These amounts will give you more dressing than you need for this salad, so you’ll have some for next time. It will keep in the fridge for about 1 week.
• 1 romaine lettuce head, roughly chopped
• 1 cucumber, sliced
• 50g walnuts, shelled
• 250g cherry tomatoes, halved
For the dressing (makes 320ml)
• 250g full-fat Greek yoghurt
• 2tsp garlic powder
• ¾tsp onion powder
• 10g chives, chopped
• 5g dill, chopped
• 5g coriander, chopped
• 1tsp fine sea salt
• 1tbsp white wine vinegar
• Dash Worcestershire sauce
• Freshly ground black pepper
To serve
• ½ red onion, very thinly sliced
• Freshly chopped herbs such as coriander, dill, or chives
• Flatbreads, pittas or other bread of your choice
1. In a medium bowl, combine all the dressing ingredients. Mix well, then add cold water, 1tbsp at a time, to thin out the dressing to your liking. Taste and add more of any flavour you feel it needs.
2. Combine the bread, lettuce, cucumber, walnuts and tomatoes in a large bowl. Mix well, then toss with a few tbsp of the dressing. Serve the qurutob either in the same bowl or on a platter, topped with the red onion and herbs.
Photography by Laura Edwards (DK RED, £28).
For a teenage Anna Ansari hell-bent on a summer in Italy, being packed off to China felt like a catastrophe of epic proportions. But, as destiny would have it, the trip marked the beginning of a life-long love affair with the history, beauty and flavours of the Silk Roads, as vividly illustrated in her debut cookbook