Bethlehem Salad Recipe

This classic salad from Armenian cuisine combines eggplant, peppers, onion, raisins and chestnuts for an original and tasty side dish. It is perfect for autumn due to the ingredients used, but also because it is nutritious and complete.

If you are looking for a simple, tasty and ideal recipe to accompany falafel, meats, pasta and even pizza, this is the salad you need! Learn how to make the typical Bethlehem salad of Armenian cuisine and enjoy a dish full of flavor and color.

Ingredients to make Bethlehem Salad:

1. 1 egg plant
2. 1 onion
3. ½ red bell pepper
4. ½ green bell pepper
5. 3 tablespoons of raisins
6. 30 grams of cashew nuts (cashews)
7. 3 tablespoons of olive oil

How to make Bethlehem Salad:

• To start preparing the Belen salad, prepare the vegetables. To do this, peel and cut the onion into cubes. Also wash and say the eggplant and bell peppers, removing the white ribs and seeds.
• Sauté the onion with 1 teaspoon of vegetable oil or spray and over high heat. When it starts to brown, add the peppers.
• If the vegetables start to stick together, lower the heat to medium and add 1 teaspoon of water. When it evaporates, add another teaspoon and repeat this process as many times as you want. The more times you repeat it, the more cooked and sweet the vegetable will be.
• Once the desired point is reached, remove the vegetables and in the same pan sauté the eggplant. The idea is to seal it on all sides so it doesn’t get watery. However, be careful not to burn the pulp or its skin, otherwise it will give your Belen salad a bitter taste.
• Once the eggplant is golden, add the onion and peppers. Season them to taste and, with low heat, sauté them for a few more minutes so that they take on flavor; approximately 5 more minutes.
• While the vegetables are cooking, hydrate the raisins in hot water. You can also toast the cashew nuts in a pan or in the oven at 160ºC for 10-15 minutes.
• Serve your Belen salad with all the ingredients you have prepared: the sautéed vegetables, the hydrated raisins and the toasted chestnuts. Season it with olive oil and enjoy its delicious flavor.
• If you want to try a different presentation, we share with you a very original idea, which consists of presenting the Belen salad on pizza dough with tomato sauce. It is a very rich combination and, in addition, healthy.
• With what to accompany the Belen salad
• You can serve the Belen salad with chickpea falafel, spinach burger, chickpea hummus and even meat and fish dishes.