· Daniel Moerner
I love pomegranate molasses. The tangy, sour sweetness of a good pomegranate molasses is unmatched by any other syrup. However, it can be difficult to find a satisfying brand; I’ve tried at least ten.
Only two meet my expectations. I prioritize sourness in pomegranate molasses. Too many brands, especially cheap ones (avoid anything in a plastic bottle), taste too much like molasses and have little to no pomegranate flavor. Only if you overuse them does the pomegranate come out, and then the sweetness ruins your dish.
My two favorite brands are Mid East and Sadaf; they’re equally good, although recently I’ve had trouble finding Mid East in stores.
What do I do with pomegranate molasses? My favorite is to use it in a halloumi salad.
What follows is probably the worst recipe description in the history of blogging, since I don’t really use a recipe to cook. But here goes nothing:
- Halloumi: 225 grams or so, cubed and pan fried with honey, cracked red pepper, and red chili flakes. Halloumi is also very inconsistent by brand, and even by batch within brands. You want to get lucky and find one that’s firm and not too salty; if it is too salty, soak it in water beforehand.
- Chopped ingredients: 12 ounces or so of high-quality cherry tomatoes on the vine, halved. 3–4 Persian cucumbers, sliced. One scallion, sliced. Chopped parsley, to taste. Remember to salt and pepper your vegetables separately, before you mix the dressing and halloumi.
- Dressing: Juice of one half to a full lemon. Extra virgin olive oil and pomegranate molasses to taste. I typically do something like a 1:1:1 ratio. I think the recommended 3:1 ratio of oil to acid in a salad is just insanely oily. I think what’s most important is for the pomegranate molasses to dominate the lemon when it comes to acidity. Sweeter lemons are best given my preferences in molasses; with a sour lemon, use more molasses and just get ready to pucker up!
Optional additions:
- Fresh pomegranate seeds, of course, if they’re in season.
- I used to include tahini in the dressing, but ended up reducing it until it was eliminated. This is partly because I find tahini difficult to work with, it’s difficult to keep it mixed. My mother-in-law has a nice trick though, she stores her tahini in sandwich bags and then massages it by hand to reconstitute it.
- When making in bulk, I recommend not mixing the halloumi with the salad, but allowing everyone to finish their salad with halloumi on top. This lets you keep it warm and produces a nice contrast with the crisp chopped ingredients.