Tomato and cumin salad

Serves 4

Tomato and cumin salad (Jason Lowe)

This is a great way to liven up some fresh tomatoes with my favourite spice, cumin. I came across this recipe in The Lebanese Kitchen by Salma Hage which is full of fantastic and unusual recipes which you just don't see in Middle Eastern restaurants... well, not in London anyway.

1tsp cumin seeds
½tsp coriander seeds
3tbsp olive oil
1 small onion, peeled, and finely chopped
3 garlic cloves, peeled and crushed
1tbsp grated fresh root ginger
500-600g a mix of small tomatoes, halved
3¼tbsp chopped coriander
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Dry fry the cumin and coriander seeds in a small heavy-based frying pan for a minute or so, but don't let them burn. Remove from the heat and coarsely grind in a mortar and pestle.

Heat the olive oil in the same pan and gently cook the onion, garlic and ginger on a low heat for 3-4 minutes, stirring every so often.

Stir in the spices, add the tomatoes and cook on a medium heat for a couple minutes then remove from the heat, transfer to a bowl and stir in the chopped coriander and season. Serve at room temperature.