Spiced egg salad with puréed sesame sauce

April 10, 11:02 PMSacramento Nutrition ExaminerAnne Hart

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Tired of the usual hard boiled eggs mashed with mayonnaise? Try curried egg salad in a style found since medieval times along the Silk Road from the Bosporus to the Indus. Marco Polo may have dined on this cracker spread the day after Easter Sunday with all those hard boiled eggs to consume. Here’s how to start. Begin with a dozen hard boiled eggs that are cooled and peeled.

Thinly slice and dice the eggs in a bowl. Add a pinch of cumin, ¼ teaspoon of mustard, ¼ teaspoon of turmeric, ¼ teaspoon of coriander (chopped or seed), ¼ teaspoon of curry powder, ¼ teaspoon of chili powder, juice of one lemon or lime, ¼ teaspoon of apple cider vinegar, ¼ cup diced red onions, ¼ cup of diced celery, ¼ cup of diced roasted or raw red bell pepper, ¼ cup chopped Italian parsley, ¼ cup chopped cilantro,  ¼ cup of chopped mint, ¼ cup shredded raw carrots,  ¼ cup of tahini (sesame seed paste).

You can make your own tahini by blending hulled sesame seeds with a ¼ cup of olive oil, ¼ cup of lemon juice, and a little water in a blender to the consistency of a thin paste. Or buy the tahini (sesame seed paste) already made from your supermarket or health food store.

Mix all ingredients and sliced eggs together. Spread on Ryvita rye crackers, toast, or any type of crackers and top with shaved Parmesan cheese, a pinch of chopped cilantro or Italian parsley. You can melt the cheese under the broiler or on your stovetop in a covered frying pan greased with a bit of olive oil. Heat only until the cheese melts. Or serve this egg salad on a bed of baby spinach or arugula. Serve warm. Sprinkle with dulse.

An alternative way of presenting Hedef egg salad Silk Road style would be to spoon the salad over a bed of cold cooked whole grains, such as quinoa or cooked barley that has been tossed with vinegar and oil and chopped carrots, celery, red bell pepper, and parsley. Sprinkle top with sesame or sunflower seeds and dulse. Serve cold.

In winter, this salad would be served with pomegranate juice on the side. In spring, serve with a glass of chilled cherry juice. It's perfect for picnics. Instead of eggs, you can use the same ingredients for variety another time to mix with canned fish. If you're not salt-sensitive, salt to taste with mineral or sea salt, or sprinkle with pepper. If you're salt-sensitive, sprinkle with dulse and add more lemon juice or chopped red onions.