cucumber and celery salad with farro and peanut butter hummus

a lovely make-ahead lunch with something for everyone

this recipe is a sort of mash-up between lao hu cai (the recipe below is an adaptation of the xi’an famous foods tiger vegetable salad) and one of my absolute favorite cucumber salads with plenty of peanuts from sue li for new york times cooking. it’s everything i love for lunch—crunchy, herby, creamy, bright, fresh, spicy, garlicky, chewy—plus it’s hearty, healthy and easy to make-ahead.

i find the the textures and flavors featured here really compliment each other, and the little bit of peanut butter in the hummus really brings out the best from the crunchy veg, especially the celery. this flavor combination also hits a bit of a nostalgic note for me, and maybe for you, if you too grew up snacking on sticks of celery filled with gobs of peanut butter, also known as “ants on a log.”

i love this recipe for a quick weekday lunch because not one, but two of the three components can be made ahead of time. pack them up and keep them in the fridge, then simply pull them out and prep the celery and cucumber salad before serving.

the celery salad on its own also works well as a fresh bite with other sharing plates or a main and i’ve tossed some romaine lettuce through it to make a simple crunchy green salad, too. the hummus could be enjoyed with chopped veg and bread as is or drizzled as suggested with toasted sesame oil and chili oil. if you don’t like the chewy texture of farro, you could substitute in brown rice, millet, barley, bulgur or even quinoa.

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serves 2 for lunch (likely with leftover hummus and farro)

for the hummus, can be made up to 5 days in advance

400 grams (14 oz) canned chickpeas

60 grams tahini

60 grams peanut butter

2 tablespoons lemon juice

1 clove garlic

1 teaspoon salt

50 milliliters cold water

for the farro, can be made up to 5 days in advance

200 grams farro (substitute: millet, barley, brown rice, bulgur, quinoa)

2 teaspoons toasted sesame oil

1 teaspoon salt

to assemble

1 bunch cilantro

1 scallion

2 stalks celery

2 persian cucumbers

1 green chili

1 tablespoon distilled white vinegar (substitute: rice vinegar)

1/2 tablespoon lemon juice (substitute: lime juice or distilled vinegar)

1 tablespoon-ish toasted sesame oil

2 tablespoons-ish chili oil or chili crisp

toasted sesame seeds

1. drain canned chickpeas. add to a food processor and pulse into a thick paste. add tahini, peanut butter, lemon juice, garlic and salt. pulse, then add water and blend until smooth and creamy. transfer to a bowl, cover and let rest in the fridge while you make everything else.

2. bring a pot of water to boil. once boiling, add the farro and let cook for about 25 minutes or until chewy but tender and cooked through. drain, drizzle with toasted sesame oil and salt and mix to combine.

3. while the farro cooks, roughly chop cilantro and stems. slice scallions and celery stalks on the bias to create long, thin pieces. remove tops and bottoms from the cucumbers, then keep your knife at a high angle relative to the cucumber and cut into chunks, rolling the cucumber a quarter way around after each slice (see my video or this video for a visual reference on this rangiri cut). thinly slice chilis. toss everything together with vinegar and lemon juice. season to taste with salt.

4. spoon some of the hummus (about 1/4-1/2 of the full portion per serving) onto two deep plates. drizzle each with some toasted sesame oil and chili crisp. top with some farro (about 1/4-1/2 of the full portion per serving) and half the cucumber celery salad. sprinkle with sesame seeds and serve immediately.