The Olivye salad is a truly epic party salad. There were no holidays in my house that had no Olivye salad on the table. Spreads for birthdays, anniversaries, graduations, Christmas, and of course, the New Year's table wouldn't ever be complete without this epic salad.
Soak half a cup of chickpeas overnight in 2 cups of water with a pinch of salt and a splash of lemon. In the morning, rinse them through a mesh sieve. Place chickpeas in a pot with 2 cups of water, cover with a lid. Bring them to a boil, lower the heat and cook on medium-low heat for 1/2 hour. Add salt and continue cooking for at least 1/2 hour. (I add a tbsp. of Basic Savory Sattvic Spice Mix, but it is optional for this recipe. If you have it handy I would recommend using it.)You can use a pressure cooker if you prefer.Drain the chickpeas and set them aside to cool.
cooking vegetables
Wash and scrub potatoes and carrots. Add potatoes to a large pot and fill it with water. The water level should be about 2 inches above the potatoes. Cover with a lid, bring potatoes to boil, continue cooking on medium heat. 10 minutes later, add whole carrots into the same pot and continue cooking for another 20 min, or until vegetables are tender***.Drain and rinse all the vegetables under cold water to stop the cooking process, and set them aside on the large plate to cool completely.While potatoes and carrots are cooking, transfer green peas into a small pan, add 1 tbsp of water and a pinch of salt and cook under the lid on medium-low heat for about 6-8 min. Transfer onto a plate to cool.
Chop, chop, chop
Chop cucumbers, pickles, carrots, and potatoes into small cubes. Wash and chop dill finely. Combine all the vegetables with chickpeas in a large mixing bowl, add salt and pepper and mix well.
*soaking chickpeas is not included in the prep time
***Check the readiness of your vegetables with a knife. A knife should easily go through potatoes. Do not overcook your vegetables.****It is best to set the salad in the fridge for an hour or so before serving so it cools a bit.