Who'd have thought a dish crammed with lentils and freekeh, herbs and toasty grains would become a hit recipe that Australians can't seem to get enough of?
Since Good Food published the recipe for Cypriot grain salad, created by Travis McAuley of Melbourne's Hellenic Republic, in 2013 it's received one million clicks online. Searches for the salad spike at Easter, before the Melbourne Cup, at Christmas and on Australia Day – any occasion when families and friends gather and want a versatile, wholesome dish they can make ahead.
"It's absolutely blown my mind," says Hellenic Republic founder George Calombaris. "I reckon it's been on the menu nine years and really, it hasn't had much of a tweak.
"I get people stopping me saying, 'That grain salad! I made it and took it to my friend's barbecue and it was a hit.' It allows you to be versatile. If you don't have freekeh [roasted green wheat grains], we've all got pulses and grains sitting in the back of the pantry.
"I tell people, 'Pull them out and use them up. It doesn't matter if it's green lentils or even chickpeas, just whack them in'. You're allowed to be a bit cheeky with it."
![Hellenic Republic head chef Travis McAuley, who came up with the Cypriot grain salad recipe.](http://web.archive.org./web/20180427065127im_/https://www.goodfood.com.au/content/dam/images/h/0/4/2/z/5/image.related.articleLeadwide.620x349.h04283.png/1518504403886.jpg)
The forgiving recipe allows cooks to adjust the dish according to preferences, intolerances and what's in the cupboard.
For the second year running, Neil Perry's chicken cacciatore was among Good Food's most popular recipes.
In fact, two other Perry dishes made the top five: buffalo mozzarella lasagne and roast pork belly red curry.
![Neil Perry's popular chicken cacciatore recipe.](http://web.archive.org./web/20180427065127im_/https://www.goodfood.com.au/content/dam/images/g/p/u/6/1/4/image.related.articleLeadwide.620x349.h04283.png/1513473761486.jpg)
Rounding out the top five list, at number three, was Karen Martini's perennially popular butter chicken recipe from 2014, proving there's truth in the phrase "winner winner chicken dinner".