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Çoban salatası
Shepherd's salad: Turkey's everyday chopped tomato, cucumber and pepper salad
Çoban salatası, the shepherd's salad, is on the table at almost every Turkish meal from Edirne to Van, whether that is a home dinner, a lokanta lunch or a summer barbecue. It is simple by design: small dice of tomato, cucumber, green pepper and onion with parsley, dressed with lemon juice, olive oil and a little sumac. It is eaten alongside pilaf, beans, börek or anything grilled. The common mistake is salting it too early, which draws the water out of the tomatoes and leaves it swimming. Chef's tip: rub the onion slices with salt and sumac and rinse them before adding; the onion stays crunchy but loses its harsh bite.
- Total time
- 10 min
- Difficulty
- easy
- Serves
- 4
Ingredients
Method
0/3 doneStep 1: Put 1 red onion in a small bowl with 1 tsp sumac and ¼ tsp salt and rub with your fingers for 30 seconds until it softens and turns pink. Rinse briefly, squeeze dry.
1 minStep 2: In a wide bowl combine 3 ripe tomatoes, 2 small cucumbers, 2 green pointed peppers, the onion and ⅔ oz flat-leaf parsley.
Step 3: Just before serving, pour over 2 tbsp lemon juice and 3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil, add the rest of ¾ tsp salt and toss gently. Sprinkle with ½ tsp Aleppo pepper flakes (pul biber) if you like a little heat, and serve straight away while the vegetables are crisp.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 90 kcal
- Protein
- 2 g
- Carbs
- 8 g
- Fat
- 6 g
- Fibre
- 3 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does çoban salatası take?
- About 10 minutes in total.
- How many people does it serve?
- 4 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegan?
- Yes. It has no meat, fish, dairy or eggs.
- Is it gluten free?
- Yes, as written. Check the labels on stock, sauces and spice mixes, which sometimes contain gluten.
- What can I use instead of ripe tomatoes?
- Tinned chopped tomatoes: a 400g tin for about 6 tomatoes (in cooked dishes, not salads).
- What can I use instead of small cucumbers?
- Courgette, same weight (in salads, use young ones).
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