Ye-qey sir selata
Beetroot and potato salad
የቀይ ሥር ሰላጣ (ye-qey sir selata): beetroot, potato and carrot salad with lemon and green chilli
Fasting-day platters at Addis Ababa restaurants and church feasts often carry a bright magenta heap of this cold salad beside the hot wats: boiled beetroot, potato and carrot tossed with lemon juice, thin red onion, green chilli and a little oil. It is sharp, sweet and cooling, a palate-cleanser between spoonfuls of berbere-red lentils. It differs from key sir alicha, the warm beetroot stew, in that everything is boiled whole, cooled and dressed raw. The usual slip is dressing the vegetables while hot, which turns the potatoes pink and mushy; let them cool first. Chef's tip: dress the onion and chilli in the lemon juice and salt ten minutes ahead so they soften and lose their sharp bite.
- Total time
- 50 min
- Difficulty
- easy
- Serves
- 4
Ingredients
- 3 raw beetrootabout 400 g, scrubbed
- 2 waxy potatoesabout 300 g
- 2 carrots
- ½ red onionvery thinly sliced
- 1 green chilli (jalapeño type)seeded and sliced
- 3 tbsp lemon juice
- 2 tbsp vegetable oil
- ½ tsp salt
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Method
0/5 doneStep 1: Boil 3 raw beetroot whole in a pan of water for 30–35 minutes, until a knife slides in easily. In another pan, boil 2 waxy potatoes and 2 carrots whole for 15–20 minutes until just tender.
35 minStep 2: Mix ½ red onion and 1 green chilli (jalapeño type) with 3 tbsp lemon juice and ½ tsp salt in a large bowl and leave for 10 minutes.
10 minStep 3: Drain the vegetables and let them cool until you can handle them. Rub the skins off the beetroot under running water (wear gloves to avoid pink hands) and peel the potatoes and carrots.
10 minStep 4: Cut everything into 1.5 cm cubes. Add the potatoes and carrots to the bowl first and toss, then fold in the beetroot gently so the colours stay distinct.
Step 5: Drizzle with 2 tbsp vegetable oil, taste for salt and serve cool.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 150 kcal
- Protein
- 3 g
- Carbs
- 24 g
- Fat
- 5 g
- Fibre
- 5 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does ye-qey sir selata take?
- About 50 minutes in total: 15 minutes to prepare and 35 minutes to cook.
- 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 waxy potatoes?
- Sweet potato, same weight (sweeter, cooks a little faster).
- What can I use instead of carrots?
- Parsnip or sweet potato, same weight.
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