Gavurdağı
A salad from Gaziantep, a city famous for its kebabs and baklava, where it is served with grilled meat. Tomatoes, green pepper, onion and parsley chopped very finely, with coarsely chopped walnuts, in a dressing of pomegranate molasses, lemon and olive oil, seasoned with sumac and scattered with pomegranate seeds. The molasses gives it a sweet-sour, fruity flavour, and the walnuts add crunch and substance. The secret is the chopping: everything is finely diced by knife so each spoonful has every flavour.
Your own work in that: 5 min.
- Chopping 20 min
- Dressing 5 min
- Resting 10 min
Step by step
0 / 8 doneChop the tomatoes
Halve the tomatoes, squeeze out some of the seeds and juice and dice the flesh into 5 mm cubes. Without excess juice the salad will not be watery.
Ingredients: 3 pcs firm tomatoes · 2 pcs long green peppers · 1 pcs small onion or 3 spring onions · 1 bunch parsley · 80 g walnuts · 50 g pomegranate seeds
A fine dice — every spoonful has every flavour.Chop pepper and onion
Seed the peppers and dice them the same size. Chop the onion very finely — if it is sharp, soak it 5 minutes in cold water and drain.
Ingredients: 3 pcs firm tomatoes · 2 pcs long green peppers · 1 pcs small onion or 3 spring onions · 1 bunch parsley · 80 g walnuts · 50 g pomegranate seeds
Chop the parsley
Chop the parsley including the thin stalks — they add freshness.
Ingredients: 3 pcs firm tomatoes · 2 pcs long green peppers · 1 pcs small onion or 3 spring onions · 1 bunch parsley · 80 g walnuts · 50 g pomegranate seeds
Chop the walnuts
Chop the walnuts coarsely, into pea-sized pieces. Do not grind them — they should crunch.
Ingredients: 3 pcs firm tomatoes · 2 pcs long green peppers · 1 pcs small onion or 3 spring onions · 1 bunch parsley · 80 g walnuts · 50 g pomegranate seeds
Coarsely — the walnuts should crunch.Make the dressing
Mix the pomegranate molasses with the lemon juice, olive oil, sumac, pepper flakes, mint rubbed between your fingers and salt.
Ingredients: 2 tbsp pomegranate molasses · ½ pcs lemon, juice · 3 tbsp olive oil · 1 tsp sumac · 1 tsp hot pepper flakes (pul biber) · 1 tsp dried mint · ¾ tsp salt
Combine
Put the vegetables, parsley and walnuts in a bowl, pour over the dressing and mix thoroughly.
Ingredients: 2 tbsp pomegranate molasses · ½ pcs lemon, juice · 3 tbsp olive oil · 1 tsp sumac · 1 tsp hot pepper flakes (pul biber) · 1 tsp dried mint · ¾ tsp salt
Pomegranate molasses — the sweet-sour heart of the salad.Rest briefly
Leave the salad 10 minutes so the vegetables take on the dressing. Taste — it should be distinctly tangy, slightly sweet and gently hot.
Ingredients: 2 tbsp pomegranate molasses · ½ pcs lemon, juice · 3 tbsp olive oil · 1 tsp sumac · 1 tsp hot pepper flakes (pul biber) · 1 tsp dried mint · ¾ tsp salt
Scatter with pomegranate and serve
Just before serving, scatter with pomegranate seeds. Serve with kebabs, grilled meat, falafel or bread.
Ingredients: 3 pcs firm tomatoes · 2 pcs long green peppers · 1 pcs small onion or 3 spring onions · 1 bunch parsley · 80 g walnuts · 50 g pomegranate seeds
Before you start
Pomegranate molasses
Pomegranate molasses (nar ekşisi) is a thick sweet-sour syrup of reduced pomegranate juice. Look for it in Turkish and Middle Eastern shops. In the cooking of south-eastern Turkey it is a staple seasoning. Choose one without added sugar — it is sharper and fruitier.
Tomatoes
Firm, fleshy tomatoes in season are best, such as plum (roma) or pink tomatoes. In winter it is not worth making — greenhouse tomatoes will be watery and bland.
Storage
The salad is best eaten at once. After a few hours the tomatoes release juice and the walnuts soften — if making it ahead, add the walnuts and pomegranate just before serving.
