Salata Baladi
"Country salad" - Egypt's everyday tomato-cucumber-onion salad with lemon, olive oil, salt and cumin. Served alongside ful, koshari, mezze plates. Crunchy, sharp, very lightly seasoned - the foil to richer dishes.
Overview
Tomato, cucumber, onion and green pepper dice fine. Tossed with lemon, olive oil, salt, ground cumin and parsley. A pinch of dried mint or fresh coriander finishes. Made fresh; eaten within an hour.
Ingredients
- 4 ripe tomatoes (deseeded, small dice)
- 1 cucumber (large, deseeded, small dice)
- 1 red onion (small, very finely chopped)
- 1 green bell pepper (small, small dice)
- 1 green chilli (small, very finely chopped, optional)
- 4 tablespoons fresh parsley (chopped)
- 2 tablespoons fresh mint (chopped, optional)
- 1 lemon (juice)
- 4 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
Method
Stage 1 - Chop
- Dice tomato, cucumber, onion, pepper to a similar 5 mm size.
- Drain off any tomato juice.
Stage 2 - Combine
- In a serving bowl combine all the vegetables, chilli (if using) and herbs.
Stage 3 - Dress
- In a small bowl whisk lemon juice, olive oil, cumin, salt, pepper.
- Pour over the salad; toss gently.
Stage 4 - Rest
- Let stand 5 minutes for flavours to mingle.
Stage 5 - Serve
- Taste; adjust salt and lemon. Serve immediately as part of a wider mezze.
Notes
- Deseed cucumber and tomato: Removes the water that would weep into the dressing.
- Cumin is the Egyptian signature: Don't skip. A teaspoon is the right amount - more and it overwhelms.
- Small dice: Not minced. 5 mm cubes are right.
Storage
- Eat fresh. Doesn't keep - softens within hours.
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