Gavurdagi Salad (Chopped Salad with Walnuts)
Gaziantep's famous knife-chopped salad: tomatoes, peppers, onion and parsley cut into tiny dice, tossed with crunchy walnuts, sumac and tangy pomegranate molasses. The essential partner to any kebab.
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Ingredients
4 ripe but firm tomatoes (about 600g), finely diced
1 long cucumber, deseeded and finely diced
3 carliston (sweet green) peppers, finely chopped
1 medium onion, very finely diced
1 bunch flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped
75g walnut kernels, roughly broken
3 tbsp pomegranate molasses
3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 tsp sumac
1/2 tsp Urfa (isot) chilli flakes
Juice of half a lemon
1/2 tsp salt
Instructions
- 1
Dice the tomatoes as finely as you can, discarding the watery seed pulp, and leave them in a sieve for 5 minutes to drain.
- 2
Finely chop the cucumber, peppers, onion and parsley into similar tiny dice; the fine, even knife work is what makes this salad.
- 3
Lightly toast the walnut pieces in a dry pan for 2-3 minutes until fragrant, then let them cool.
- 4
Whisk the pomegranate molasses, olive oil, lemon juice, sumac, isot flakes and salt into a glossy dressing.
- 5
Combine all the vegetables and most of the walnuts in a bowl, pour over the dressing and toss gently but thoroughly.
- 6
Transfer to a serving plate, scatter the remaining walnuts and a final pinch of sumac on top, and serve within the hour while everything is crisp.
Gavurdagi salatasi takes its name from the Gavur Mountains near Gaziantep and is the salad you will find beside every kebab in the region. Unlike coban salatasi, everything here is chopped very finely with a knife, never in a food processor, so each spoonful carries a little of every flavour at once.
What sets it apart is the dressing: sharp, fruity pomegranate molasses whisked with good extra virgin olive oil, plus a scattering of sumac, dark Urfa isot flakes and toasted walnut pieces for crunch. Use the ripest, firmest tomatoes you can find and drain off their excess juice before dressing so the salad stays glossy, not watery.
Serve it with grilled cubed lamb, lahmacun or simply scooped up with warm pide bread and a cold ayran. You can order real Antep pomegranate molasses, walnut kernels, sumac and fresh vegetables together from Turkish Online Market with UK-wide delivery.
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