Gavurdağ Salad

TURKEY

This salad is a walnut-forward, textural delight

SUBMITTED BY

Nevin

Gavurdağ Salad is a vibrant Turkish dish bursting with flavor. It’s a refreshing combination of fresh vegetables, walnuts, and a tangy pomegranate dressing. This salad has a long history, originating from the southern Turkish city of Gaziantep. Today, it’s enjoyed throughout the country.

Nevin, who shared this recipe, has Turkish roots but now lives in Ireland. She eats walnuts daily and loves this salad. She says walnuts are the star here, not just a topping. For Nevin, it reminds her of lazy summer days with family.

To make Gavurdagi Salatasi, dice cucumbers, and tomatoes into small cubes. Finely chop a red onion and slice green chilies. Add these to a bowl along with chopped parsley and mint leaves. The star ingredient, walnuts, should be chopped into small pieces and added to the mix. Combine sumac, aleppo pepper or chili flakes, olive oil, pomegranate molasses, and lemon juice for the dressing. Mix the dressing with the salad and season with salt. Garnish with extra walnuts and a drizzle of pomegranate molasses.

This salad is fresh and herbaceous. The pomegranate molasses added a delightful tangy sweetness. However, the walnuts’ bitterness and waxiness were prominent. While I didn’t become a fan of walnuts, I appreciated the salad’s texture and balance of flavors. The pomegranate molasses stood out as a must-have ingredient. If you love walnuts, this salad is a must-try. If not, consider replacing them with pita chips or chickpeas for a different crunch.

Gavurdağ Salad

Ingredients
  

  • 2 large juicy tomatoes
  • cups walnuts
  • 1 red onion
  • 2 medium crunchy cucumbers
  • 3-4 small green chilies
  • 10-15 fresh mint leaves
  • ½ cup fresh parsley
  • 5 Tbsp olive oil
  • 4 Tbsp pomegranate molasses
  • ½ lemon juiced
  • 2 tsp aleppo pepper or chili flakes
  • 2 tsp salt
  • 2 tsp sumac

Instructions
 

  • Remove the seeds and dice the cucumbers into small cubes. Transfer into a bowl.
  • Finely dice the tomatoes; transfer to bowl.
  • Finely chop the red onion, slice the chilies finely, add to the bowl.
  • Chop the parsley and the mint leaves finely and add to the bowl.
  • Chop the walnuts into small pieces and transfer into the bowl.
  • For the dressing: Add sumac, aleppo pepper or chili flakes, olive oil, pomegranate molasses; taste and see if you need a bit of lemon juice.
  • Add dressing to the salad. Finally, season with salt and mix well.
  • Garnish with extra walnuts and pomegranate molasses.
Course: Lunch, Snack
Region: Asia
Diet: Vegan, Vegetarian

Watch the Video

SHARE THE LOVE

You May Also Like