Turkish ezme requires hand-chopping vegetables into exactly 2mm pieces—machine chopping breaks cell walls and creates watery mush.
Ezme
Elevate your festive feasts with this vibrant Ezme, a delightful blend of fresh tomatoes, zesty peppers, and fragrant herbs. Perfect as a side dish or a dip, this salad brings a burst of flavor to your dinner table during Kurban Bayramı. Whip it up with a quick chop and a drizzle of olive oil for a refreshing touch to any celebration!
Prep
15
min
Cook
0
min
Serves
4
people
Level
beginner
📝 Ingredients
Serves 4🥬Fresh Produce(9)
- 1 tbsp dried mint (15 ml)
- 2 large garlic cloves crushed
- 1 small onion roughly chopped
- 25g fresh flat-leaf parsley (0.88 oz)
- 1 medium kapya biber / Romano / Red pointed pepper and roughly chopped
- 2 tbsp pomegranate molasses (30 ml)
- 2 tbsp red pepper paste (30 ml)
- 2-3 large ripe tomatoes quartered, around 400g
- 1 tbsp tomato purée (15 ml)
🫙Pantry Staples(1)
- 60ml extra virgin olive oil (2.03 fl oz)
🧂Spices & Seasonings(1)
- 2 tsp sumac (10 ml)
📦Other(2)
- 1 medium sivri biber or small green chilli, deseeded and roughly chopped
- 1 tbsp pul biber (15 ml)
👨🍳 Instructions
- 1
Chop the tomatoes, peppers, onions, garlic, and parsley.
- 2
In a food processor, blend the red pepper paste, tomato purée, pomegranate molasses, sumac, dried mint, and pul biber to create a dressing.
- 3
Combine the chopped vegetables with the dressing and mix well.
- 4
Store in the fridge for up to five days.
💡 Pro Tips
- ✓Dice vegetables to uniform 2-3mm pieces for ezme because larger pieces won't absorb the acidic dressing properly and create uneven flavor distribution.technique2-3mm dice
- ✓Salt diced tomatoes and drain for 15 minutes before mixing to remove excess moisture that would dilute the pomegranate molasses and make ezme watery.timing15 minutes
- ✓Use a 3:1:1 ratio of tomato purée to pomegranate molasses to red pepper paste in your dressing base for authentic Turkish flavor balance without overpowering acidity.ingredient3:1:1 ratio
- ✓Pulse vegetables in food processor for 2-3 seconds maximum to maintain texture - over-processing creates a mushy paste instead of the desired chunky consistency.equipment2-3 seconds
- ✓Let ezme rest for 2-4 hours before serving so the sumac's malic acid can properly penetrate vegetables and develop the characteristic tangy depth.timing2-4 hours
Share this recipe
Prep
15
min
Cook
0
min
Serves
4
people
Level
beginner
Share this recipe
Turkish ezme requires hand-chopping vegetables into exactly 2mm pieces—machine chopping breaks cell walls and creates watery mush.
Ezme
Elevate your festive feasts with this vibrant Ezme, a delightful blend of fresh tomatoes, zesty peppers, and fragrant herbs. Perfect as a side dish or a dip, this salad brings a burst of flavor to your dinner table during Kurban Bayramı. Whip it up with a quick chop and a drizzle of olive oil for a refreshing touch to any celebration!
📝 Ingredients
Serves 4🥬Fresh Produce(9)
- 1 tbsp dried mint (15 ml)
- 2 large garlic cloves crushed
- 1 small onion roughly chopped
- 25g fresh flat-leaf parsley (0.88 oz)
- 1 medium kapya biber / Romano / Red pointed pepper and roughly chopped
- 2 tbsp pomegranate molasses (30 ml)
- 2 tbsp red pepper paste (30 ml)
- 2-3 large ripe tomatoes quartered, around 400g
- 1 tbsp tomato purée (15 ml)
🫙Pantry Staples(1)
- 60ml extra virgin olive oil (2.03 fl oz)
🧂Spices & Seasonings(1)
- 2 tsp sumac (10 ml)
📦Other(2)
- 1 medium sivri biber or small green chilli, deseeded and roughly chopped
- 1 tbsp pul biber (15 ml)
👨🍳 Instructions
- 1
Chop the tomatoes, peppers, onions, garlic, and parsley.
- 2
In a food processor, blend the red pepper paste, tomato purée, pomegranate molasses, sumac, dried mint, and pul biber to create a dressing.
- 3
Combine the chopped vegetables with the dressing and mix well.
- 4
Store in the fridge for up to five days.
💡 Pro Tips
- ✓Dice vegetables to uniform 2-3mm pieces for ezme because larger pieces won't absorb the acidic dressing properly and create uneven flavor distribution.technique2-3mm dice
- ✓Salt diced tomatoes and drain for 15 minutes before mixing to remove excess moisture that would dilute the pomegranate molasses and make ezme watery.timing15 minutes
- ✓Use a 3:1:1 ratio of tomato purée to pomegranate molasses to red pepper paste in your dressing base for authentic Turkish flavor balance without overpowering acidity.ingredient3:1:1 ratio
- ✓Pulse vegetables in food processor for 2-3 seconds maximum to maintain texture - over-processing creates a mushy paste instead of the desired chunky consistency.equipment2-3 seconds
- ✓Let ezme rest for 2-4 hours before serving so the sumac's malic acid can properly penetrate vegetables and develop the characteristic tangy depth.timing2-4 hours