Choban salad
4 servings
30 minutes
Choban salad is a bright and aromatic dish of Turkish cuisine that embodies the simplicity and freshness of a rural table. Its name comes from the word 'choban,' meaning 'shepherd,' as this salad was traditionally made from accessible, fresh vegetables found in any home. The taste of Choban salad is a harmonious blend of juicy tomatoes, crunchy cucumbers, and spicy peppers, highlighted by fragrant parsley, tangy sumac, and zesty dried pepper. Olive oil and narsharab add richness to the dish while lemon juice provides a refreshing tang. This salad pairs wonderfully with meat dishes but can also serve as a light snack on its own. Its vibrant appearance and invigorating flavor make it an ideal addition to a summer table, evoking memories of sunny Turkey and its warm traditions.
1
Cut cucumbers and tomatoes into very small cubes. Slice the pepper into thin rings. Be careful with hot peppers—they can burn your fingers, so avoid licking them or rubbing your eyes.
- Tomatoes: 3 pieces
- Cucumbers: 3 pieces
- Green bell pepper: 2 pieces
2
Finely chop the onion. If green onion is not available, regular onion will do. In spring and summer in Turkey, there is such sweet, such white young onion that I prefer it for this salad.
- Onion: 1 piece
3
Chop the parsley greens (it should be a whole bunch, not just 1-2 sprigs as we usually do, as indicated above).
- Parsley: 1 bunch
4
Place everything in an oval dish, sprinkle with sumac (a reddish-brown spice with a sour taste) and red dried pepper (pul biber — not ground pepper, but crushed into tiny flakes), season with salt, drizzle with a small amount of olive oil (about 3 tablespoons), and add 4-5 tablespoons of narsharab sauce (actually a pure pomegranate juice thickened by evaporation, not by adding thickeners).
- Sumac: 1.5 teaspoon
- Dried red chili: 1 teaspoon
- Extra virgin olive oil: to taste
- Narsharab (pomegranate sauce): to taste
- Salt: to taste
5
Squeeze the juice of a medium lemon. Mix all the ingredients well with two spoons. Don't be alarmed, small pieces of vegetables will literally float in the resulting dressing sauce (if they don't, they should!!) most of which is tomato juice.
- Lemon: 1 piece
