Recipe: Persian Cucumber Tomato Salad
Persian Cucumber Tomato Salad is an easy to make, refreshing, citrusy and flavourful salad. Also known as Shirazi Salad, this salad needs basic everyday ingredients. Cucumber, tomato, onion, lemon juice and fresh herbs and you’ve created a very tasty simple salad. It pairs well with any meal be it meat based or curries. Named after the city in the southwestern part of Iran, Shirazi Salad is an everyday Iranian Salad. Traditionally, Ab Ghooreh, which is sour grape juice is added. However, these days lemon is used for that tangy taste.
Sharing This Recipe With Foodies_Redoing Old Posts
When I first made this salad way back on 24/06/2012, I had no idea that it was a close recipe to the Persian Cucumber Tomato Salad one. It was a take on the Indian Kachumber but my style. And can you believe it back then had no idea that the title should be the recipe name and not a tag line! I had the title thanda thanda cool cool till today! Who names a salad that….sounds more like prickly heat powder ad we often use to see on the tv. As a redo, I have made some changes to the recipe by adding onion and fresh mint. That is what Shirazi Salad is all about.
Memories
I wanted to post the Persian Cucumber Tomato Salad for Sunday Funday Group but couldn’t as I came down with a very bad eye infection. This is the fourth time in a span of 2 months. Each time, put eye ointment, washed the eye with saline but it seemed the infection didn’t disappear entirely. Remember, ointments and drop contain a minuscule amount of antibiotic. The last infection was pretty bad, the eye was all swollen and lot of pus came out. Thank God I’m married to a doctor! Otherwise with the extremely poor healthcare system in Canada,
I would have had to wait in the emergency room for 8 or more hours to be seen by a doctor. It is our third year in Canada and we still don’t have a family doctor! Hubby took care, religiously putting the drops and ointment every hour. Reminding to wash my eye with saline. He was able to remove the pus. Just as well, hubby remembers to get all the medications from India. He also remembers to order some basic medicines like a dose of antibiotics, tablets for aches and pains, tummy bugs, etc. We have our own mini pharmacy ! Guess we have to have one in a place where doctors are not easily accessible. What the younger doctors want is to go into private practise and not work for the Government health system. This is resulting in shortage of medical staff.
Some More Cucumber Recipes
If like me you love Cucumber then I am sure you’ll like the following Recipes:
And my favourite summer time soup is Chilled Cucumber And Yogurt Soup
Ingredients Required For Persian Cucumber Tomato Salad
Cucumber
As we are going to use the cucumbers with the peel, it is best to use English or Persian Cucumber as the skin tends to be thin. Also these cucumbers do not have large mature seeds. Persian Cucumber tend to be small, about 5-6 inches in length. They are very succulent and the peel is super thin. If you don’t get Persian Cucumber then use the English Cucumber.
Tomatoes
Best to use fresh tomatoes. The preferred variety is the Roma one as they tend to be less watery. However, if you have the heirloom type, make sure you remove the seeds. If you are using Roma, you can leave the seeds if you are consuming the salad immediately. However, if you are going to leave it in the fridge till required for parties, picnics then don’t add the seeds. Scoop them out.
Onion
Here, the recommended variety is the red onion.
Fresh Herbs
Generally mint is the most popular herb used for this salad. However, you can mix a bit of fresh mint, dill and parsley if you want to. I have used only fresh mint and loads of it.
Lemon
Juice from one fresh lemon. Trust me go for fresh lemon and not the bottled lemon juice.
Salt
Add according to your taste. I have used normal table salt.
Pepper
Freshly cracked or ground black pepper.
Olive Oil
Optional ingredient. I like to add some olive oil as it helps to coat the chopped ingredients with the herbs and seasoning. Also adds a delicious flavour to the salad.
Watch How To Make Persian Cucumber Tomato Salad
PERSIAN CUCUMBER TOMATO SALAD | SHIRAZI SALAD
Ingredients
- 3 Persian Cucumbers approx. 200g
- 2 medium Roma Tomatoes approx. 350g
- ¼ cup red onion, chopped approx.75g
- 30 g fresh mint 1 bunch
- 2 tbsp lemon juice
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- ¾ -1 tsp salt
- ½ tsp black pepper powder
Instructions
- Wash and wipe the cucumbers and tomatoes with a kitchen towel.
- Add the chopped onion in a mixing bowl.
- Add the lemon juice and mix well. I like to do that as it helps the onion to soak up the lemon flavour.
- Dice the cucumber into small pieces.
- Add to the mixing bowl.
- Cut the tomatoes into halves. Scoop out the seeds if you want to.
- Dice the tomatoes into small pieces. Add to the bowl.
- Pluck the mint leaves from the stem and chop them up roughly.
- Add to the salad.
- Add olive oil, salt and pepper powder.
- Mix the salad well.
- Allow it to chill in the fridge for 15 minutes. Serve.
Notes
- If you are preparing the salad earlier for a party or picnic then don't add the salt. Add it 10-15 minutes before serving. This way the salad will not become too watery.
- Remove the seeds from the tomato to prevent the salad from becoming too watery.
- Add a mixture of herbs if you want to.
- Use cucumbers that are without seeds or have small soft seeds.
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