Renowned across the Middle East, this colourful salad gained popularity on the kibbutz, where they always had fresh produce at hand: juicy cucumbers, ripe tomatoes, sweet peppers, gentle onions, aromatic mint, and vitamin-packed parsley.
A dash of good quality olive oil and some lemon juice and the salad is complete! Israelis even eat it with breakfast. The secret to a successful Israeli salad is to chop the vegetables as finely and evenly as possible. You will have more tahini sauce than you need.
Ingredients
● 6-8 small cucumbers
● 5-6 ripe tomatoes
● 1-2 sweet peppers
● 1 small red onion
● 4-5 tbsp each of fresh, chopped parsley and mint
● 3 tbsp fresh lemon juice
● 3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
● ½ tsp salt
For the tahini sauce
● 240ml tahini
● 240ml water
● Juice of 2 lemons
● 4 cloves garlic
● 1 tbsp salt
● ½ green chilli
● 4-5 tbsp chopped parsley
Method
● Chop the cucumbers into small cubes.
● Halve the tomatoes, remove the seeds and chop the flesh into small cubes.
● Halve and deseed the peppers. Rinse well and chop into small cubes. Finely chop the red onion.
● Combine the chopped vegetables in a large bowl, then add the herbs. Pour over the lemon juice and olive oil and season with salt to taste.
● Stir well and allow the dressing to soak in for at least 10–15 minutes.
For the tahini sauce:
● Blitz the sesame paste, water and lemon juice in a blender, then add the garlic, salt, green chilli and parsley until the mixture forms a thick, bright green mass.
● Refrigerate – don't worry if the sauce is too liquid, it will thicken when chilled.
● Serve with fresh white bread and tahini sauce.
A Taste of Israel, Penguin Random House, South Africa