Raw, finely chopped tomato and pepper dip, spicy, acidic, fresh. The key is very fine chopping (not blending) so the texture stays slightly rough, and squeezing out excess water so it doesn't become soup. It belongs next to every kebab you make.
Ingredients
4 ripe tomatoes, finely diced
1 red onion, very finely diced
2 green chillies (or 1 red chilli), finely chopped
1 red bell pepper, finely diced
Large handful flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped
2 tbsp pomegranate molasses
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp red pepper flakes (pul biber)
1 tsp cumin
Salt, squeeze of lemon
Method
Dice everything as finely as you can. This is a knife job, not a food processor job, the texture matters.
Salt the tomatoes and let them sit 5 minutes. Squeeze out as much liquid as possible in a clean cloth or fine sieve.
Combine everything. Mix well.
Taste and adjust, more lemon if it needs brightness, more chilli if it needs heat, more pomegranate molasses for depth.
Rest 30 minutes before serving so the flavours develop.
Notes
Pomegranate molasses is the ingredient that separates a good ezme from a great one. Find it in any Middle Eastern grocery. Pul biber (Turkish red pepper flakes) are milder and more fragrant than regular chilli flakes, worth tracking down. Serve immediately after resting; it doesn't keep well overnight.
A Short History
Ezme belongs to the same broad family of finely chopped tomato and pepper relishes found across Turkish, Levantine, and wider Middle Eastern meze tables, close cousins to things like Georgian ajika or various Middle Eastern chili-tomato salads, all built on the same basic logic of finely diced vegetables balanced with acid and heat. Pomegranate molasses, the ingredient that most defines this specific version, has been a Middle Eastern pantry staple for centuries, used for its sour-sweet depth well before sugar was widely available in the region.
Nutrition (per serving)
93
Calories
2g
Protein
6g
Fat
10g
Carbs
Estimated from standard ingredient nutrition data for this recipe as written, serves 6 as a side or meze portion. This is a genuinely light dish, almost entirely vegetables.
