Ezme: Turkish Spicy Tomato Dip
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.